Sometimes expectations force you to take on complicated projects. After watching the movie, I knew that writing a review over such fine grained piece of work would be tougher as one needs to get it readable means compact in size, but the details it touches… Anyway….
The well advertised and well announced movie, which was awaited from long. Fashion world; I really unable to find many names, when I think of films fine graining realities of Fashion world in this much closer ways.
After an unnoticed debut with “Trishakti”, Chandni Bar, Satta, Page 3, Corporate and now Fashion, Madhur Bhadarkar now seems to be settled in big ranks and only after Fashion some people like me will be waiting for his next projects for sure. He really amazed me with his fine graining and also leaving some things over the viewer’s notice only, kind of a unique presentation.I could claim that this remarkably mature film is Madhur’s most accomplished work till now, even if Page 3 was a fine grained attempt, but it was somewhat on a lesser larger scale. He seemed to be Brand Ambassador of new age Realistic Cinematography.
Title: Fashion
Release Date: 14th November 2008
Banner: Bhandarkar Entertainment, UTV Motion Pictures.
Presenter: UTV Motion Pictures
Producer: Ronnie Screwwala
Director: Madhur Bhandarkar
Cast: Arjan Baweja, Kangna Ranaut, Kittu Gidwani, Priyanka Chopra, Mugdha Godse, Arbaaz Khan, Harsh Chaaya, Sameer Soni, Ashwin Mushran, Suchitra Pillai, Raj Babbar, Kiran Juneja
Guest Appearances: Madhur Bhandarkar, Manish Malhotra, Karan Johar, Konkana Sen Sharma, Ranvir Shaury and many more…
Production Design: Nitin Chandrakant Desai
Music Director: Salim Marchant, Sulaiman
Lyrics: Sandeep Nath & Irfan Siddique
Story Writer: Ajay Monga
Edited by: Deven Murdeshwar
Cinematography: Mahesh Limaye
Screen Play: Madhur Bhandarkar, Anuradha Tiwari, Ajay Monga
Dialogues: Niranjan Iyengar
Costume Stylist: Rita Dhody
Publicity Designer: Marching Ants
First let’s discuss what one think of Fashion world while standing outside this mysterious world, just by watching a few occasional Fashion shows on FTV. We wonder that how come…
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How come all the model seems to be so overly stone faced and under extremely hyper makeup without any reason? Do they feel any emotion? Do they live in this world?
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How much attitude they seem to carry, aren’t they seem to selling cloths to aliens only?
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How much true the often rumors of exploitation of models and stealing of so much acclaimed designs? Wardrobe malfunctions, Casting couches?
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What about Fashion’s high society wild life showcasing Gay relations and drugs all around?
These were the initial question before watching the movie and it gives attentions to all these in one way or another. Still lots of things remained untouched, but one project can’t address everything, still many things left about Fashion world. Even then in the way, this movie satisfies critics, no one stands parallel to it.
This movie is about a girl named Meghna (Priyanka Chopra), who after winning a local beauty contest extends her dreams, to the biggest sky of Fashion World. The girl had a dream and at the same the determination to make it reality, she makes it, but with what she passes through tells many things to the people dreaming for entering into the practical world.
Meghna with her acquaintance Rohit (Ashwin Mushran) starts to interact with pieces of the real world. She comes to meet a few later on closer friends like Janet (Mugdha Godse) and Rahul (Harsh Chhaaya) and Manav Bhasin (Arjan Baweja) in next few happenings and in dramatic ways with just a flip of eyes finds her in front of big names like Anisha Roy (Kittu Gidwani) owner of biggest Profile Agency for Fashion World and Abhijeet Sareen (Arbaaz Khan) acclaimed Big Daddy of Fashion World, owner of biggest company Panache for fashion world.
Once her dream Sonali Nagpal (Kangna Ranaut), soon finds herself replaced by Meghna; not only because of being a new face, but many little things adding into it. Meghna starts running, slowly missing the real world around in her pace. Everything seems to happen logically, in her practical winning eyes till she comes feel that she committed just a few mistakes.
Meghna becomes an overnight success and is everywhere – right from being the showstopper at the biggest fashion shows in town to fashion magazine covers to print ads to TV commercials. The overnight success spoils Meghna and the budding love relationship between her and Manav also comes to an abrupt end. Meghna never gets to know that when she went alike Sonali; the same arrogance, the same freaking and the same fate. Her feet stops only when she finds herself naked in bed with an stranger Black Man for a night stand in overdose of Drug. The ignition of the plot (Sonali Nagpal) seems is taken from the incident of Geetanjali Nagpal; an Ex-Model turned Drug Addict and then found begging on New Delhi streets. I think people should check out following links for the same story
Meghna still finds herself under a shelter due to support of her family, where she come back after that night leaving everything behind. One year passes and after giving all thoughts, she comes back. Comes back to find her all left friends, comes back to tell herself that the mistakes could be altered, comes back to know that is the same fate name of Fashion?
Learning from her mistakes, getting her old friends back as she were true from her once in front of them, she again come to face the world. Trembles once, but relations again come to give her chance to win and when she reaches the edge of making it, she found herself losing Sonali, now days under her guardianship. The message was clear… not everyone gets chances to come back.
This was the story, which was so fine grained that you didn’t found many even if you try for the flaws. Yes, it has its share of flaws like being too lengthy almost 3 hours (2 hours and 50 mins precisely) and missing details from others side than the “showstopper” herself, but for me, it was justified for a critic point of view and thanks to Madhur, he didn’t compromised.
What I really got amazed about was the look and attitude engraved by Kangna. She really looked like a super model, somewhere Priyanka was way behind her, even after her till now best emotional appearance on her credits, somewhere Kangna leaves other behind by stone faced presence and perfection on stage like I myself went on googling that if she hails from Fashion world and I admire her most as she was not. But for me, she proving herself as a find for film industries.
Second fact that was troubling me was “Are all designers and people involved backstage in Fashion Industry seems to be Gay?” Madhur admits here
Really feeling so so much about this movie, but it’s been just a little late and many good things has been said about this movie, so better to watch the movie with full attention than just reading the review. Although for insights of characters, you may check out review on Wikipedia
The scenes I loved from the movie are plenty, but the meaningful to me were the following:
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The first fashion show pictured in this movie, probably the most authentic and impressing one.
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When Kangna doesn’t turn back after wardrobe malfunction and we still confused that it was coincidence or …
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When Meghna answers to Abhijeet in front of his wife Avantika (Suchitra Pillai).
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When Meghna woke up from bed and gets herself naked with a stranger.
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When Meghna finds Manav moved on in his life.
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When under tears Meghna still finds her way to walk on Ramp finally with full confidence with straight eyes in front of all cameras.
Do you need any reasons to watch the movie? Are you still confused and waiting for others approvals and opinions? Don’t think even once, it’s the Show Stopper… go for it.
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