Vidya in The Dirty Picture

But producer Ekta Kapoor's biopic on Silk Smitha titled The Dirty Picture will not focus on the sleaze but the tragedy behind the mask of the sex symbol who provided titillation to thousands of viewers but died a lonely and tragic death.

Producer Ekta Kapoor says, "I've been waiting for almost two years for the script to be ready. Now my writer Rajat Arora has finally put the finishing touches to the story of a woman who defied all conventions to become a sensation in the South but eventually committed suicide. Let me tell you, this will be my most exhilarating and powerful production ever. It's about women's empowerment and the loneliness behind stardom."

Ekta has signed Milan Luthria, who is currently directing Once Upon A Time In Bombay to direct The Dirty Picture. Reliable sources confirm that Vidya will be playing the lead in this purported study of stardom, exploitation and self-destruction.

Vidya says, "Yes, Milan Luthria has come to me with the film that you're talking about. But it's too early to speak about it at the moment."

Director Milan Luthria says, "It would be premature to reveal on record who's playing the lead. But yes, I'm directing The Dirty Picture for Ekta Kapoor. I was bowled over when I read the script. The story has everything. It's a mirror of our times. Silk Smitha was a cult figure in her times. She spawned so many imitations including Nylex Nalini and Disco Shanti. In fact, I worked with Disco Shanti in Najayaaz when I was assisting Mahesh Bhatt saab."

Silk Smitha was a South Indian actress, who was popular for her sexy image in films. She was born into a poor family in Eluru, Andhra Pradesh and her real name was Vijayalakshmi. She left studies after fourth standard to pursue her ambition.

She got recognition for her first major role in a Tamil film Vandi Chakkaram (The Wheel) in 1979. Silk Smitha went on to act in over 200 Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and also a few Hindi films. Silk Smitha was found dead in her apartment in 1996.

It is believed that she committed suicide. Various reasons such as financial problems, disillusionment in love, alcohol dependency and depression because of loneliness were citied as reasons for her taking the drastic step.