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Review - Fashion: A nice but long tale
Quick Review
![[Poster for Fashion]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2539/4117207910_56a28d38be_m.jpg)
Whether or not Fashion is realistic, only a person from inside the fashion industry can tell. It certifies what we can make out from the tabloids. The beauty is that it doesn't even make an attempt to shock. It certainly is a well-told story about the rise and fall of an ambitious woman. And what she learns on the way. The rise might seem fairy-tale like but it is only a set-up for the meat of the story that comes in the last 45 minutes. These 45 minutes take the drama to a high point. Unfortunately these 45 minutes come a little too late. Yes, the post-interval pace and run-time too close to 3 hours are big-time dampeners.
So, welcome to the fashion world where women dazzle and men are either gay or sleazeballs or at times both. But none of this is used to sensationalize. It's all stated in a very matter-of-fact, part-of-life manner. In fact, the page-3, prop-dolls are shown as human beings - intelligent, conscious, ambitious, and most important of all, gray human beings. They celebrate success and are supportive in failure. They too have friends who can be called upon in the middle of the night in dire times.
Fashionis sprinkled with interesting, thoughtfully written characters with good dialogues. Sure, the weirder stereotypes are chosen. But some of them are so atypical of the actors performing them, that they stand out. To start with there's Meghana (Priyanka Chopra), the aspiring supermodel going through a slow and steady moral breakdown. We've seen Priyanka in quite some high profile movies recently, but this is the first one to actually use her talent and warm facial features.
Anisha (Kitu Gidwani) runs a top-line modeling agency that has the knack of taking supermodels through their career cycle, from attitude to arrogance. Kitu plays the perfect shade of gray as the cold yet knowing, beautiful godmother of all successful models. Harsh Chayya as the arrogant designer, Vinay, who has a strong, almost comical lisp, shows he can actually act if made to. Same goes for Ashwin Mushran, who plays a struggling designer, Rohit and Meghana's compassionate guide in the big bad world of fashion.
The only actor who doesn't step out of her comfort zone is Kangna Ranaut, who plays the currently reigning supermodel, Shonali, to perfection. The character is tailor-made for Kangna. She by now has mastered the confused, suicidal woman. So, I still haven't figured out whether her slurred mispronunciations are because of the doped-out characters she plays or it's just her.
People wanting to watch the movie for the beautifully stylized women won't be disappointed. The costumes are as drop-dead gorgeous as the women wearing them - both in and out of the fashion shows. Especially noticeable are the colors chosen for Priyanka to match her mood. The make-up from when the women are at home, to the fashion shows, to when they are in despair is absolutely stunning.
You are in for a treat if you want some good-looking people perform well. Don't forget that extra ounce of patience to pull you through a few parts of the movie.
- meetu, a part of the audience
Parental Guidance:
- Violence: None, but use of drugs is implied and explicitly shown a few times.
- Nudity and Sexual content: Well, it’s the fashion industry! So it’s a skin show. And there are a few love making scenes.
- Concept: In general a not very kid-friendly concept, this. The cold business-like methods of the industry.
- General Look and Feel: It is glitzy, but the story does have a dark tinge to it.
Fashion - Movie Details
- Official Website: Link
- Producer: Madhur Bhandarkar, Ronnie Screwwala
- Director: Madhur Bhandarkar
- Lead Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Kangna Ranaut
- Supporting Cast: Kitu Gidwani, Mugdha Godse, Sameer Soni, Arbaaz Khan, Arjun Bajwa
- Story: Madhur Bhandarkar, Ajay Monga, Anuradha Tiwari
- Screenplay: Madhur Bhandarkar, Ajay Monga, Anuradha Tiwari
- Dialogues: Niranjan Iyengar
- Dir. of Photography: Mahesh Limaye
- Editor: Devendra Murdeshwar
- Music Director: Sulaiman Merchant, Salim Merchant
- Lyrics: Sandeep Nath, Irfan Siddique
- Running time: 165 minutes
- Reviewer: meetu
- Categories: Hindi Movies
- Genres: Relationships
Comments (11)
Fully faltoo movie. Avoid.
posted 1 year, 10 months agoHey Meetu, Great review..
posted 1 year, 10 months agoI really liked the movie.. I think Priyanka Chopra has given a fabulous performance.
When I was going to see this movie, I was actually a little apprehensive as it was a Madhur Bhandarkar movie and I was awaiting my dose of the big bad world of Fashion.
But surprisingly.. As any industry, 'Fashion' Industry in Fashion had high and low points. As you have correctly put, It was very matter of fact. Coming from the same industry, I can vouch.. nothing was dramatized or underplayed.. It is just the way it is. Madhur Bhandarkar's research was bang on and the best part was he didnt rub that in our faces. He rightly focussed on the story of a woman and her relationships which evolve through her journey against an interesting and unusual backdrop.
