REVIEW 103: DON2

Release date:	December 23, 2011
Director:	Farhan Akhtar
Cast:	SRK, Priyanka Chopra, Boman Irani, Kunal Kapoor, Aly Khan, Lara Dutta, Om Puri, Nawwab Shah

Helloooo Mr Shah Rukh Khan! And you too, Ms Priyanka Chopra!

But most of all, may I shake your hand, Mr Farhan Akhtar?!

Take a bow Team Don 2 for giving us an entertaining end to 2011.

The allure of the 1978 Don starring Amitabh Bachchan came from its memorable dialogues, stylish action, clever script, iconic casting and fabulous music score. Farhan’s Don in 2006 was not just a remake, it was an interesting re-interpretation. It retained the original’s sleekness, borrowed just the right amount from its forebear to captivate fans from back then, but turned the tall, strapping, grave Don played by Bachchansaab into the humorous and impertinent, self-deprecating yet arrogant, physically less imposing Don of Shah Rukh Khan. There was no space for comparisons between the two because they were so completely different.

In Don 2, SRK takes the self-effacing tone forward, and the sparks between his Don and Priyanka Chopra’s Roma turn to a raging blaze. Farhan steers his stars with a firm hand and uses Shankar Ehsaan Loy’s haunting music minimally but to excellent effect to give us a thumpingly enjoyable film that looks as technically polished as any high-budget international product.

Let’s take that step by step. For at least a year now, it has seemed as though Shah Rukh (like a couple of his fellow Bollywood heroes in their 40s) was struggling to come to terms with his age. The hero’s wannabe-boyish styling in that embarrassingly bad film Ra.One, simply reinforced the feeling. In Don2, however, he plays a part suited to his age, seems not to camouflage the years and comes off looking better for it. Seriously, Shah Rukh, please keep that beard!

It helps that SRK’s heroine in Don 2 is Priyanka Chopra. PC is 17 years younger than her man, but she does not come across looking like an adoring younger sister to Shah Rukh’s indulgent big brother figure, unlike Deepika Padukone in Om Shanti Om and Anushka Sharma in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (both girls over 20 years his junior). Sure, Priyanka and Shah Rukh look like a much younger woman and an older man in love/lust, but the point is you can feel the magnetic pull between them, you can imagine Roma and Don barely able to keep out of each other’s beds!

There’s also the matter of Shah Rukh’s acting. In film after film he’s played to the gallery, emphasising the histrionic eccentricities and exaggerated mannerisms that his fans seem to love. But Chak De, Swades and My Name Is Khan showed us that the star is also an actor. Don and Don 2 are interesting because he’s taken those very quirks his fans enjoy and – under Farhan’s able guidance – turned them into qualities intrinsic to the character of Don.

And able guidance it is! No actor is better than his director, and Farhan is among Bollywood’s best right now. He knows how to put together a great team too, among whom Don 2’s cinematographer Jason West, choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant and production designer T.P. Abid all need a special mention. I particularly loved the shadow play on that gorgeous stage in the film’s title track and the very sexual interplay between the lead pair in the final song.

Thankfully, though the film is primarily a platform for Shah Rukh, Farhan treats his female star with respect. Through the first half, I was worried that Priyanka’s Roma would end up being little more than a glamorous showpiece like heroines often are in today’s Bollywood. But post-interval, Roma’s significance shoots up … and though I don’t want to expand on that, may I just say that Ms Chopra – one of the best that we have in commercial Hindi cinema right now – is probably one of the fittest women in India, her Roma is a far cry from those helpless “mujhe bachao”-type bechaaris of an earlier Bollywood, and she looks torrid beating up bad men!

Truth be told, Don 1 had a more fleshy story. But well, films in this genre are not so much about story as about adrenaline. All you need to know about this one is that Don tries to rob a bank in Europe with his bête noir from the earlier film, Vardhaan (Boman Irani), and a young computer genius Sameer (Kunal Kapoor), while cops Malik (Om Puri) and Roma get unwittingly drawn in.

