Fashion

Genre: Social

Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Kangna Ranaut, Mugdha Godse, Arbaaz Khan, Harsh Chhaya, Kitu Gidwani, Ashwin Mushran, Sameer Soni and Arjan Bajwa

Director: Madhur Bhandarkar

Being screened at theatres near you

Kathmandu

With Chandni Bar Madhur Bhandarkar started a series of movies where he focused on one particular aspect of society and showed the “true side” of it. After critically acclaimed and hit movies like Page 3 and Corporate, his latest venture is about the fashion industry and titled Fashion.

Meghna Mathur (Priyanka Chopra) is a small town girl with this huge ambition to become a supermodel. She heads to Mumbai, against her father’s wish, and joins the crowd of strugglers. However, her confidence, attitude and a few good friends like aspiring designer Rohit (Ashwin Mushran) and another struggling model Janet (Mugdha Godse) help her make a mark in the industry. Meghna gets the attention of all the right people like the most powerful man of fashion industry Abhijit Sarin (Arbaaz Khan), head of best modelling agency Anisha Roy (Kitu Gidwani), thus she easily climbs the ladder of success.

The downfall of the top model Shonali (Kangna Ranaut) due to her drug problems and her unprofessionalism further helps Meghna get hold of all the major projects. But success gets on Meghna’s head and she starts thinking she is invincible. Soon she realises how fast things change in the world of glamour as she is replaced by another model just like she replaced Shonali.

The best things about Bhandarkar’s movies are that the screenplay is tight, the casting is apt and he brings out the fine nuances of society. Like the scene where Rohit teaches Meghna, who has just come to Mumbai, the art of ‘air kissing’. His movies are realistic because he shows the grey shades of characters. In Fashion he has shown how the protagonist slips into the lifestyle of the fashion world and does things, which earlier she was opposed to.

Also along with the protagonist’s story, he brings out stories of other people. However, in Fashion there is more focus on the story of the protagonist, which makes one feel that he has not presented a wider view of the industry on the whole. The cut-throat competition, models being used by businessmen and designers, frustration of models, drinking and drugs — all these (shown in the movie) are things mostly associated with this industry and Bhandarkar has not presented any new side of the industry. Instead he has shown some of the real life events related to models in this movie.

And his presentation and the cast take this movie to another level.

The supporting cast of the movie is excellent — Mugdha Godse and Harsh Chhaya are the show stealers. Godse is a revelation, she is amazing and one wonders what took her so long to enter Bollywood. Chhaya fits into his role as a gay designer like a glove and is hilarious. Though seen after sometime, Kitu Gidwani proves that she is timeless — be it in acting or looks. Arbaaz Khan looks a bit awkward at times; Sameer Soni and Arjan Bawa have done justice to their roles. Ashwin Mushran has a bigger role than his previous movies and he has proven his mettle in acting.

Kangana Ranaut is seen yet again as this addicted person going through a rough phase of life and finally having a nervous breakdown. And she has already proved in earlier movies that she does that pretty well.

This is Priyanka’s first non-commercial movie and she has done a commendable job. Be

it as this awkward new comer or the ruthless supermodel, she carries the different shades with ease. But there are times when one feels that maybe Bhandarkar could have chosen someone who is not a popular commercial actress.

The music and the background score are the soul of the movie and sets the correct mood.

Bhandarkar knows how to present a simple story in the most captivating way and he has done it again with Fashion.