The film opens with Reshma (Vidya Balan) running 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 film-making should dominate the screen and not 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). He later offers Reshma a song in his upcoming film, and suggests that she should now be referred to as "Silk". At the first shoot, "Silk" is spellbound and 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 have contempt for Silk. 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, playing bold characters, wearing sexy and revealing clothes, and dancing seductively with lead actors. 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.