The film does have some major flaws, but I found myself in a forgiving mood by the time the climax came around. First, although the action in the first half is thrilling, Don 2 dips considerably in the early part of the post-interval portion before picking up again and racing to an unexpected ending. There’s a particularly boring step-by-step explanation of Don’s bank robbery plan. Some of Don’s ruses seem too simplistic, especially for those fed a diet of MIs, Die Hards and Bonds! Likewise, Sameer’s ability to hack into the bank’s security system is too convenient and unconvincing. At the start of the heist, the bank’s security staff seem surprisingly lax! There are portions in the film that are confusing even in retrospect. And the interesting guest appearance by a major star is marred by one problem: if I wear a mask that makes me look like you, does that mean I’ll get your voice too? I can’t explain further without spoiling your fun! And in the overall analysis, that’s what Don 2 is – it’s wicked, unapologetic fun!

Rating (out of five): ***1/2  

Footnote: I saw the film’s 2D version at a press preview. Will report back if I watch it in 3D.

Photograph courtesy: https://www.facebook.com/#!/Don2thefilm

REVIEW 102: PAPPU CAN’T DANCE SAALA

Release date:	December 16, 2011
Director:	Saurabh Shukla
Cast:	Neha Dhupia, Vinay Pathak, Rajat Kapoor

There’s a lot that’s nice and pleasant about this quiet film revolving around two warring neighbours who become reluctant flatmates and then friends. Neha Dhupia stars as Mehek, a dancer in Mumbai whose partying ways infuriate her strait-laced padosi Vidyadhar (Vinay Pathak). Through their squabbles and trials, you guess how their relationship will turn out, but there’s something refreshing about the treatment that steers clear of passing judgement on either character and does not indulge in most of the stereotypes you would expect in such a storyline.

He is from Benaras, and fights every tiny injustice meted out to him in the big city. She is a struggler from Kolhapur on the verge of stardom, who must contend with a casting couch and a seemingly cold mentor. Director Saurabh Shukla takes his time letting the story unfold, at a velocity that suits it well. The film also has a sense of humour that surfaces occasionally and unexpectedly, cresting at the point where Vidya ticks off Mehek’s boss for being hard on her when she’s going through “menstruation”. Individually, Dhupia and Pathak play out their parts just right. What primarily fails the film though is the lack of sparks between the two actors. They look like there could be a warm friendship between them, but nothing beyond that.

The whole point of an unlikely pairing is for the storyteller and stars to convince us that something more could be brewing between the couple in question … the problem with Pappu Can’t Dance Saala though is that I just could not see it happening between those two! Some of this might have to do with the casting and acting, but some of it also has to do with what felt to me like contrived aggression between Vidya and Mehek at the start (especially her unreasonable belligerence towards him), designed simply to get the plot going.

Also, considering that the female protagonist is supposed to be an ace dancer, the film’s music and choreography are a complete let down, deadening the pace each time a song comes around ... and unfortunately, there are too many of those.

Still, I can’t write off Pappu Can’t Dance Saala because it is clearly written by a person who understands this milieu and the struggles of outsiders in a metropolis. It also unobtrusively makes a point about who gets to decide the definition of art, and how hypocritical society is in its attitude towards pop culture. As Palash the choreographer, Rajat Kapoor manages an interesting blend of indifference and affection towards his protégé Mehek. And tucked away in a corner when you are least expecting it, is a neat little guest appearance by Naseeruddin Shah. So yes, there’s something about Pappu Can’t Dance Saala … I wish though it could have been something more!

Rating (out of five): **  

CBFC Rating:                       U/A

Language:                             Hindi

Photograph courtesy: http://production.rvisionindia.com/movies/pappu-cant-dance-saala/    

 

REVIEW 101: JO HUM CHAHEIN

Release date:	December 16, 2011
Director:	Pawan Gill
Cast:	Sunny Gill, Simran Mundi

I can see why Jo Hum Chahein’s director Pawan Gill thought his hero Sunny Gill might make it in Bollywood. After all, he’s got a pretty face, he’s tall and trim, and he possesses that quality that most people in our country crave: he’s gora.

But charisma goes beyond that and unfortunately Master Gill does not have it … at least not right now. He’s also got an inexplicable style of dialogue delivery which at times leads to an apparent mismatch between his lip movements and the words emerging from those lips. At first I thought there was an audio sync-out due to some technical issue in the hall where I watched this film, but when I found no audio-video variance while other characters were speaking, I had to conclude that the problem lay with the actor. To make matters worse for this youngster, his debut film is absolutely lacklustre, filled with heavy-handed trite dialogues and clichéd characters, and is boringly predictable.

