Vidya Balan’s stellar performance in Ekta Kapoor’s The Dirty Picture has received an overwhelming response in its opening week. The film is reported to have earned above a net Rs 30 crore at the domestic box office in the first three days of its release.

Eminent film distributor and exhibitor Akshaye Rathi says, “The response and frenzy is overwhelming at our theatres. The opening day’s collections of The Dirty Picture matched the collections of some of the biggest films in recent times. The huge response at the box office reinforces the fact that the biggest hero in films is hardcore commercial content, backed by good distribution strategies.”

Celebrity publicist Dale Bhagwagar points out, “Apart from the making and performances, a lot of credit for the mind-blowing opening of The Dirty Picture goes to the aggressive manner in which Ekta Kapoor promoted the film. Even the eye-popping publicity stills and poster designs by Marching Ants majorly contributed to all the hype and hoopla. The way this film has kick-started, I wont be surprised if it makes it to the list of top ten grossers of 2011 and bags a lot of awards for Vidya Balan.”

Directed by Milan Luthria, The Dirty Picture is an unofficial biopic of Southern sex symbol Silk Smitha. Apart from Vidya and Emraan, it features Naseeruddin Shah and Tusshar Kapoor in key roles and recreates the era of the 1980s Southern film industry and its workings.

In recent times, a series of Bollywood films such as Mahesh Bhatt’s Murder 2, Aamir Khan’s Delhi Belly and now Ekta Kapoor’s The Dirty Picture, which have been awarded the ‘A’ certificate by the Censor Board, have turned out to be huge money spinners. What can we say, but here’s wishing the youth a lot of dirty fun at the cinemas!