“Sapne jab tootte hai... Unki goonj ka asar bahut gehra hota hai…”

Undoubtedly touted as the movie that made Priyanka Chopra a sought after A-lister, Fashion, which released over a decade ago, has aged remarkably well. Sure, the limp-wristed, gay stereotypes and racist overtones still grate, but as a bird’s eye view of a supermodel’s journey from innocence, grit and ambition and her subsequent fall from grace, this Madhur Bhandarkar flick remains an engaging watch because of its soundtrack (‘Mar Jawaan’ and ‘Kuch Khaas’ still hold a place in my playlists), respectable (even if a little in your face) performances, and because twelve years ago it was one of the few films which performed decently at the box office despite not having a single “bankable” male superstar feature in its credits. In fact, its only known star was Chopra, who herself was having a bleak run at the box office after six consecutive duds (Salaam-E-Ishq, Big Brother, Love Story 2050, God Tussi Great Ho, Chamku, Drona) and to a lesser extent, the not so brazen (then at least), Kangana Ranaut, who’d only just started off and was beginning to gain recognition after Gangster and Woh Lamhe. 

Set in Mumbai, Fashion charts the story of Meghna Mathur (Chopra) who yearns to walk the ramp and make a splash in the big bad city of Mumbai. Much against her parents wishes, she leaves her hometown (Chandigarh) and lands up in the city for her big break, making all the right contacts and establishing a network of friends — Among them; a struggling model Janet Sequeira (Mughda Godse, restrained and dignified in her debut), a closeted gay designer Rahul Arora (Samir Soni), Rohit Khanna (Ashwin Mushran) an aspiring designer, who introduces Meghna in the fashion industry and her best friend and mentor, and an aspiring model Maanav (Arjan Bawja), whom she later falls in love with. She also gets to hobnob with the who’s who of the fashion world — Anisha Roy (Kitu Gidwani), the ruthless head of a modelling agency and Abhijit Sarin, (Arbaaz Khan) a fashion tycoon, and head of fashion brand Panache, for which she eventually becomes the face of, replacing the much in demand, but unhinged, unpredictable coke-snorting supermodel Shonali Gujral (Ranaut). Blinded by spotlights and ambition she inevitably succumbs to a world of alcohol, drugs and sex, loses herself and becomes a victim of her own success, but ultimately manages to brush herself off, and realises that with every meteoric rise to the stratosphere, there’s always a price to pay.

Despite its predictable, unabashedly convenient and linear screenplay, Fashion remains one of Bhandarkar’s better films — in fact none of his subsequent films grabbed as many eyeballs as this one did, probably because they became too formulaic, lost their earnestness and became a little too desperate in their attempts to shock. His Heroine was driven purely by Kareena Kapoor’s spirited performance but even she couldn’t rise above the banal, humdrum writing which tried to recreate the elements that made Fashion so watchable, and eventually went on to crash and burn at ticket windows.

Inevitably, Fashion also became the film that truly heralded the arrival of the actress in Chopra, who until then, had been reduced to bit parts and playing arm candy in unbearable action films and yawn-inducing comedies. It also became a milestone in that it was only after Fashion, that filmmakers started taking risks with their subjects, and fleshing out meatier parts for women, who until then were wasting their talent in misogynistic trash. 

Controversially, from a personal perspective it wasn’t by any means, Chopra’s best. She was arguably on home turf, playing a model so it was a territory she was all too familiar with, having had a successful stint on the ramp herself.  But it was undoubtedly one that forced her out of her comfort zone and it was only after Fashion, that she took some real risks with roles and delivered some of the better films of her career — Kaminey, Barfi!, Saat Khoon Maaf, Bajirao Mastani, Mary Kom and Dil Dhadakne Do. It was these films where she really explored facets that were alien to her and delivered astonishing results especially in Barfi! and Saat Khoon Maaf where she perhaps didn’t get as much credit as she deserved back then. That all the film offers temporarily dried up after this phase and she moved Stateside to focus on a blossoming international career also meant that Bollywood woefully under-utilised Chopra’s volcanic talent, and it would be safe to say, that we’re still waiting for that one true film which taps into the talent which has evolved and grown over the years — especially now because she understands the finer nuances of acting way more than she ever did before.

Fashion also marked a turning point in Ranaut’s career, and the jury’s still divided as to whether it was her, or Chopra that truly drove Fashion. Her Shonali, arguably had the edge and underlying trauma and it’s a shame Bhandarkar never delved into her back story — her abandonment issues, erratic outbursts, insecurities and drug addiction were all elements of a story that was dying to be told in itself. At this point, Ranaut was still raw, so her expressions were on point but her dialogue delivery was awful and all those high pitched profanities became a bit much after a while. It still however, remains one of her best, especially because it came so early on her in her career. 

