The Dirty Picture on the sex icon's b'day

'The Dirty Picture' directed by Milan Luthria is a music-packed, humorous and unabashed biopic on Southern siren Silk Smitha that traces her life including the controversial romances.

Born Vijayalakshimi in to a poor family in Eluru in Andhra Pradesh, she left school early, driven to become a movie star. Going in with her aunt in Chennai, she soon found a sponsor who re-named her Smitha.

After garnering much notice and acclaim with her first major role in the Tamil movie, 'Vandi Chakkaram' in 1979, Smitha assumed the name Silk, after the name of her character.

Silk Smitha was a big South Indian sensation, known for her bold and daring erotica on celluloid. Film makers could not imagine releasing a film without a titillating song or cameo by Smitha as She was every film maker's lucky charm.

Her most popular role is 'Layanam' (Malayalam, 1989) directed by Thulasidas. In fact 'Layanam' became so famous that it was remade in Hindi as the controversial 'Reshma Ki Jawani.'

The tragic life and death of Silk Smitha, the sex siren who became an inseparable part of South Indian cinema will decidedly make for an interesting view.

Producer Ekta Kapoor's biopic on Silk Smitha is titled 'The Dirty Picture' and being inspired by the actress, Ekta roped in Vidya Balan for the main role.

'The Dirty Picture' directed by Milan Luthria, believes the choice of Vidya Balan to portray Silk Smitha is a casting coup of sorts.

Vidya who has stood on her own in heroine oriented films like 'Parineeta' and 'Ishqiya' now has the tough task of breathing life into Silk Smitha's complex and tragic journey from poor village girl to popular soft porn actress.

'The Dirty Picture' starring Vidya Balan in the lead role with Naseeruddin Shah, Emraan Hashmi and Tusshar Kapoor, will be released on December 2 on the birth anniversary of the sex icon Silk Smitha.

Vidya couldn't kiss Tusshar

Vidya Balan was supposed to film a kissing scene with Tusshar Kapoor in her upcoming film, ‘Dirty Picture’ but unfortunately the smooching scene between Vidya and Tusshar could not be shot due to the attack of dragonflies.

Everything was set at the Ramoji studio in Hyderabad and Tusshar was just about to kiss Vidya but all of a sudden bunch of dragonflies entered the shooting area and disrupted everything.

It was getting inside the mouth and clothes of the crew member and to shoot under such circumstances was just impossible.

On looking at the call of the situation, director Milan Luthria called off the shoot and the scene that had to be shot at night could not be canned as it was almost morning by the time the dragonflies left.

The cast flew off to Mumbai and now the kissing scene will be shot in Mumbai later this month.

Director Milan Luthria confirmed the incident, "There were millions of those flies. They would get into our mouths and clothes," he recalls.

Kareena goes coy..

For all those who were waiting with bated breath to see Kareena Kapoor in a wet white saree, when she reprises the role of erstwhile sex bomb Mandakini in Once Upon a Time in Mumbai 2, we have bad news for you.

"Bebo has refused to do the scene."

Milan Luthria's sequel introduces Mandakini as a character because the actresses romantic association with mafia don Dawood Abraham - a central character in the film-is well known.

Luthria wanted Kareena to shoot a rehash of the landmark and utterly revealing waterfall sequence from Raj Kapoor's Ram teri Ganga Maili to retain the sensuality associated with Mandakini.

The fact that Kareena's grandfather Raj Kapoor had directed Ram teri Ganga Maili had made Luthria feel, would add to the allure.

Kareena, however, made it clear that she is not comfortable with this degree of exposure at this point of her career and life, especially with marriage to boyfriend Saif Ali Khan in the offing.

"Dirty Picture" on Silk Smith's birthday

When Ragini MMS was up for release, Ekta Kapoor said that she wanted to release it on Friday, the 13th, for the date is synonymous with scary spirits.