The story is simple. Gill plays Rohan Bhatia, an MBA determined to make crores while his Daddy wants him to join the defence services. Saying no to being a sainik?!!! I guess that’s Hindi filmdom’s ultimate way of labelling a person a selfish, self-centred “type”. Rohan chooses the stockbroking profession not based on his passions but based on how much cash he’s likely to earn from it. On Day 1 he’s singled out by the star of his firm, Vikram Khurana (Alyy Khan), who takes him under his wing and introduces him to a huge potential client, millionairess Amrita Singhania (Achint Kaur). The lady is another “type” – rich bored single female, unabashed cougar, essentially lonely despite the bustling social life. She’s obviously determined to bed Rohan from the moment she sees him, but it’s not clear whether he is oblivious to her intentions or is playing along while pretending not to realise what’s on her mind. All I know is that Rohan sleeps with her twice but seems not to know how it happened. The look on his face when he wakes up both times is of such incredulity that I thought the film would later reveal that Amrita had drugged him into submission.

Anyway, on a parallel track, Rohan has fallen in love with aspiring actress Neha (former Miss India Universe Simran Mundi) and had a few rolls in the hay with her too. Now figure out for yourself how the rest of the film will pan out. It’s easy!

On the bright side, Mundi is tall, has a lithe figure and in one song shot among rocks and by a water body, wears some of the loveliest dresses given to a Hindi film actress in recent times. Achint Kaur has a fabulous body … which gym do you work out at, lady?!!! Plus ...

Okay, I can’t think of any other pluses! Mundi needs acting lessons, Alyy Khan always did. With songs like “Aaj bhi party, kal bhi party / Saari duniya hai ek party / Ta na na na na / Ta na na na na,” music director Sachin Gupta seems to be trying to re-create the same youthful mood that Sachin-Jigar ushered in with their songs for Faltu earlier this year. But Faltu – despite all its flaws – had an undeniable sense of humour and a significant point to make. Jo Hum Chahein is just one big cliché! If you don’t believe me, hear these lines that Neha utters to a weepy Rohan towards the end of the film, give or take a word here or there: “Hum dono ek doosre ke andhere aakaash ko … roshan kar sakte hai. Let’s be each other’s fireworks.” I did not make that up!!!

Rating (out of five): 1/4 (this quarter star for Simran’s wardrobe in that song, and the no-fuss manner in which Achint Kaur casually takes off her robe to reveal a toned body in a white bikini!)   

CBFC Rating:                       U/A

Language:                              Hindi

Photograph courtesy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jo_Hum_Chahein   

  

REVIEW 100: LADIES VS RICKY BAHL

Release date:	December 9, 2011
Director:	Maneesh Sharma
Cast:	Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Parineeti Chopra, Dipannita Sharma, Aditi Sharma

I guess it can be safely said now: Ranveer Singh is here to stay. Unless he takes some really foolish decisions in the coming months and years, there can be no doubt that 20 years from now, this boy will be very much around and rocking. He was incredible in his first film Band Baaja Baaraat, but it was natural to wonder whether he (like some other actors we’ve known in the past) appeared good in BBB because his character Bittu was an extension of his own real-life personality. But with the varying tones he manages to capture while playing a confidence trickster in his second film, Ranveer lays all doubts to rest. In Ladies vs Ricky Bahl, he proves that he’s got acting talent, an arresting screen presence, an amazing body that he’ll flaunt if required, dancing skills and a likeability that no acting school can teach you.

The synopsis of Yash Raj Films’ Ladies vs Ricky Bahl is evident from its promos. Ranveer plays a con man who deceives women into parting with their cash. Three of his victims – Dimple Chaddha (Parineeti Chopra), Raina Parulekar (Dipannita Sharma) and Saira Rashid (Aditi Sharma) – team up to get back their money and get back at him. The person they rope in as their pawn is saleswoman Ishika Desai (Anushka Sharma) who is so good at her job that she could sell burglar alarms to the homeless! If this is the beginning, you’re likely to assume that the end is obvious. Yet it’s not, because of how the director deals with the journey there. Consider the possible scenarios that could emerge in the climax:

1)      Ishika and Ricky could fall in love and jointly con Dimple, Raina and Saira

2)      Ishika could fall in love with Ricky and become another of his victims

3)      Ishika could fall in love with Ricky and convert him to goodness

4)      Ricky could fall in love with Ishika and turn over a new leaf

5)      Ricky could fall in love with Ishika and trick her into reciprocating his feelings while still managing to cheat the other women and getting the one he loves as a bonus

6)      Ishika and Ricky may not do the obvious that you expect from a Hindi film hero and heroine – neither may flip for the other – and they could engage in an exciting fight to the finish

7)      Or it may be none of the above

See! The end is not as easy to predict as you may think! And of course I won’t tell you which of the above seven scenarios we get in the film!

