Fashion (2008-movie) : Bollywood Hindi Film

Fashion Movie Details :

Fashion is a 2008 Bollywood drama Movie directer/co-producer Madhur Bhandarkar. The film’s screenplay was co-writter Ajay Monga, Bhandarkar and Anuraadha Tewari and Ajeet Ghorpade and principal photography occurred in Mumbai and Chandigarh. Its music was composed by Salim–Sulaiman and the songs’ lyrics were writter are Irfan Siddiqui and Sandeep Nath.

The film features Priyanka Chopra in the lead role as Meghna Mathur, an aspiring fashion model; it follows her transformation from small-town girl to supermodel, the Indian fashion industry and the careers of several other models. Fashion also explores feminism and female power in Indian fashion. The film also stars Kangana Ranaut, Mugdha Godse, Arjan Bajwa and Arbaaz Khan in supporting roles. The cast also features several professional fashion models playing themselves.

Development of the film began in 2006. The film’s budget was 180 million; it opened on 29 October 2008 to highly positive reviews. Critics praised its screenplay, cinematography, music, direction and performances. It collected 60 crore at the box-office and was commercially successful.

Fashion received several awards and nominations at ceremonies across India. At the 54th Filmfare Awards, the film received 7 nominations including Best Director and won 2 awards; Best Actress for Chopra and Best Supporting Actress for Ranaut. It also won Best Actress for Chopra and Best Supporting Actress for Ranaut at the 56th National Film Awards. Several publications listed Fashion as one of the “best women-centric films in Bollywood”.

• Directer : Madhur Bhandarkar
• Producer : Madhur Bhandarkar,Deven Khote,Ronnie Screwvala,Zarine Mehta
• Screenplay : Ajay Monga,Madhur Bhandarkar,Anuraadha Tewari
• Story : Ajay Monga
• Starring : Priyanka Chopra,Kangana Ranaut,Mugdha Godse,Arjan Bajwa,Samir Soni,Arbaaz Khan
• Narrater : Priyanka Chopra
• Music : Salim-Sulaiman
• Cinematography : Mahesh Limaye
• Editer : Deven Murdeshwar
• Production Design : Nitin Chandrakant Desai
• Costume Design : Narendra Kumar Ahmed,Rita Dhody
• Makeup Department : Albert Chettiar,Anil Chinnappa,Jagabandu Das,Beljana Fonseca,Mahendra Gupta,Sarita G.
• Production Management : Suraj Gupta,Manoj Jadhav,Sameer Mahabale
• Assistant Director : Deepak Bhave,Premkant Mishra,Shruti Naik,Amar Nerurkar,Anil Sadrangani.Siddharth Saigal
• Art Department : Manasi Kolhe,Mitali Mahajan,Sanjay Shrivastav,Prashant Vichare
• Sound Department : Ameet Ahire,Jayesh Dhakan,Dominic,Leslie Fernandes,Mohammad Iqbal Paratwada,Gnayaneshwar Pawar,Jayant Vajpayee,Shaurya Sircar
• Special Effects : SatyandraTyagi
• Visual Effects : Sameer Advilkar,Shruti Banta,Mangesh Bhalerao,Sanchayan
• Production Company : Bhandarkar Entertainment,Grassroots Productions,TOABH Talent Management,UTV Motion Pictures
• Distributors : Pacific Eastern Imports,Swish MG Distribution,Video Palace House of Distribution
• Genres : Drama
• Release date : 29 October 2008
• Running time : 165 minutes
• Country : India
• Language : Hindi

Fashion Movie Watch Online :

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Star Cast of The Film :

