Summaries

Synopsis

Reshma (Vidya Balan) runs away from her house to Chennai, a day before her marriage. She tries her best to get a role in a film but is eventually insulted by the casting director for being unattractive and useless. The determined Reshma goes to the film shoot to convince him again and spontaneously grabs the role of a side dancer. She instantly steps into the sequence, and dances with whips, using erotic movements and expressions.

The film's director, Abraham (Emraan Hashmi), is annoyed by this, believing that his creative art of filmmaking should dominate the screen and not be an actress's display of erotic and sensual content. He edits out Reshma's entire dance sequence from the film. The film fails at the box office much to the dismay of the producer Selva Ganesh (Rajesh Sharma). Selva uses Reshma's song to relaunch the picture to recover some of his losses. He later offers Reshma a song in his upcoming film and suggests that she now be referred to as "Silk".

At the first shoot, "Silk" is nervous dancing with Suryakanth (Naseeruddin Shah), her childhood idol, resulting in an unsuccessful shoot leaving the arrogant Suryakanth disappointed. But Silk succeeds in seducing and convincing Suryakanth by offering him a long-term sexual relationship. Meanwhile, Abraham proposes a new film to Selva Ganesh and is keen to cast Suryakanth. Suryakanth suggests that Abraham add spice and sex (hinting towards Silk) to make the film more commercially viable. This angers Abraham and he begins to despise Silk. Surya asks Selva to direct the next film in place of Abraham. Silk, however, is determined and confident that films are all about entertainment, and she delivers just that. She goes on to do many more erotic and sensual films with Suryakanth. She gains many male fans who respond to her sex appeal, and within a short span of time, becomes immensely rich and popular as the Southern sex star.

Suryakanth's younger brother (and unnoticed writer) Ramakanth (Tusshar Kapoor) reveals he is an admirer of Silk and tries to befriend her. Silk is happy that someone finally likes her for who she is and not just for her body. At the same time Silk is disillusioned about her relationship with Surya, when Surya blatantly ditches her when his social status as a married husband is threatened by exposure to an illicit relationship with Silk. Silk & Ramakanth both go to Silk's original house where her mother refuses to acknowledge Silk. At an awards ceremony, Silk is praised for her performance but is also insulted by Suryakanth who tells her that she is nothing but everyone's "dirty secret". Silk announces that she will continue to make her "dirty pictures", and that she has no qualms in doing so.

Silk spends more time with her new-found admirer Ramakanth, who is now in love with her. Sensing their affair as sensational news, noted journalist Naila (Anju Mahendru) criticizes Silk for dating both brothers. Suryakanth finally drops Silk from his forthcoming films, thus forcing her to work with small-time film makers. Unhappy and bored by the mediocrity around her, she loses interest in her work, leading to fall-outs with other directors. At the launch party of Ramakanth's new film, Silk meets a younger aspiring actress, Shakeela. Feeling threatened by her competition in the industry, she insults her and challenges her to a dance. At the end of the dance Silk trips Shakeela intentionally, showing her that she cannot be bested, much to the embarrassment of Ramakanth who breaks up with her. Ramakanth had brought his parents to introduce them to Silk & after the dance off, he was no position to continue his relationship with her.

Silk's life starts falling apart. Feminists and critics criticize her. She turns to alcohol and chain smoking, and gains weight. Directors lose interest in casting her. She approaches Selva Ganesh to produce a film which turns out to be a disaster. She subsequently loses all her wealth and fame. Simultaneously, Abraham releases a successful film with a similar story-line starring himself in the lead role.

Between his victory, Silk's failure, and their conversations with each other, Abraham realizes that he is falling for Silk, much as he is in denial of this. Unable to stop thinking about her, he heads off to Silk's house at night where they talk about Silk's life over drinks. By then, Silk has already accumulated debt, and is forced to approach a small-time film maker, whom she first met at Ramakanth's party. Meeting him, she is shocked to find that he wants her to do a porn film, and before she can fully panic or protest, he intoxicates her with a drink and starts filming. The place is soon raided by the police but everyone, including Silk, manages to escape in time. She stumbles home in a semi-conscious state, feeling doomed by the image of what her life has turned into.

Meanwhile, Abraham manages to trace Silk's mother and wants to surprise Silk the next morning. That night when he calls Silk, she asks him to bid goodbye to everyone on her behalf as she is going to sleep. Abraham, realizing what Silk is up to, rushes to her house to find her lying in bed, dressed in a red silk sari, with traditional Indian make-up; she is dead. Unable to bear the depression and failure, Silk has killed herself by consuming sleeping pills. At the end, Abraham and her mother perform the funeral rites.

The entire story is told in background narration by Abraham, who was the only one who could understand Silk's pain, desire, ambition, struggle, and the darkness that lay behind her rise and fall.