MOVIE REVIEW: FASHION

After one full month of movie drought, Bollywood finally gave its aficionados(like your's truly) a smile in the form of 4 movies this Diwali, the biggest 2 of which released this Wednesday: Fashion and Golmaal Returns.

Fashion is Madhur Bhandarkar's(MB) 6th film in a list of films mirroring the various facets of the Indian society, after Chandni Bar, Satta, Page 3, Traffic Signal and Corporate.Fashion is touted as a film which will show the darker behind-the-scenes picture of the ultra-glamorous profession. Produced and marketed by UTV, Fashion already has generated enough curiosity factor, thanks to Bhandarkar's track record with such ventures, good music, and in spite of the fact that there is no male lead to talk of, in this film. The question now arises: Is it worth your hard-earned greenery this festive season? Keep reading to find out.

MB delivers another gem in his lineup with Fashion. There numerous sequences which hold enough shock-and-awe value and with which the average patron of yellow journalism would identify. And with MB at the helm of affairs, the impact of certain sequences are elevated to a good level.But (yeah, this BUT always butts in) he seemed to have been so enamoured by his own creation( actually, the blame is on the editor), that he just stretches and stretches the second half, like a chewing gum, until you are forced to shout out "C'mon, let's get this done with... PLEASE!!".

Fashion begins well, with Priyanka Chopra's character's (Meghna Mathur) zeal and drive established in the first sequence itself when she rebels against her parents and leaves Chandigarh to land in Mumbai. From thereon,begins her ascent; her journey from a struggler to a model to a supermodel which forms the plot of the first half. The viewer is introduced to various people she encounters on her ascent: her struggling model boyfriend Manav, her model friend Janet, head honcho of a hot-shot fashion magazine Abhijeet Sareen, among others. Here, the narrative ramifies into 3 sub-plots: the primary one being of Meghna, while the other 2 being that of the compromises that Janet makes, and the descent of Shonali (Kangana Ranaut), the reigning supermodel. The pace in the first half, though not electrifying, is brisk enough to keep the viewer interested, and by the time it ends, you know you have a good film on your hands, and wait to see what happens in the second half.

The second half, for the majority portion, doesn't disappoint. The spotlight here, is firmly on Meghna, with Janet's and Shonali's characters taking a backseat. How success corrupts Meghna's mind when she becomes a supermodel, and the price she has to pay for all the attention she basks in,is shown vividly in this half. From a supermodel to a nervous wreck, the descent is gradual and amazingly believable. But from hereon, the films just loses way. As a viewer, you don't know what the script is getting at as scene after scene unfolds in front of your eyes. The film just stretches endlessly as you start to lose patience and reaches a crescendo when you REALLY want the film to end. This is one of the biggest flaws in Fashion, and may impact its future is it's not dealt with at the earliest.

As a director, MB is again bang-on with his research and knowledge of his subject-matter. At no point does he give a feeling that he is going over the top with his depiction of the fashion world, at least to the common public. He introduces the viewer to the various tricks and terminologies of the glamour world, while moving his story forward. Plus, his treatment of a lot of sequences are extremely impactful, though he seriously could've shortened the second half, which is a patience tester.

Coming to the technical aspects, the cinematography by Mahesh Limaye is top-notch. The sparkle of the glitz and the glamour is expertly captured by the camera. The picturisation of each fashion show deserves brownie-points. They are near-perfect. Everything from the dresses, to the sets, to the models are authentic to the core. So, full marks to the technical team. Music by Salim-Sulaiman perfectly blends with the mood of the movie. Finally, we have an MB movie where music is an asset and not standing out as a sore point.

Now the performances:

Priyanka Chopra has had a torrid year of 2008. With 3 gargantuan flops (Love Story 2050, God Tussi Great Ho and Drona), she really needed a movie like Fashion. With a rare role, where she is directly under the spotlight and can also display her histrionics, and with MB as a director, she couldn't have asked for more. She completely digs her teeth into the role and comes up with an accomplished performance, reminding us that she is still the same actress who gave us Aitraaz. The ease with which she transforms herself into a simple girl from a small town to a reigning supermodel to a psychological wreck abusing drugs and back into a model, she is a serious contender for this year's Filmfare award for the best actress. She would've been heaving a sigh of relief after seeing the end result and would be more optimistic about her next release, Dostana.

But the real showstopper was Kangana Ranaut. Agreed that she has done a similar role in Gangster and Woh Lamhe, you still can't take your eyes off her in this film, as she delivers a knockout performance as Shonali Gujral. You just can't imagine any other actress doing this role. She carries an air of supreme confidence with such a commanding and condescending aura that it leaves you speechless, when she walks the ramp. You know you are seeing a supermodel in action. And in the sequences where she is required to show her mental trauma and extreme form of drug abuse, she does them effortlessly (actually she can sleepwalk through such sequences now). She really sparkles in the scene where she has a wardrobe malfunction. Even though she has small screen time, hers is a performance you carry home after the movie ends.

Among other actors, Mugdha Godse as Janet,shows supreme confidence in her role. Arbaaz Khan pitches in with a solid performance as the despicable head honcho of a fashion mag. Arjan Bajwa is there only in the first half, and gives a good account of himself. Samir Soni and Kitu Gidwani match upto expectations. Suchitra Pillai gets no scope at all.

Overall, a good investment of time and money this Diwali. If you can pardon the last 30 mins of the flick, then you definitely won't be disappointed.

My Rating: ***