While it was arguably the collective efforts of both Chopra and Ranaut that saw the film through to success, one can’t deny the impact that its supporting cast had. Each of them had well rounded parts and while the two leading ladies had the characters with the most meat, and they could have easily overshadowed Janet’s character, newcomer Godse never once got dwarfed by their larger than life personas, and gave her Janet enough depth, confidence and oomph thereby managing to successfully hold her own. She looked spectacular too — in fact of the three, it was Godse who had the frame and presence that most resembled that of a supermodel. It’s a shame then that she never went on to do anything memorable post Fashion, because it wasn’t as if she didn’t have it in her. The same probably applies to Bawja — soft, vulnerable and eye-wateringly handsome, his silent, brooding Maanav who’s the one person that manages to ground Meghna, Bawja undeniably deserved a better stint at the movies. In fact, he’d more or less disappeared until last year’s Kabir Singh, where he was decent in a small part — so here’s hoping he gets something meatier because we’d definitely like to see more of him — and I don’t mean see him shirtless, but if you know me, you’d know that I wouldn’t complain much if that was indeed the case. 

Kitu Gidwani as the steely head honcho of the agency which recruits Meghna turns in one of the more mature, nuanced and believable performances of the film and of the entire cast she’s perhaps the only one that doesn’t come across as if she’s truly acting per-se, while Arbaaz Khan, while nailing the look of the tycoon in the habit of nailing every pretty young thing, is inexplicably wooden. Khan was never a great actor but he comes across as if he’s reading all his lines and here, an actor with more charisma, presence and panache (pardon the pun) would have done wonders with the part. 

Of course given its time, Fashion isn’t without its share of problems, some more glaringly obvious and un-PC than others. The prime one of course, being the scene where Meghna post an unceremonious drug binge wakes up in a haze in bed next to a black man she picks up at a seedy club. The film never makes a fuss about pre-marital sex (given Meghna has trysts with both Maanav and Abhishek Sarin), so it’s obvious that it’s implied that the fact that she’s woken up beside a man of what is implied is an inferior race, and that this defines her rock bottom, is a plot point that now is difficult to fathom and nearly proves to be the film’s undoing. Surely, having a fling with a married man with a family rates lower than waking up beside a man from a different background? That Bhadarkar never justifies this nor apologises for it, remains my BIGGEST issue with an otherwise eminently watchable film!

That and obviously the fact that Bhandarkar implies that all models are wine guzzling, drug f____d coke heads, with very few morals and sleep their way to the top works against the film — because it’s obvious that Bhandarkar’s sole motive is to sensationalise rather than authenticate his very subject material and ultimately that really never sits well with you. 

Those big flaws aside there’s a lot to chew on and engage with here though. The whole idea that Meghna chooses to redeem herself by taking a broken Shonali under her wing in the pre-climax is a great one — the psychology that to find peace within by helping others makes perfect sense, and it was quite progressive for the time, given that the film released way back in 2008. That he doesn’t resort to bog standard cliches at certain points is another positive — for instance when Meghna returns a year later, Maanav isn’t sat around twiddling his thumbs, he’s moved on, and it’s those small touches that redeem Fashion — as loud as it’s characters are most of them are rooted in reality and you remain connected to them. Similarly, Soni’s character caught between his familial obligations and his sexuality is an internal conflict that many gay men will identify with. That the actor steers clear of the camp stereotype that most other actors in the film choose to adapt is commendable because he tries to root his character in believability instead of taking the easy way out. And who can forget its goosebump-inducing climax when Meghna makes a comeback on the ramp seconds after receiving devastating news? Till date, this remains one of my favourite movie moments, because it signifies Meghna’s Phoenix like rising from the ashes and because it’s been shot remarkably well.

Characters aside, production wise, this was Bhandarkar’s costliest film until that point and he utilised its budget well, even if a lot of the sets sometimes appear tacky — the final scene supposedly set in Paris for example is unbelievably cringe. And a few garish monstrosities aside, the dazzling clothes the women wear in the film are quite striking. Musically, of course there are few gems here and ‘Mar Jawaan’, ‘Kuch Khaas’ and ‘Aashiyana’ are right up there with Salim-Suleimaan’s best works (Bhandarkar’s films were never known for their music so this was a first of sorts too). 

At nearly two hours and forty minutes, Fashion does begin to drag in its second half, but given the harrowing time the world is going through and with all of us pretty much in confinement, the film remains a good watch, what with its strong, progressive central female characters who know their minds, and revisiting it all these years later, is fun, if you don’t take it all too seriously. The dated mobile devices, and the exaggerated drama will make you grin, but its engaging performances, lilting music and a strong central message that girls really do run the world, this ones worth a revisit if you’re sick of watching the news and the grim happenings across the globe.

And of course I’d love to know what you thought about it in the comments below.

Fashion is available to watch on Netflix now.