And when it comes to the release of her next film Dirty Picture, there is another significant date under consideration. We've learnt that the movie, which stars Vidya Balan as the south siren Silk Smitha, will release on December 2, which happens to be Silk Smitha's birthday.

A source says, "Silk Smitha was the biggest sensation down south and was known for her bold and daring erotica on celluloid. At a point, filmmakers could not imagine releasing a film without a titillating song or cameo by Silk. She was every filmmaker's lucky charm. So, the film is being released on her birthday only to pay tribute to her."

Kareena to do a Mandakini

Look at the irony of things. Mandakini's famous wet white saree scene - you know, the one where her assets are on display under a waterfall from Raj Kapoor's Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985) -has travelled a full circle.

About 28 years after the scene captured the imagination of India and the mafia, it is all set to be enacted by Kareena Kapoor, Raj Kapoor's grand-daughter, say sources.

So how did this happen? Well, Kareena has given her nod to Ekta Kapoor's Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai sequel where Akshay Kumar plays a role inspired by Dawood Ibrahim. Kareena plays his love interest. Yes, the actress' role is inspired by Mandakini.

Mafia folklore has it that the gangster was infatuated with the light-eyed Ram Teri... lead actress after he watched the famous waterfall scene repeatedly. Naturally, Milan Luthria cannot make his OUATIM sequel without touching on the scene in some way.

Insiders say that when Kareena was informed that this scene was a part of the film, she was pretty okay with it. The actress and her director will not comment on it at this juncture because it makes more sense to keep the 'will-she won't-she do a Mandakini' speculation alive. But a source says, "Bebo is not averse to the idea of doing the water scene, so long as it is aesthetically shot. She knows Milan's sensibilities are very good." Back to the million-dollar question: Will Bebo do a waterfall scene, though it may be a watered down version of the original done in her grandfather's film? "Yes, she will," says our source.

Ready for anything if the role demands : Vidya

We Know Vidya Balan doesn't shy away from going an extra mile to do justice to the characters she portrays in films. This particular trait of hers was put to test again when Milan Luthria- the director of her much- hyped upcoming movie The Dirty Picture- told her that one of the scenes in the film would require her to lock lips with Bollywood's erstwhile serial- kisser Emraan Hashmi.

And while everyone thought she would put her foot down in refusal - her previous onscreen smooches notwithstanding - Vidya willingly agreed, the true professional that she is. It must be a refreshing change for Emraan surely, as some of his recent heroines, including newbie Prachi Desai, had refused to become a part of his long- list of onscreen kissers.

But, Vidya who had promised The Dirty Picture 's filmmakers that she would do everything possible to get under the skin of the character of Silk Smitha - the late southern siren whose life the movie seeks to depict - has no such hang- ups.

Recent reports have confirmed Vidya's dedication towards bringing to life the challenging and unconventional role, which necessitates much more than a little skin show by the actress.

Infact, Vidya didn't even complain when she was asked to 'light up' for the movie. Despite being a non- smoker, she had to smoke nearly ten cigarettes before a particular scene was finally okayed by Luthria. The actress had started feeling uneasy after her fourth cigarette, but after a brief break, was back to shooting the scene again.

Tons of Oranges for "Dirty Picture"

Milan Luthria recently ordered two truck-loads of oranges for a song sequence for The Dirty Picture featuring Vidya Balan and Naseeruddin Shah.

The oranges were to be rolled down a hillside while the actors danced - a scene reminiscent of Himmatwale! Naseer who was already nervous about the full-on song and dance someting he has not tried since Tridev, was hit on the face by a rolling orange!

Twenty ADs and boys stood on the hill top rolling down the fruit. The scene was so colourful that a huge crowd gathered and it took Milan, who was afraid of a leak of the look, half an hour to clear the sets and closed it to public!

Click here for more of Vidya's hot images !!

Mr. & Ms. Smooch - Emraan & Vidya

What happens when the official 'serial kisser' of B-Town and an actress popular for her oomph factor ever since she entered the industry get together?

Yes, Emraan Hashmi and Vidya Balan, who star together in Milan Luthria's The Dirty Picture are gearing up to set the screen on fire.