• Priyanka Chopra as a Meghna Mathur, a small-town girl who becomes a successful model, she is the lover of Abhi and Former Love of Manav.
• Kangana Ranaut as a Shonali Gujral, a successful model who experiences a downfall.
• Mugdha Godse as a Janet Sequeira /Janet Rahul Arora, a model, Meghna’s best friend and Ace designer Rahul Arora’s wife.
• Arjan Bajwa as a Maanav Bhasin, a struggling model who eventually becomes an established model.
• Samir Soni as a Rahul Arora, a designer,Janet’s best friend and later on husband and biggest supporter and well wisher of Meghana.
• Ashwin Mushran as a Rohit Khanna, an aspiring designer, whom introduces Meghna in fashion industry, Meghna’s friend and mentor.
• Kitu Gidwani as a Anisha Roy, head of modelling agency Profiles and MD of Panache.
• Arbaaz Khan as a Abhijit “Abhi” Sarin, a fashion tycoon, head of Panache and considered as “Big daddy ” of fashion industry.
• Suchitra Pillai-Malik as a Avantika Sarin, wife of Abhijit Sarin.
• Rohit Roy as a Kartik Suri, a photographer.
• Raj Babbar as a Mr. Mathur, Meghna’s father.
• Kiran Juneja as a Mrs. Mathur, Meghna’s mother.
• Chitrashi Rawat as a Shomu.
• Manini Mishra as a Sheena Bajaj.
• Harsh Chhaya as a Vinay Khosla.
• Konkona Sen Sharma (cameo) as a herself
• Ranvir Shorey (cameo) as a himself
• Wendell Rodricks (cameo) as a himself
• Manish Malhotra (cameo) a himself
• Karan Johar (cameo) as a himself
• Madhur Bhandarkar (cameo) as a himself
• Diandra Soares (cameo) as a herself
• Pooja Chopra (cameo) as a herself
• Kanishtha Dhankhar (cameo) as a herself
• Aanchal Kumar (cameo) as a herself
• Sucheta Sharma ( cameo) as a herself
• Alesia Raut ( cameo) as a herself
• Noyonika Chatterji ( cameo) as a herself
• Hemangi Parte ( cameo) as a herself
• Kavita Khadayat ( cameo) as a herself
• Daman Chaudhary ( cameo) as a Make up artist
• Usha Bachchani as a Sheetal
• Rakshanda Khan (cameo) as a reporter
• Rohit Verma as a Viren (special appearance)
• Atul Kasbekar (Cameo) as a photographer
• Sheena Bajaj as a Meghna’s cousin (child artist)

Fashion Movie Story:

Set against the glittering backdrop of the glamorous but ruthless world of haute couture fashion, this is the story of a small town girl with big dreams. Meghna always knew she was meant to be famous, but she was about to find out the hard way that success came at a price. Fashion is the tale of what happens when the price of success becomes too much to pay.

Fashion Movie Production :
Development :

In a 2006 interview with CNN-IBN, Madhur Bhandarkar said that he was preparing to make a film about the fashion industry; he thought the lack of Indian films on this subject prompted him to do so. He said he was fascinated with the industry, the models and their lives outside the ramp walks, saying “I was amazed at the overwhelming attention given to the fashion industry by the media and the public. I thought the idea of delving deep into the fashion world was very interesting and intriguing.” He was excited about depicting the people behind the ramp because most people are unfamiliar with the fashion world.

Bhandarkar, who is known for studying his subject matter to make his films as realistic as possible, researched the fashion industry for nearly eight months, attending fashion events and shows. He spoke with designers, buyers, choreographers and models. Several media publications reported that the film was inspired by the lives of fashion models such as Shivani Kapur, Geetanjali Nagpal, Kate Moss and Alicia Raut; however, Bhandarkar stated that the story is fictional and does not resemble anyone’s life. The media also reported that the film revolved around two homosexual fashion designers; Bhandarkar denied these rumours, saying the film did not revolve around male characters but had female protagonists.

Chopra (top), Ranaut (middle) and Godse (bottom) were cast in the central roles to portray models in the film
Casting began in October 2007, when Priyanka Chopra signed to play the lead role in the film. Chopra initially refused the role, feeling she would not be able to do it justice. 6 months later, she agreed to appear in the film because of Bhandarkar’s confidence in her. The media reported that Chopra was unhappy with the first draft of the film and wanted script changes before signing the film. Bhandarkar was also unhappy with the first draft and agreed to rewrite the script. Kangana Ranaut was cast as the film’s second lead; she was pleased with the script and found it challenging, interesting and exciting. In December 2007, Arbaaz Khan and Arjan Bajwa were cast opposite Chopra. After confirming the principal cast, the media reported that Bhandarkar was having difficulty casting the male roles, including that of a homosexual clothing designer. Samir Soni and Harsh Chhaya were cast as the homosexual designers, and model Mugdha Godse was cast in a supporting role. According to Godse, Bhandarkar offered her a part when they were shooting a jewellery advertisement; a year later, she agreed to appear in the film. The Hindustan Times said that several models and designers played themselves, giving the film the appearance of a documentary.

