These are the days when filmmakers try bringing back the old times through their movies. And who else is better that Balaji and Milan Luthria, who have now became experts in recreating the retro era beautifully….

After magnificently transporting the audience to the 80s Bombay in ‘Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai’, it's turn to recreate the 80s Chennai in the forthcoming ‘The Dirty Picture’.

The keenly awaited multi-starrer is about the colourful, musical, and romantic journey of the 80's Tamil screen sensation, Silk Smitha, being played by Vidya Balan. Tusshar Kapoor, Emraan Hashmi and Naseeruddin Shah play the men in her life.

Laughs Luthria, “Right now we are in full Chennai mode. Wherever we look we see people dressed in lungis. Tamil posters adorn our walls, we start our day eating idlis to get into the mode. We bought books and watched Hindi and Tamil films of the 80s, and put that all together to arrive at an authentic colour palette.”

An elaborate Chennai set has been set up in Mumbai's Film City these days where the film's cast has been shooting. “The sets have huge cut outs of Naseeruddin Shah who plays a huge south-Indian star in the film. We painted the old taxis and auto rickshaws, and even had to change all the number plates, as it was Madras then and not Chennai,” he adds.