According to sources, Vidya will soon enter the long list of heroines Emraan has lip-locked on screen. Apparently, they would not only have a couple of sizzling scenes in the movie, but also an exceedingly intimate and romantic number together.

However, since this is the first time the two actors have been cast opposite each other, their director, Milan, is trying to do all he can to eliminate any edginess.

It has been learnt that he is first shooting the 'easier' scenes so that they become friendly and comfortable and then film the high-voltage ones.

"Their chemistry needs to be very natural. So Milan decided to schedule the 'sexy' portions for later," says our informer.

Apparently, Emraan, who plays a filmmaker in The Dirty Picture, gets attracted to Vidya, who's portraying a character based on southern sex siren, Silk Smitha.

"She has never played such a character before. So she's working hard to make sure that not the slightest awkwardness comes across on screen," says a source associated with the film.

Since they started shooting, the two actors have cultivated a friendly rapport. It seems Emraan is often cracking jokes in-between shots and Vidya loves his quirky sense of humour.

"In the romantic song that will be shot at Ramoji Rao Film City in Hyderabad, they will be required to lock lips to bring out the love and intimacy their characters share," reveals our source, adding that the other kiss features in a scene they will be shooting after the song.

Director Milan Luthria was unavailable for comment.

Click here for more hot images of Vidya Balan !!

Vidya Balan - Smoking Hot..!!!

Vidya Balan redefines 'smoking hot' in her own special way. The 33-year-old actor had to smoke up to ten cigarettes for a scene in her upcoming film Dirty Picture. In the film, Vidya plays a popular actress who lives a tragic life and dies a lonely death. "While shooting in Hyderabad, Vidya had to actually smoke for a scene. By the fourth cigarette, Vidya, a non-smoker, began to feel uneasy and was overcome with a coughing fit," reports Mumbai Mirror.

The shooting had to be stopped for Vidya to regain her composure.

After Vidya was back on set, director Milan Luthria gave the go-ahead to resume shooting.

As luck would have it, and after multiple re-takes, Vidya was ten cigarettes down.

Dirty Picture is based on the life of South sex-icon, Silk Smitha. Smitha was a popular item girl and sex symbol, who enthralled millions. The actor was found dead in her Chennai apartment in 1996.

Vidya is clearly a dedicated actor. She is reportedly experimenting with her look in the film. She is also making some changes on the personal front to convincingly pull off this character.

Milan insisted on non-smoker Vidya actually smoking for the film to keep things real. And professional Vidya stepped up without complaints.

Akshay cant wait for Once Upon.. sequel

Bollywood's original Khiladi Akshay Kumar can't wait to step into the shoes of Ajay Devgn in the much awaited sequel of the hit gangster drama Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai.

Director Milan Luthria is busy helming Dirty Picture now but says that Akshay is raring to go for the film which will see him play an underworld don.

"This will be my first film with Akshay. As a director it helps you immensely when your actor is super charged about a film," Luthria told PTI.

"Akshay is excited about OUATIM 2. He can't wait for the film to go on floors. I guess that by itself qualifies for more than half the job being done," said the director.

Milan is well aware of the expectations from the second film which follows the Ajay Devgn-Emraan Hashmi starrer original, which created magic at the box office.

"I know the kind of expectations that everyone has from the sequel. OUATIM 2 is different from a regular franchise product as the same story is being carried forward. But it is still early days to comment on how do we take forward the story," said the filmmaker.

"I have to first finish off Dirty Picture. While I would be preparing for its release, ground work on the sequel would be in full swing," said the filmmaker.

Both Dirty Picture as well as OUATIM 2, are being produced by Ekta Kapoor. But it wasn't long ago that a riff between the director-producer duo was reported.

"I had always maintained that there are no issues between Ekta and me. It has always been a collaborative effort since she has such a strong production experience due to her stint in television. Also what works in my favour is that she has that unshakable belief in me," said Luthria.