Chopra said she studied method acting to make her character seem real. The actress said that her character is determined and added, “While her father wants her to become an accountant she aspires to become the leading model in fashion industry”. Addressing rumours that the film was an exposé of the fashion industry, she said, “It is nothing like that. Whatever problems that come up to my character in the film are not because of the profession but because of the choices that my character makes in her life”. Ranaut said, “In this script my character is such that you get to express you emotions, emotions that you have never delivered before in front of the camera. So when I heard the script, it was something new and much more challenging, more interesting and exciting.” Godse said that she accepted her role in the film because she identified with her character, Janet Sequira, whom she described as “outgoing, vibrant, bold and outspoken”. Arjan Bajwa described his character, an aspiring fashion model, as uncompromising, achieving success in his own way. Samir Soni found his role as a closeted fashion designer very challenging, requiring research to flesh out the character and his personality. Soni’s greatest challenge was to avoid a stereotypical homosexual character, instead subtly expressing his sexuality in his personality and relationships with the film’s other characters.

Fashion Movie Styling :

Rita Dhody and Narendra Kumar were chosen to style the film’s characters. Dhody said it took nearly two months for UTV and Bhandarkar to persuade her to help design the film; she found the job challenging because she had to make everything as authentic as possible. Chopra had to wear 137 costumes in the film because her character passed through five phases. Initially, she was a “hep” character with brightly coloured, matching attire. Her make-up becomes lighter as she becomes a model and later a supermodel. When her career falters, Chopra’s look becomes softer, demonstrating her character’s lack of concern about her appearance before she returns to Mumbai. According to Dhody, Chopra’s look is “very contemporary and a very much today’s look, but my idea was to streamline and take it to the classic side than making it trend-based”.

Ranaut’s character was designed to make audiences feel sympathy for her. Dhody gave her short dresses with low necklines, conveying the image of a supermodel comfortable with her body; during her low phase, she is shown in long T-shirts.

Godse, whose character is a failed model, has a carefree look. Dhody said, “Godse’s look in the film is a fusion of rock and a grunge to give her the survivor look as a B-grade model, making her more chic and glamorous.” She wears low-waisted trousers, chains and ankle boots. Details of jewellery, clothes, colour and accessories outline the characters; everything had to be synchronized and complement each other to create an authentic look. Dhody said, “We didn’t try to sensationalise it by making it more bling- or costume-based. I had to restrain myself from going overboard due to Bhandarkar’s reservations”. The film’s narrative included 11 character-based ramp shows.

Fashion Movie Shooting :

Film Sooting commenced in December 2007, and the film was shot extensively in Mumbai. The scene with Ranaut’s wardrobe malfunction during a ramp walk was filmed in late January 2008 at Mehboob Studios, Bandra. While filming the scene, only essential cast and crew members—included Bhandarkar and his cinematographer—were present; according to Bhandarkar, it was a sensitive scene and a sensitive issue. Chopra had to gain 6 kilograms (13 lb) as a girl from the Punjab, and then lose it as a model; she had five “looks” in the film, connoting the phases through which her character passes. Although the media spread rumours that Chopra was starving herself to reduce her weight to that of a supermodel, she said that her appearance was achieved with two months of training and a disciplined diet. The film’s climactic scene in which Chopra walks the ramp at Paris Fashion Week was supposed to be filmed in Paris, with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop, but Bhandarkar could not shoot there. Instead, the scene uses some footage from the actual fashion show. In mid-August 2008, key scenes with Chopra, Raj Babbar and Kiran Juneja—Chopra’s character’s parents—were filmed in Chandigarh for authenticity; Bhandarkar said, “we wanted to bring the essence of the city alive in the scenes”. The director said the film took about 106 days to complete, compared with his 45-day average.

