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FASHION - REVIEW

FASHION (Hindi,2008)

Director : Madhur Bhandarkar

Cast : Priyanka Chopra , Kangana Ranaut, Mugdha Godse , Arbaaz Khan , Raj Babbar , Kitu Gidwani

Now , being a Madhur Bhandarkar movie , I had a lot of expectations from this one. It turned out to be a good film overall , but could have been much better.

The story revolves around the Fashion Industry in India . Meghna Mathur (Priyanka Chopra) , is a girl from Chanidgarh who comes to Mumbai , much against her parents' wishes , to be a part of the fashion scene , and aspires to be a big model. The movie then focuses on the fashion culture in India , and portrays a rather disturbing picture of what happens behind the scenes.

Meghna , is in awe of supermodel Shonali Gujral ( Kangana Ranaut) and wants to make it big like her. She is helped by some friendly and nice people in the form of Rohit Khanna, a person who works for Khosla ( Harsh Chaaya) ,a big fashion designer , and another aspiring model Janet (Mugdha Godse). The movie then shows the eventual rise of Meghna , up the ladder , and also the hurdles which she has to pass through .

The movie has been shot rather well , with the fashion show sequences being the highlights. We have to put up with countless parties thrown in , which remind you of Bhandarkar's "Page 3". The Director is obviously suffering from a "Page 3" hangover , but cannot be entirely blamed because the fashion folks are an integral part of the Page 3 culture , and vice-versa.

The background music , was really good and blended well with the movie. Technically this movie is pretty good , and the almost exaggerated use of colours was in tune with the basic theme of the movie.

Now , onto the acting. I was honestly surprised with the performances , as I did not harbour much expectations , from the cast . Priyanka Chopra , was kinda ok in the first half of the movie. Her portrayal of the young , naive , small-town girl , who has stars in her eyes ,was nothing much to talk about , but is not entirely bad either. But as the movie progressed , and when she becomes more of a Professional Model , she was brilliant. The air of arrogance around the character was beautifully portrayed , and I was finally convinced that this lady could act.

Mugdha Godse , as Janet has nothing much to do , but does a neat job. Samir Soni as a gay fashion designer , Kitu Gidwani as a model co-ordinator , Arjun Bajwa as Meghna's boyfriend and Arbaaz Khan as the deceptive big-shot , have all come up with notable performances.

However the "Showstopper" has to be Kangana Ranaut. She was simply superb in her portrayal of the supermodel ,Shonali Gujral. She is more of a second lead as far as the plot is concerned , but overshadows all others with a terrific performance.

We get to see a lot of attempts at spoofing the Fashion Industry , but in a sensible manner , nothing over the top. But why is Bhandarkar under the impression that the entire Fashion Industry is homo-sexual ?

Now the one thing about "Fashion" , which left me completely disappointed , was the screenplay. The first half in particular could have been more crisp , and my patience was tested on quite a few occasions. The second half was definitely much better , but it kinda wandered away towards the end , and I caught myself yawning quite a few times.

There are some truly irritating scenes. What was the need for that ridiculous scene , in which Samir Soni , the gay fashion designer , proposes to Mugdha Godse(??) in the most unromantic manner possible. And the worst thing is she accepts his proposal , after he mumbles some really dumb dialogues like " A husband might not be a good friend , but a good friend can definitely be a good husband" and similar rubbish. Am really not sure about the motive behind this scene.

To top it all , Madhur Bhandarkar , tries his hand at self-advertising. There is this absolutely unwarranted and preposterous scene in which a model points at Madhur Bhandarkar sitting in a bar or restaurant or whatever , and she and her friends talk something about him doing research , for his next movie which is based on the Fashion Industry. Come on , Mr.Bhandarkar,the audience is not so dumb....

The movie turned out to be surprisingly long . I frankly did not expect such a lengthy flick , as there are no songs added , just for the heck of it , which is a welcome deviation from the mindless Bollywood trend which we have become accustomed to. Honestly , it was a bit of an endurance test quite a few times. There are some scenes which are absolutely unwanted , and some characters , who add no value whatsoever to the proceedings ,could have been done away with , as they only end up irritating you. I honestly felt really bored on few occasions and would have drifted off into deep slumber , but it did not happen , thanks to my wisecrack friend sitting beside me in the theater , who made it a point to pass some comment or the other .

Now to the fun part. There is the wardrobe malfunction which everyone was really expecting , and it was portrayed with maturity , thankfully , as I thought it would be more of a sorry spoof. The girls and models are any schoolboy's delight, and it is no surprise that this movie has been awarded an "A" certificate. The prominent display of booze , cigarettes and , surprisingly , cocaine , might not really go down well with the female audience.

However the movie succeeds in its motive which is to portray the dark side of all the glitz and glamour. The deceptions , the politics inside the green-rooms , the ego-clashes , have all been showcased sensibly , and in a mature manner , without resorting to melodrama.

The movie boasts of some spectacular performances by Chopra and Ranaut. I was apprehensive about their acting potential , but I was proved completely wrong. Especially in the serious scenes ,these two ladies have performed their roles with such grace and maturity. If there is anything about the movie that has to be truly appreciated , it has to be the acting.

Madhur Bhandarkar has to be appreciated , for such a brave effort , dealing with a rather risky subject , as he manages to present a very realistic,dignified and mature portrayal of the Fashion Industry.

I maintain the fact that the screenplay is the movie's Achilles Heel . It truly irritated me sometimes. Some scenes were dragged beyond tolerable limits. For instance , we get to see a predictable break-up between Meghna and Manav. But the Director felt the need to portray every minor detail of the split , right from a truly well shot argument , to the girl packing her bags , the guy feeling bad and staring out of the window , the girl getting into a taxi , lighting up a cigarette and staring blankly into space , until she finally says "Chalo" to the driver. There are similar scenes scattered across the movie , which are truly bugging.

My verdict for the movie will be a 3 out of 5 , which could have easily been a 4 out of 5 , only if the movie was shorter and more crisp. The script has immense potential and the acting is truly superb. Definitely worth a watch .

VERDICT : Good . ( 3 / 5)