Because yes, for the most part, Ladies vs Ricky Bahl is fun. Ranveer has the ability to metamorphose from one personality to the other. And each of the ladies fits their role to a T. Dipannita looks the part of the business-like corporate type, Aditi does a good job of playing the conservative small-town girl with gumption, and Parineeti – the big find of this film! – is utterly loveable as the spoilt rich kid. A salaam to the film’s casting team for picking them and also for investing their faith in Anushka Sharma. Unlike the experience of seeing Ranveer in Band Baaja Baaraat, I don’t remember being smacked in the face with the impact of Anushka’s screen presence when I saw her first in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. She came across as pretty and spunky, but not an immediate attention grabber. Yet, over the five films that we’ve now seen her in, I find that she’s grown on me. Besides, Ranveer and Anushka share such excellent on-screen chemistry that the sexual tension between them is almost tangible.

So why am I not blown away by Ladies vs Ricky Bahl the way I was by Band Baaja Baaraat, director Maneesh Sharma’s debut film? First, because the victims of the final con in this story by Aditya Chopra seem too gullible to be credible, thus robbing the film of much of its impact in the second half. Also, Habib Faisal’s dialogues are as natural as usual in this film, but he doesn’t give us any take-home-with-you phrases like he did with Bittu and Shruti’s “binness” in BBB or “bread pakode ki kasam”. Another problem with this film is the unnecessary insertion of songs … The first shot of Ranveer is subtle and impactful, designed by a director who recognises his star’s charisma but does not over-state the point; the song that follows is unnecessary! In fact, Sharma takes a disappointingly conventional route in giving his hero an introductory number, another to his heroine, and accessorising the closing credits with a peppy track that brings all the major characters together … why?! Worse, Salim-Sulaiman’s songs are unmemorable (notwithstanding Ranveer’s rapping in Aadat se Majboor and Amitabh Bhattacharya’s sparring lyrics in Thug Le), so instead of revving up the energy levels in the film, they slacken its pace.

In the overall analysis though, I liked more than what I did not in Ladies vs Ricky Bahl. There’s a neat little tribute to Ranveer’s screen idol Shah Rukh Khan in this film, thankfully without referencing SRK’s collaborations with Yash Raj Films as is the wont of YRF productions. But the nicest part is that unlike other Hindi films involving loveable men of questionable character, Ricky Bahl is irresistible yet the film at no point trivialises or glosses over the pain of his female targets … you know the way mainstream Hindi films about male infidelity demand that wronged women should forgive their erring partners in a jiffy? In Ladies vs RB, I succumbed to the man too, but right till the end I also had a lump in my throat for the hurt he had caused those women! Ladies vs Ricky Bahl didn’t take my breath away like Band Baaja Baaraat did, but it’s simple and sweet and tugs at the heart in a way I completely did not expect from such a film.

Rating (out of five): ***  

CBFC Rating:                       U/A

Running time:                        140 Minutes

Language:                              Hindi

Photograph courtesy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladies_vs_Ricky_Bahl  

  

REVIEW 99: I AM SINGH

Release date:	December 2, 2011
Director:	Puneet Issar
Cast:	Gulzar Inder Chahal, Tulip Joshi, Puneet Issar, Brooke Johnston

There was a point in the first half of this film when I thought that my review would be spent slamming it for its blatant incitement of violence. But as the story progressed, I Am Singh got so ludicrous that I don’t think I’ll dignify it by bothering to be concerned about its jingoism.

