Fashion-dvd review

By Joginder Tuteja, January 19, 2009 - 13:55 IST


MOVIE DETAILS

Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Kangna Ranaut, Mugdha Godse, Arbaaz Khan, Arjan Bajwa
Director: Madhur Bhandarkar
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala, Zarina Mehta, Deven Khote, Madhur Bhandarkar
Music: Salim-Sulaiman
Lyrics: Sandeep Nath, Irfan Siddique

THE FILM

Since the title of the film here is Fashion, we do get to see the obvious references to casting/modeling couch et al which is sometimes obvious, at other times subtle and in certain cases inferred. So while entrepreneur Arbaaz Khan doesn't make any moves per se except making Priyanka share a harmless jig with him in a tub full of grapes, he keeps making her rise the ladder because he genuinely believes in her talent as a model who could scale any heights with his support. He gets her the best assignments, the best covers, the best 'show-stopper' moments, only to have an 'inferred' couch syndrome as she nonchalantly leaves her boyfriend's [Arjan Bajwa] one room apartment and moves to his extra large couch. 'Kya Yahi Pyaar Hai', as the lyrics go for a popular song from the film, could well be the question Priyanka must have been asking herself as she makes a choice while pretty much knowing where she was headed for.

Same held good for Mugdha Godse who thought that living like a virgin for an entire life wasn't a big price to pay for a caring friend cum husband Sameer Soni (who by the way is very much into a relationship of his own), a luxurious life and hopes for a modeling career that could never ever take off in her prime years. Or Kangna Ranaut who bears the brunt of an abusive relationship because she has hardly seen a better life and believes that drugs, booze, abuse and popularity were perhaps the four pillars of her battered life!

Other than these principal characters, there is an array of 'Brand Madhur' characters who are straight out of life and perhaps just walking by while mouthing a real life dialogue for a real life situation as Madhur's guerilla team of cameramen were at their job. Ok, so yes they are in fact acting but the situations and the body language and the dialogues are as natural as they get a style that Madhur has patented in his near decade long career.

With no false moves whatsoever, Madhur brings in and out his characters from the closets, near the couch, behind the curtains, inside a boardroom, within a green room, around a dinner table or on the ramp. Of course the ones who stand out are the three Gs of Fashion - a gay model coordinator [Ashwin Mushran], a gay designer [Harsh Chhaya - arrogant yet amusing] and another gay designer [Sameer Soni - dignified, subtle and sweet]. And then there is Kitu Gidwani who could well be the PR or a HR professional in a Banking or an IT world as well!

Coming back to the principal cast of the film, Fashion is clearly Priyanka's show all the way. Carrying an array of looks from start till the end of the film, she is present in literally each and every frame, something that adds her on to the list of Madhur Bhandarkar women who have seen a subject revolve completely around them. Remember Tabu [Chandni Bar], Raveena Tandon [Satta] and Bipasha Basu [Corporate]? With a bravura act in Fashion, she could well be the contender for a National Award this year!

On the other hand Kangna does what 'only she can do' in this big wide industry called Bollywood. It's a different matter though that after closely looking at the repertoire of the films done by her since her Gangster debut, one wonders if 'this is all she can do'! Mugdha is truly uninhibited and shows that she could well be utilized in any kind of movies - the ones where is required to be a glam-doll and the others where she has to give a good account of herself as an actor. She is truly one of the top finds of 2008. As for Arjan Bajwa, he is earnest though one wishes there was more of him.

This is one film which stayed true to what it promised. Fashion aimed at telling a story about a world which is seen at a superficial level by the commoners who have perhaps never known the 'behind the curtains' stories! Bhandarkar presents it all as a 'masala' fare while being completely commercial and succeeds well.

PACKAGING

Moser Baer makes an exception with this DVD (as it has done with all the titles that it has acquired from UTV) as it packages it rather smartly in a paper and plastic case.

DURATION

The film's duration is 156 minutes

SPECIAL FEATURES

There is an additional DVD that includes 'The Making of the Movie' and the interviews. While actors and the film maker do mention about the kind of effort required to make the film [hundreds of costume changes, the lights, the set designs, the costumes etc.], how one wishes that this was an extended conversation with lot more insight being provided into what went behind the scenes. The segment remains superficial and though it is engaging for most of the duration, especially due to quite a lot of 'on-the-sets' footage, a subject like this warranted a lot more!

TECHNICAL DETAILS

- 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation
- Subtitles in English
- Dolby Digital 5.1 and Stereo

PRICE

Rs. 99/=

CONCLUSION

No, Fashion isn't an expose per se. Neither does it actually get into the underbelly of the fashion world. However, Bhandarkar still manages to do a pee-ka-boo into the lives of the models, most of who may have well started off with a humble background only to attain maximum attention and recognition in minimal available time.

rating 3 and a half out of 5