page_title: The Dirty Picture
section_title: Marketing
hierarchical_section_title: The Dirty Picture / Production / Marketing
caption_attribution_description: Vidya Balan promotes 'The Dirty Picture' in Kolkata's trams
context_page_description: The Dirty Picture is a 2011 Indian biographical musical drama film inspired by the life of Silk Smitha, a South Indian actress noted for her erotic roles. The filmmakers have clarified that the story is not officially or literally based on Smitha alone, but on many of her southern contemporaries such as Disco Shanti. It also resembles the personal lives of other women in popular culture, including Hollywood actress and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe. The film was directed by Milan Luthria and co-produced by Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor, after Ekta came up with the idea and asked screenwriter Rajat Aroraa to pen a story based on it.
  Produced on a budget of ₹180 million, The Dirty Picture was released worldwide on 2 December 2011, in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil versions. Vidya Balan, Emraan Hashmi, Naseeruddin Shah and Tusshar Kapoor played lead roles. Upon release it was a critical and commercial success, with Balan receiving the highest accolades for her performance; she was called "the hero of the film". In addition, the film has received widespread praise for portraying women as powerful, contributing something unique to a typically male-dominated society.
context_section_description: The first look of The Dirty Picture and a short teaser were launched online on 26 August 2011. The enthusiastic response even prompted its producers to consider a sequel. The film's trailer on YouTube got over 500,000 hits in one day and one million hits in two days. Meanwhile, the theatrical trailer was launched on 30 August at a single screen cinema in Bandra. The space was especially decorated to recreate the retro era. Since the film is set in the 1980s, a time when multiplexes did not exist, the producers thought it would be fitting to show the première on a single screen. The lead stars created publicity by organising a promotional campaign in the festival of Mithibai College on 30 November.
  As a part of the film promotion, actors Vidya Balan, Tusshar Kapoor and Emraan Hashmi made appearances on the popular TV show Bigg Boss aired on Colors on 26 November 2011. Balan also entered the house to spend some time with the housemates and present a red sari to Sunny Leone, as a present. On 27 November 2011, Balan and Hashmi made guest appearances on a special one-hour episode of Sony Entertainment Television India's popular daily soap Bade Achhe Lagte Hain. Balan shook leg to the song, "Ooh La La" with Saakshi Tanwar, the female lead actress of the soap.
caption: Vidya promoting The Dirty Picture in Kolkata.
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