Sunday, November 2, 2008 | |

Fashion 'Re'viewed

Not every time you come across a movie which gets you thinking. Not every time there is a perfomance from the actors that stir you to put yourself in perspective. Not every time, and yes, not even Madhur Bhandarkar, can make a movie like Fashion. Though, I remember saying this for Page 3 also. Fashion's a movie which has got everything right about it. When I say everything, I mean right from the essence of the movie to the minutest detail possible.

For instance the "scene of the movie" for me was when Meghna(Priyanka Chopra) realises her life is near failure. She is shown entering her apartment after spending a night with an unknown man whom she had befriended in a party. As she enters, there's complete darkness on the screen symbolising her state of life till that instant. When she switches on the lights, the screen is lighted up with the dim lights emerging from her room, again symbolising that there is still hope and things could still get better. If a director can show all of this without getting his characters to utter a single word, then you can do nothing but admire his talent. Then there's another moment in the movie, which is unparalleled. Towards the end of the movie, when Meghna has made her re-entry into the fashion industry, she is about to walk the ramp as a show stopper. Just then there's news for her that her fellow model friend has been found dead with drug overdose. There is that endless two minutes of contemplation within her, where she is hysterical yet she cannot afford to ruin her designer friends fashion show. How I wish the director had somehow put across her thoughts in words to the audience. But then, I wouldn't be writing this blog, if he had done that. Its these little things which have been so intelligently taken care of, that makes this movie a must watch.

Even when he's adhered to such minute details, he hasn't lost out on the plot. The pace of the movie is such that, you'd want to be back at your seat halfway through the interval, just to be double sure that you do not miss out on anything. He's shown how one can reach insurmountable heights when one knows where to draw the line between attitude and arrogance. He's also depicted how important it is not to cross that line once you are at that insurmountable height, cause a fall from there will only spell disaster, from which a very few can recover. More than all this, he has cleared a lot of air about the glamour industry, which loom large in the minds of people like me. I was under the impression that to be successful in the fashion industry, you would have to sell your soul even before entering it. He's shown, that you can be at the helm with your soul intact. Mind you, he does not deny the fact that people do sell their soul before entering this industry, but that is not the only way out to be at the top.

All in all, I loved the movie. I do not want to be overtly appreciative of the movie, so I will stop here. Moreover, I am sure the director wants every individual to watch the movie from his/her own perspective. What I've presented above is what I saw in the movie, and the way I interpreted it. Kudos to Madhur Bhandarkar for giving his best in what he is best at.

5 comments:

Shashia said...

Nice Review buddy :)

I was really looking forward to the movie as MB is one of my favorites. But still I was unsure of whether to go to a movie hall or wait for sometime for the DVD.

You have given me the much-needed push to go the movie hall and enjoy the movie

agibake said...

Amazing blog bro...!! specially de 1st para... words r so impressive that nw I am craving to see de movie... :) gr8 wrk... tk cr...

Unknown said...

I am not sure if the director also thought and executed all the stuff that you have interpreted ;) .. nicely written.. makes us realise how dark this glamorous world actually is!!!

Yusuf Pasha said...

Well written, i have seen the movie and i don't think MB had stressed on every detail what you have mentioned.It's upto us how we interpret scenes,acting,lighting effects etc.
We always try to extract some or most part of lives from movies/songs/books etc.
The movie was nice and your writing skills are good.

Richa said...

okay well, there r very few hindi movies which can do what fashion did, i.e. create an impact, question morality and be effective.
The two things which u have described as best r d 2 most defining moments in the movie. While watching the movie i was fervently hoping that d end doesnt turn out to be a destruction of the person like in some of madhur bhandarkar movies but thankfully, the ending was on a positive note here, and that's what made the movie special. A usual movie wudve ended making us realise for the umpteenth time that fashion industry is not a profession for middle class girls. They lose, go back home n sulk.