 Produced on a budget of ₹ 180 million ( US $ 2 @.@ 7 million ) , The Dirty Picture was released worldwide on 2 December 2011 ( the anniversary of Smitha 's birth ) , in Hindi , Tamil and Telugu versions . Vidya Balan , Naseeruddin Shah , Tusshar Kapoor and Emraan Hashmi played lead roles in the film . Upon release the film was both 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 . The film 's music was composed by Vishal Shekhar with lyrics written by Rajat Aroraa . 