I have seen the movie and I fully agree with the review at the following link. In fact,it's the only honest review I could be able to find on the net since this crappy movie was released.
http://indiablogs.searchindia.com/2008/10/31/fashion-review-ugly-movie-about-beautiful-people/
I am really really surprised(unpleasantly) by your 'watch for sure' rating....that, i think,is ludicrous....please don't mislead the people....
posted 1 year, 10 months agoAre you guys generally paid by producer-director to lie like this ? Asking just for the sake of curiosity - How much ?
posted 1 year, 10 months agothe cinematography and the performances were great but what most wont realize is that this not an original movie... it's a spin off from a movie called gia (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0123865/)
a lot of scenes are directly taken from the scene... after watching the original.. this one seems so insulting... dividing the single character into 3 and not giving justice to either of the characters...
the movie was good.. the ending a bit slagged but if you have wacthed GIA... this movie will not interest you one bit... it's nothing more than a sad bollywoodized of it...
posted 1 year, 10 months agoRishi, exactly as much as you are paid to leave nasty comments on blogs like this!!
Ah Nisha, nice to know that someone from the industry enjoyed the movie too.
Hey whiner, I enjoyed the movie and I said so. I'm sorry you were disappointed but an opinion is an opinion :)
Thanks for the info Rishi.
posted 1 year, 10 months agoFashion ....madhur's attempt to show the insight of the fashion world ..!!
He does that successfully however missing bits and pieces and over-showing few things ..
But the movie is worth watching...specially for the performances ..
For some the movie didnt meet the expectations .. because it doesnt have the level of vulgarity and exposure which was expected..
This shows the journey of the protagonist priyanka chopra ..her transformation frm a middle class gal to a super model ...her failure to handle success and fame and ruining her career through her arrogance...But she rises like a phoenix in the end ..gaining her self confidence back..
Talking about the performances ..Priyanka has given far better performances than her previous flicks ..but she could have done better specially in an author backed role which had so much scope ..
Kanagana is terrific...what she has done no other actor could ..though she has done this kid of role in the past...However look at her confidence on ramp; look her moulding from the drug addict backstage to the confident supermodel on stage..look her scring priyanka in the wash-room..look her handle the wardrobe malfunction..
The character actors are great ..specially Kitu gidwani;mugdha godse and ashwin mushran....
Madhur had too much to show in the second half..the movie looks lenhgthy..
However the best part was coming back or re-surrection of priyanka ..this leaves a positive impression about the movie..
This is worth watching ...for the performances; to learn how to be persistent for success; to see the outfits ..
posted 1 year, 10 months agoHi Meetu,
Your rating is not a mere opinion, it's actually a recommendation(what do you mean by 'watch for sure'???)....if you meant your review to be 'just an opinion', it would have been better had you given a rating 'I liked it, but you may not like it' to this movie(in fact, it's time you include that rating in your Rating Scale)....
posted 1 year, 9 months agowhiner, "i liked it, but you may not like it" and vice versa are obvious statements. There's no way all readers will like all like and otherwise.
posted 1 year, 9 months agoBrilliant. With all the cr*p being churned out in the name of entertainment today (Golmaal, Singh is Kinng, Welcome and the rest), Fashion comes like a breath of fresh air. Yes the story is predictable but the fact that it grabs your attention for 2.5 hours is worth the price of the ticket alone. Bhandarkar has made a gritty, absorbing drama about the rise and fall of a small town model and her trials and tribulations in between. The movie is well shot, brilliantly executed and has some awesome music and performances making it one of the best films this far. Ridiculed for the number of flops that she's delievered this year, what people fail to notice is that even in a bad film she's been good. Love Story 2050 was dreadful, but Priyanka was good. Drona s*cked. But Priyanka was good. And all these films had no author backed roled for her. Fashion however is her film and will pull through entirely on her shoulders. As Meghna Mathur, the small town girl turned super b**ch and later reformed Chopra shines like never before. Suffice to say she is set to sweep all the awards this year. Comparitively Kangana has a uni-dimensional role - she is good but we've seen the deranged psycho act before. Mughda Gose is brilliant in her debut and the rest of the cast come out trumps too. Arjan Bawja and surpisingly Arbaaz Khan stand out. Don't miss it.
posted 1 year, 8 months agoBrilliant. With all the cr*p being churned out in the name of entertainment today (Golmaal, Singh is Kinng, Welcome and the rest), Fashion comes like a breath of fresh air. Yes the story is predictable but the fact that it grabs your attention for 2.5 hours is worth the price of the ticket alone. Bhandarkar has made a gritty, absorbing drama about the rise and fall of a small town model and her trials and tribulations in between. The movie is well shot, brilliantly executed and has some awesome music and performances making it one of the best films this far. Ridiculed for the number of flops that she's delievered this year, what people fail to notice is that even in a bad film she's been good. Love Story 2050 was dreadful, but Priyanka was good. Drona s*cked. But Priyanka was good. And all these films had no author backed roled for her. Fashion however is her film and will pull through entirely on her shoulders. As Meghna Mathur, the small town girl turned super b**ch and later reformed Chopra shines like never before. Suffice to say she is set to sweep all the awards this year. Comparitively Kangana has a uni-dimensional role - she is good but we've seen the deranged psycho act before. Mughda Gose is brilliant in her debut and the rest of the cast come out trumps too. Arjan Bawja and surpisingly Arbaaz Khan stand out. Don't miss it.
posted 1 year, 7 months agoLeave a new comment