Fashion Movie Themes and influences :

Fashion is Bhandarkar’s fourth women-centric film after Chandni Bar (2001), Page 3 (2005) and Corporate (2006) to earn widespread praise for their strong, independent female characters. According to The Times of India, Fashion “is not about cliches alone and manages to transcend them with its moving tale of three women who try to maintain their honour, dignity, identity in a cruel world that spills over with grime behind the glamour. The film not only takes you behind the psychedelic ramp, it travels through the dark inner recesses of the three lead characters, laying bare their strengths and weaknesses; their fears and hopes; their dreams and nightmares”. Ananya Bhattacharya of Zee News said that the film “went on to speak volumes about women, their aspirations and the dark side-effects of over-ambition”. In an interview with the Hindustan Times, Chopra said that the film is “an emotional tale and the story of three girls … which shows female bonding in a beautiful way … “.

Reviewer Kriti Verma of Headlines India said that the movie “shows every bit about the life of models and bring the inside secrets of the fashion industry. It has everything—fashion weeks, casting couch, drugs, abuses, gay designers, bitching.” Taran Adarsh from Bollywood Hungama wrote, “the narrative is inevitably filled with lots of glam-n-glitz moments. The fashion shows, the stunning models, the superb styling, the vibrant colours and the behind the scenes drama is worth every penny spent on the ticket.” A reviewer from Sify.com found the film’s depiction of fashion industry “superficial”; noting that the film does not talk about the clothing, the creativity, or the passion for work in the fashion industry. However, according to Bhandarkar the film was “not about the fashion industry as such. It only has fashion as a backdrop. The film is more about the story of models, designers and people. And it is on aspects like the personal story, the individual story, their ups and downs, their journey that I tried to capture.” Critics also said that the film explores drug abuse, homosexuality and gay relationships. Designer Vineet Bahl complained about the male characters, most of whom are portrayed as “gay designers and exploitative agency owners”. He said, “Bhandarkar could have done without gross generalisations. It makes the movie shallow and over-dramatic”.

The film alludes several times to actual incidents, including a scene where Bhandarkar appears at a fashion show to research his upcoming film on the fashion industry. One of the models looking at him says, “Oh that’s Madhur Bhandarkar, the realistic filmmaker. Now he is going to expose the fashion world.” It is taken from the Bhandarkar’s experiences while researching the subjects of his films.The Indian Express said that Chopra’s character, who indulges in drug and alcohol abuse and undergoes rehabilitation, resembles the life of British-educated model Shivani Kapur, who had similar experiences.The scene in which Ranaut’s character’s top slips off during a ramp walk resembles the experience of Carol Gracias at the 2006 Lakme Fashion Week.

Fashion Movie Songs / Music :

The Fashion soundtrack album was composed by Salim–Sulaiman and the lyrics were written by Irfan Siddiqui. Sandeep Nath appeared as a guest lyricist for “Fashion Ka Jalwa”. The soundtrack contains 4 original songs, 1 theme and 5 remixes. The music was released by Bhandarkar and the cast on 25 September 2008 at the Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai. The cast played the film’s title song, offering their first CD to Ganesha.

Fashion’s soundtrack received positive reviews from critics. Hindustan Times rated the album 3.5 out of 5 and said, “It’s very hard to find anything wrong with the album. Salim-Suleiman have done a wonderful job as composers and have brought out the essence of the movie in a remarkable way. Irfan has come out with great lyrics and every singer has given his or her best shot”.Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood Hungama described the album as “a winner all the way”, and said, “Madhur Bhandarkar films haven’t been known for their music, even though the albums of Page 3 and Corporate still saw some sales on the stands. However, Fashion is all set to break the jinx while turning out to be the first Madhur Bhandarkar film ever to boast of a truly mass as well as class appealing score”.Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com rated the album 3.5 out of 5, and said that the film offers a well-designed mix of trendy tunes and refined melodies.

