Fashion (2008)

That was an excellent one.

Such a frustrating disappointment

Sadly Over-hyped

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Priyanka chopra's acting and this whole movie is the most pretentious thing I've seen in a long time. I only tried to watch it for Kangana

'Fashion' is one such much movie which was out of the box, i still remember, i was in 10th standard when this movie came out. During that time i was hooked to its songs especially 'Kuch khaas' sung by neha bhasin and 'Mar Jaawa' by shruti pathak, which was quite hummable. I like the way director Madhur Bhandarkar weaved the story about aspiring models from small towns come all the way to achieve big in the glamour capital of India Mumbai. It even showed about the ruthlessness of the businessmen who manipulates these youngsters and hurt their emotions which is damaging. I especially liked the scene where Kangana motivates Priyanka Chopra to shut the mouth of the biggies who insulted her and never feel too guilty about oneself. The narration by Priyanka Chopra throughout the movie explaining about her life in the fashion industry was tight and captivating. Kudos to the star cast and the cameos in it.

Since Madhur Bhandarkar made the critically acclaimed movie 'chandni bar', one after another he has been making movies on exposing the negative side of different societies. His previous works such as 'corporate' and 'page 3' I regard are his best movies. They had a engaging synopsis and depicted the business and celebrity world in an authentic manner without any over exaggeration. 'Fashion' is in a league of its own. The movie charts the rise and downfall of a super model. After the 2 hour 45 minute duration we can see how much investment had been put in the production of this picture. Madhur has clearly put a lot of time and research behind making this movie however if more attention was given to the plot, the movie would have become a more solid product. From his point of view he has given a very biased one sided perception of the fashion and modelling world. He depicts to us a negative view and that there is nothing positive. Why ? is what I ask. There surely has to be something positive in this world.This is a feminist movie and in my opinion many men and woman who are / or aspire to be a model will find it interesting. However a few people who have no interest or knowledge about the fashion world will most probably need to give the movie a second viewing to give their honest judgement.SPOILERS AHEAD We are introduced to meghna mathur (priyanka chopra) who is a small town girl from Punjab who aspires to become a super model. Against her fathers wishes she is persistent so she leaves for Mumbai and stays at a relatives residence. Initially she goes through a struggling phase from giving auditions, photo shoots as well as attending hotel parties so she can get noticed. At this point Janet (mugda godse) becomes her friend and guides her along the way. Meghna agrees to pay 50,000 for a high class photo shoot which leads her being put forward to the agency panache. At this moment she meets the owner Mr sareen (arbaaz khan), who makes her the brand model as well acquainting himself romantically with meghna. From that moment onwards her career takes a downfall due to having an abortion and later having a one night stand with a stranger. However after a year or two she is still mentally obsessed with the profession and decides to make a comeback. In the end she becomes a positive person and realises that to become successful in life it is not always correct to take the short cuts. END OF SPOILERSWithout a doubt this is Priyanka's finest performance to date. She has groomed herself in to the role well and really sunk her teeth in to the character. She displayed the grey shades with ease as well. Her portrayal of a model was realistic. The full potential in her acting talent was unleashed before us. The movie contained many shades of 'page 3' and was very reminiscent. Many people made cameo appearances. Just as I mentioned earlier the movies length in duration goes against the movie. As it can often make the viewer loose interest and concentration at times. The main plot does not begin until after the first hour. Maybe a few minor editing and cuts would have helped the movie. There are many ramp walk show and good looking bodies at display in every moment in the movie, which certainly raises a few eyebrows. The brand endorsements and product placements are endless and in your face. These portions actually add to the movie's duration. I feel that special mention has to be given to the cinematography department. The quality of many scenes and moments were enhanced by wonderfully capturing it. Salim Suleiman's background score has its hear in the right place. However a few moments did not require music, this eradicated the feeling at certain turning moments. Afew scenes would have had a good enough impact even without the use of music. Many fashion designers have been shown to be gay in the movie. Madhur fails to interpret the reason behind this. It was not an assumption that I could swallow. I was impressed by Mugda Godse's acting debut. Keeping in mind that she was previously a model, she has proved that she has great potential to be an actress. I could not understand why her character had no involvement in the plot or even in Priyanka's story. There was no intervention on behalf of her, neither from Samir Soni. Kangana Ranaut overshadowed Priyanka on many occasions. It was a shame that she did not have much scope. It would have been a pleasure to have seen more of her. However she is beginning to become type-casted in the 'woman in distress' roles. Arbaaz Khan was the wrong choice for the role. He did not display any emotion or expressions through the character. Someone more established would have fitted the role better.Overall this is an enjoyable movie which can attract much attention from the female audiences. Plus there is a good in-depth insight in to different routes that are taken in to becoming a model. Priyanka's performance is another plus aspect. The 2 negative aspects such as a shallow plot and long running time of the movie might possibly deter viewer from giving their two thumbs up.

MB, has a gift for film-making.He selects everyday themes and put his own spin on them. 'Fashion," is yet another spin on his bowling score that includes some great movies; including my personal favorite's "Satta," and "Chandini Bar". Even though the movie has a "dejavu" feeling after the interval (wait a minute, did't I see this before-Meghan meets Sarin-same Catwalk-same fashionistas etc etc) The one actor who shines bright is Kangana Ranout who has an edge over Priyanka at least in this movie. She does the "Drug addict" bit to perfection. The movie shows "Behind the Scenes" look into the Catwalk Trade-some exxagerated-some scary and some-pretty convincingly believable. This reminds me of the Life and tribulations of a Joker as in "Mera Naam Joker." where the Show has to go on-no matter what-and it does-meanwhile the audience is intrigued but nevertheless entertained as all of Madhur Bandharkar's films do. One day they will all reach a cult status when the Film Buffs will be quoting his films.