This film is meant to be a tribute to Sikh valour, and a stinging indictment of the US for its treatment of Sikhs and other Asian minorities in the aftermath of 9/11. What it ends up being though is a stereotypical portrayal of Sikhs as a violent, violence-prone community. Worse, though it seems intended as a grave political and social treatise, it does not even take itself seriously! And so, after lives have been lost and much blood has been spilled through its 2 hours-plus running time, we’re thrown right into a completely unrelated, bouncy item song by Mika in the end. Huh?

But the acme of ridiculousness is achieved much earlier in the film when our strapping hero Ranveer Singh is shown taking a dip in the sarovar at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. He is mentally resolving to avenge the attacks on his brothers and father, but I found myself giggling helplessly through that scene – because it’s not designed to inspire gravitas in viewers but admiration for actor Gulzar Inder Chahal’s remarkable physique! And so … he raises his muscular arms out of the water … then rises Bo Derek-like … his wet loin cloth clinging to his impressive frame … while he extends those well-worked-out legs to stride towards the camera.

Now tell me Mr Issar, how are we expected to focus on the issues at hand when you present us with such amusement right in their midst?! But the laughability goes way beyond that! The white extras are so bad that they make the film good. The film has no normal, human dialogues – only speeches! Though Issar himself plays an LAPD member who cautions the film’s young players not to indulge in violence, I Am Singh still comes across as a call to arms to members of the Sikh community. And then there are the two American civil rights lawyers Amy Washington and Amelia White whose introduction scenes are quite hilarious – they strike sexy poses, gaze invitingly at our Sikh heroes, later one of them looks like she’s about to break into a dance in a courtroom before she delivers a lecture on Sikhism to the hapless jury!

The acting is almost uniformly amateurish and the lead players’ hand movements accompanying their dialogues reminded me of the worst actors in my junior school plays who gestured awkwardly while speaking because they didn’t know what else to do. The camerawork in I Am Singh is calculated to highlight Chahal and Issar’s great height though the lasting impression is, in fact, of Issar’s immense weight gain!

The film is filled with stereotypes … the good Muslims, the good white folk, the evil white skinheads with tattoos, the brave Sikhs … but since this is such a tacky film, it’s not even worth being offended by it. It’s not worth protesting either against the fact that the witnesses to the murderous attack on Ranveer Singh’s family are divided into two groups: Indian Hindu guys who are too cowardly to speak up and Pakistani Muslim guys who stand up for their Indian brethren.

But frankly, who cares, when this film provides us with perhaps the most entertaining Hindi film song of the decade, sung by none other than Kunal Ganjawala and Sukhwinder Singh, with lyrics by two people called Deepali Issar and Sandeep Nath who must be truly delightful creatures. For your reading pleasure, here below are the lyrics of Turban victory:

Bole so nihaal / Sat shri akaal / We live for the turban / We die for the turban / It’s all about the turban / Victory! / With all our might, we’ll fight for justice / We’ll fight for the right. / With all our might, we’ll fight for justice / We’ll fight for the right. / We are the warriors / Our turban is our pride. / Yeah, we are the warriors / Our turban is our pride / Our turban’s our pride. /… / Oho, oh oh, oh yeah yeah yeah ee yeah … / Don’t preach the hate / Don’t spread the rut / We’ll give it back / We’ll make you shut. / And if you call us any names / You’ll regret, you’ll feel the shame …

To get the full impact of those lines, do google Turban victory and listen to the song. I feel selfish keeping such an enjoyable experience all to myself!

Rating (out of five): 0 stars  

CBFC Rating:                       U/A

Language:                              Hindi with Punjabi and English

Photograph courtesy: http://www.iamsinghfilm.com/

  

REVIEW 98: THE DIRTY PICTURE

Release date:	December 2, 2011
Director:	Milan Luthria
Cast:	VIDYA BALAN. Also starring Naseeruddin Shah, Emraan Hashmi, Tusshar Kapoor, Rajesh Sharma

Must every Hindi film that gives primacy to its heroine be about sex and skin show? The question’s been asked by some people since The Dirty Picture’s promos were released. Well, when you see the film you will discover that over, above and beyond the bawdy bedroom scenes and blatant display of bosom, The Dirty Picture is about an actress who has thrown herself into a role and lived the part with no apologies, no holds barred! Seriously, Vidya Balan … wow!