• “Fashion Ka Jalwa” – Sukhwinder Singh, Satya Hinduja, Robert Bob Omulo
• “Mar Jawaan” – Salim Merchant, Shruti Pathak
• “Kuch Khaas Hai” – Mohit Chauhan, Neha Bhasin
• “Aashiyaana” – Salim Merchant
• “Fashion Ka Jalwa (Remix)” – Sukhwinder Singh, Satya Hinduja, Robert Bob Omulo
• “Mar Jawaan (Remix)” – Salim Merchant, Shruti Pathak
• “Kuch Khaas Hai (Remix)” – Mohit Chauhan, Neha Bhasin
• “Theme of Fashion (Remix)” – Various artists
• “Aashiyaana (Remix)” – Salim Merchant
• “Theme of Fashion” – Various artists

“Mar Jawaan” Full Video Song :

• Singer – Shruti Pathak, Salim Merchant
• Lyricist – Irfan Siddiqui
• Music Director – Salim- Sulaiman
• Music On – T-Series

“Fashion Ka Jalwa” Full Video Song :

• Singer – Sukhwinder Singh, Satya Hinduja, Robert ‘Bob’ Omulo
• Lyricist – Sandeep Nath
• Music Director – Salim- Sulaiman
• Music On – T-Series

Fashion Movie Release And Marketing :

The film’s trailer was unveiled on 17 July 2008 in Mumbai and was received warmly by critics and audiences. Emphasizing its theme, the lead female cast walked the ramp at fashion shows to promote the film. Fashion was also promoted at the Lakme Fashion Week, where Chopra, Ranaut and Godse walked the ramp. Made on a budget of 180 million , Fashion earned 85 million, and before release recouped half its cost from tie-ins with brands including Reebok, Lenovo, Sunsilk and LG Electronics. Products from these brands were showcased in the film and the brands promoted the film in their advertising.

Bhandarkar expressed disappointment about the Censor Board for Film Certification’s decision to grant the film an “A” certificate—meant for viewers 18 years or older—instead of the “U/A” certificate that he had expected. His previous films received U/A certification despite adult content. According to them, their new guidelines did not allow Fashion a U/A certification. The board was willing to issue a U/A certificate after several cuts; Bhandarkar refused and accepted the A certificate since the scenes in question were crucial to the narrative.Before its release, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) asked Bhandarkar to screen the film before its release due to its concern that Ranaut’s character was based on Geetanjali Nagpal—a former high-profile fashion model found begging, bedraggled and mentally unbalanced on the streets of Delhi in 2007.Nagpal was helped by the DCW, which did not want anyone profiting from her life.Bhandarkar narrated a summary of the film’s plot at the DCW office, which satisfied the commission that there was no reference to Nagpal. A screening of the film was also held for the commission.

The film was originally scheduled for release on 14 November 2008, but this clashed with the release of Chopra’s film Dostana and Fashion was released 29 October (Diwali) on 700 screens worldwide.The film was released in a two-disc, NTSC DVD package on 22 December 2008 in all regions.Distributed by Moser Baer Home Videos, one disc contains the film; the other disc has additional content on the making of the film and interviews with the stars and director. VCD and Blu-ray versions were released at the same time.The film’s television premiere took place on UTV Movies on 15 March 2009.

Fashion Movie Review :

This film review are Mostly Positive from Critics, IMDB Public Reviewing site give 6.9 Star Out Of 10 Star with Reviewers are 11,624.

I watched this movie simply because of the good hype surrounding it. Although it was def. not my type (modeling does not interest me at all). Believe me, anyone would like this film!

Wow. I always thought Priyanka’s acting was horrible. Come on after Salaam e ishq I was really wondering who would hire this girl… but maybe its just because she’s been in these comedy/sexy roles and not a very complex character. Well guys her performance in Fashion was incredible. She def. deserved the IIFA best actress award over Aish in Jodha Akbar!

That being said this is a very gritty portrayal of the fashion world that whether it is a realistic depiction or not is very interesting. It takes you into an ‘alternate universe’ in India and fills you in on all the gritty details and all the central characters that by the end you feel like you have journeyed with Meghna (Priyanka’s character) all the way and seen it all yourself.

Well all of that being said you are in for a real treat with Fashion. It is no typical masala film as I’m sure you know but go in with an open mind and you will come out feeling like you have really seen something memorable!

Critics Rating  by Taran Adarsh, from Bollywood Hungama give 3.5 star out of 5 Star.

Fashion Movie Box Office Collection :

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