While The Dirty Picture is remembered for Vidya Balan's iconic performance it's also popular for "Ooh La La" (a great chatpata song) and various other scenes in which the camera objectifies and sexualizes her completely. 

It's supposed to be a commentary on how male filmmakers utilize a woman's body and sexuality to sell their products and profit from it but also discard her when convenient. But it's execution is also contradictory in a way because this film too relies heavily on the sexualised imagery it's supposedly critiquing. 

Even though Vidya's performance is empowering the way the camera frames her body echoes the very "male gaze" aesthetic it is challenging. Also a huge part of the film's marketing and mass appeal comes from titillation and not satire, so even if the intent was otherwise the film is seen by a huge section as straightforward erotic entertainment (like Hate Story for example). 

I'm not saying that the film is bad (imo it's okayish and is carried heavily by Vidya) and there are scenes that show everything she's going through from her perspective but I think the same point could've been put across in a much more subtle and neutral manner and the film would've been taken much more seriously in that case. But yeah it would've lost all it's popularity and box office returns and would've been seen as dark "arthouse cinema" (even though the subject matter itself is dark). I think it's hilarious and also sad how the film is against male gaze but that's how it ultimately got sold. 

Hot take : This film set out to critique the male gaze in Indian Cinema but ended up pandering to it.