The Dirty Picture is set in 1980s Madras and revolves around an aspiring actress called Reshma (Balan), a girl who fled home because she wanted more out of life than the marriage her mother was nudging her into. Her evident penury in the city does little to stem her feisty spirit, her sense of fun and her passion for cinema which is so great that one day when she’s famished and down to her last few rupees, she chooses to skip food to watch a film instead. Reshma’s persistent visits to film studios pay off when a producer finally notices her doing a sexy dance as an extra in a scene that his prudish director Abraham (Emraan Hashmi) snipped out of a film. Reshma is Discovered, she is renamed Silk, the traditional clothes are exchanged for hot little Western numbers, and her acid tongue and penchant for publicity make her an overnight headline grabber. She is every man’s dirty secret, the actress they fantasise about but don’t take their wives to theatres to watch with them. The Dirty Picture is the story of The Rise and Fall of Silk.

The highlights of this film are Vidya Balan, Vidya Balan, Vidya Balan … and Rajat Aroraa’s crackling dialogues. Oh the joy of hearing Abraham say, If Silk was the last woman on earth, I’d get a vasectomy done! The excellent make-up genuinely highlights the decline of the marquee star (though I’m not sure why her ascent to glamourdom had to be marked by her dark skin lightening up). The costumes and styling perfectly recreate those tawdry films of the 1980s. There’s also some supremely intelligent music direction by Vishal-Shekhar whose gorgeous Ooh la la – so beautifully picturised! – transports us back three decades.

I also enjoyed the way language has been used in this film. The costumes and car number plates make it clear that the story is set in Tamil Nadu, but director Milan Luthria (who earlier collaborated with Balaji on Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai) has wisely chosen not to get his cast to desperately struggle with accents. Nor are the Hindi dialogues peppered with Tamil. Such half measures often lead to amusing inconsistency. Interesting decision, Messrs Luthria and Aroraa!

Of the supporting cast, Naseeruddin Shah is good as the male star who retains his numero uno status despite his advancing years and expanding waistline, in an industry that easily tires of its leading ladies. But the actor I hope will get nominated at all the Awards next year along with Balan is the excellent Rajesh Sharma playing the producer who discovers Silk. Earlier this year, Sharma turned in a fabulous performance as a policeman with shades of gray in No One Killed Jessica. I can still hear him say, “Aap kaunsi duniya main rehti ho Sabrinaji?”

The kilos that Balan gained for this film are very much in evidence, as a sexily voluptuous Silk degenerates into the alcoholic and pot-bellied falling star. The impact of Vidya’s courageous physical transformation and acting, combined with all that entertaining dialoguebaazi however, do not alter the fact that The Dirty Picture is a highly flawed film. The performances by Tusshar Kapoor (as Naseer’s younger brother) and Hashmi lack depth, the story (especially in the second half) is riddled with loopholes and not enough attention has been paid to the character graphs! Which leaves me with too many questions that the film fails to answer … A starving Reshma/Silk is propositioned by a sleazy man in a theatre one night; she refuses to prostitute herself to him despite her desperation, so how come she does not think for a second before casually sleeping with the hero of her very first film at the very first sign of trouble? What explains Abraham’s extreme animosity towards Silk and his dramatic turnaround? Why did Reshma/Silk’s mother abruptly change her mind about her daughter right in the end? Was Silk in love with her superstar idol or was she simply hurt at being mis-treated?

There is also a certain dishonesty in the approach to the subject that is gnawing at me. For months, the producers let it be known that The Dirty Picture is the story of south Indian cinema’s sex symbol of the 1980s, Silk Smitha. Then on November 4, in the shadow of legal action from the real Silk’s family, Balaji Pictures issued a statement clarifying that the film is “a work of fiction, and any characters’ resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental”. So if this is not the late Silk Smitha’s biopic, if the leading lady in this film is only a composite of several actresses of that era, then why has the character been called Silk and why was Silk Smitha’s birthday carefully chosen as the release date for this film? Are such publicity stunts justified when it involves the reputation of a human being who can no longer defend herself?

The ethical debate apart, this would have been half the film that it is right now without Balan and the sharp dialogue writing. All those lovely individual ingredients have somehow not been cooked up into a wholesome whole, but are so darned good on their own that The Dirty Picture ends up being paisa vasool. And seriously, Vidya Balan … wow!

Rating (out of five): ***

CBFC Rating:                       A

Language:                             Hindi

Photograph courtesy: http://www.facebook.com/thedirtypicturefilm