BHANDARKAR BHANDA PHODKAR

MOVIE: Fashion
CAST: Priyanka Chopra, Kangana Ranaut , Mugdha Godse
DIRECTOR: Madhur Bhandarkar




Everybody knows that Bhandarkar has always taken up the job to expose out realities of various societies. Be it the corporate world in Corporate or the glamorous world from the eyes of journalists in Page 3 or the life on a Traffic Signal. Here in Fashion he views the glamorous world from various eyes within and outside the glamorous world. Its the beeds of Bhandarkar's observation and research that have been weaved into a three hour movie. Even though it is nothing but a collage of known things it is dramatically well built to keep the audience guessing and teach them many things on the way both about the world of Fashion and also about the world itself.

Meghna Mathur(Priyanka Chopra) is a Chandigarh girl who comes to Mumbai to become not a model, but a supermodel . The story is about her journey of ups and downs in the industry. Kangana Ranaut plays an established model who is overthrown by Chopra. Mugdha Godse is an experienced and struggling model who knows everything about the industry but is not able to taste success.

It is a complete inner and over view of the industry and Bhandarkar's excellence lies in beautifully weaving both into a beautiful cinematic experience. He exposes a lot of things which are already known to most but he shows us the humanity attached with those inhuman deeds. We often say so many things about models and actresses and how they sell themselves for success. We are sometimes right, but often wrong. Fashion not only tells us that there is sex to rise up here, there is drug consumption to manage stress, there are gay fashion designers, there is gossip about models, there are drink and drive cases, but it also explains how much humanity is existing here.

We often say that relationships are nothing in the world of glamour. But Bhandarkar shows how relationships are everything in this world. He has touched some really matured relationships and few have made me cry. The scene where the successful but gay designer Rahul Arora, played exceptionally well by Samir Soni, proposes Mugdha for a no sex marriage is a very cute scene and a lot of humanity is involved in it. Gays have been a joke, as big a joke as eunuchs in our society. Kal Ho Naa Ho and now Dostana have made fun of gays. Being gay is not wrong. Gays are as male as males. But their mental set up is a bit different and they do not have sexual desires for women. Thats it. Bhandarkar explains this point very well too.

In the second half the friendly relationship that develops between one time rivals Kangana-Priyanka is another beautiful aspect of this cinema.The reunion of Priyanka with her parents show another aspect of relationships.

Also the scene when Priyanka tells Arbaaz Khan who plays Sarin, the owner of a fashion magazine Panache that she is pregnant with her child and Arbaaz says, "Bas Itni Si Baat. It can be handled" strike a statement about this world.

Fashion though continuosly involves a lot of skin show, bikini clad models, even a wardrobe malfunctioning scene, is not really a cheap material for cheap people to whistle in a dark theatre and say, "Abey kya item hai". Though the girls are really hot items, amongst all these glam sham, Bhandarkar gives us a great message of rise and fall not only in the fashion world, but in any field.

Coming to performances, Kangana plays the eccentric girl very well, like she did in Gangster and Woh Lamhe. Her performances in these two movies made her the clear choice for this role to Bhandarkar as well. Priyanka plays various moods in the movie. One of a struggling model, that of a rising superstar, that of a superstar with loads of attitude, that of a falling superstar with attitude but no work, that of a defeated person abandoned by all, and that of a person whos come back....and she excells in all these colours. Mugdha has given the best debut performance surpassing the good acting of Imran Khan in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na . Arjun Bajwa is a new face to Bollywood as well and after being a successful Telegu actor, I am sure he is going to make it big here.

Samir Soni, Kitu Gidwani, Harsh Chhaya, Raj Babbar play their respective roles very, very well. Coming to Arbaaz Khan who is the second male lead in the movie has given his career best performance. Everyone else who was a part of this movie has done fantastic.

Few things were a bit unclear like the way Mugdha and Priyanka got introduced also the fact that why was a cocaine obsessed person like Kangana Ranaut was given something which also excites the nerve, caffeine in coffee. These are minor points but unexplained.

Salim Sulaiman give a good background score and a beautiful songs were composed by them. The producers have done full justice. The cameos were good, but one expected much more. If Karan Johar would have been given charge of this he would have roped in more exciting faces in the movie. So to sum up, Fashion is definately the best Bhandarkar movie and is a must watch!!!