Madhur Bhandarkar has always believed in tackling varied themes in his films. From ‘Trishakti’, his directorial debut, to ‘Aan’, his last release, his films have had something to say. Irrespective of their box-office outcome, the fact cannot be denied that Madhur is an avid storyteller.

Madhur’s latest endeavour also tackles an unusually realistic theme. As the title suggests, ‘Page 3’ delves into the lives of the rich and famous. It takes potshots at the upper strata — right from gay fashion designers, to struggling actors, to social workers, to socialites. Even the media isn’t spared!

‘Page 3’ takes the viewer to a world that’s surreal, where relationships and friendships are capricious, where people lead dual lives, sporting a (false) mask all the while. In short, ‘Page 3’ exposes, ridicules, mocks and scoffs at the lives of Page 3 personalities. If the subject of ‘Page 3’ is its USP, it’s also a deterrent. For, a subject like this finds few takers when it comes to cinema. Depicting the phony lives and the wild parties of the rich may appeal to the minority that either belongs to the clique or that which is not in awe of it. But for the majority of viewers, a peek into the fake world of social butterflies is as off-putting as having an ice-candy in chilly winter. Even otherwise, there’s no identification with Page 3 personalities!

‘Page 3’ is viewed from the eyes of a young journalist, Madhvi (Konkona Sen Sharma), who hails from Bangalore. Since childhood, she’d nursed a desire to take up journalism as a career. Madhvi gets a job at Nation Today newspaper. Her job involves covering those highly-glamourised ‘Page 3’ parties and dos. Her boss, editor Deepak Suri (Boman Irani), is quite helpful, and so is the team.

Madhvi is leading a content life, sharing a rented apartment with Pearl (Sandhya Mridul), an air-hostess, when she comes across Gayatri (Tara Sharma), a starlet. Gayatri moves into Madhvi’s apartment and they soon become thick buddies.

But after a point, Madhvi gets fed up of ‘Page 3’ reporting. It is actually a bomb blast coverage that serves as a real shocker. In the meantime, Pearl starts dating a tycoon and heads for the US. Prior to that, Gayatri is ditched by her star-boyfriend Rohit (Bikram Saluja). Now, Madhvi is all the more resolved and determined to change the system. Along with a crime reporter Vinayak (Atul Kulkarni), Madhvi starts focusing on serious issues. But, in the end, she is back to square one — she gets the ‘Page 3’ beat to cover yet again!

A problem is that the film tries to convey so many things in those two hours. From dual lives to riots to child molestation to the politics in a newspaper organisation, too many issues have been crammed in the narrative. Madhur Bhandarkar has handled a couple of dramatic portions well, but when compared to Madhur’s earlier works, especially ‘Chandni Bar’, ‘Page 3’ pales in comparison. Music (Shamir Tandon) is functional. Cinematography (Madhu S Rao) is okay. Dialogues (Sanjeev Dutta, Madhur) are alright.

Konkona Sen Sharma is restrained, but it’s not a performance that you carry home. Sandhya Mridul excels in a significant role. Tara Sharma is fair. Boman Irani is outstanding yet again. Atul Kulkarni hardly gets scope.—Agencies