What is interesting about Fashion is the underlying theme of the workings of the glamour juggernaut and the spell it casts on individuals willing to be slaves to its cause. Whether it is Corporate that laid bare the stuff business ambitions are made of or Fashion that observes t the proceedings behind the ramp, in Bhandarkar’s make-believe world, the existential questions always loom large.

Bhandarkar’s decision to make a film on fashion had drawn several titters from the tag-toting set in the film industry who thought the filmmaker’s sensibilities were better suited for making a Chandni Bar than a cinematic ode to fashion. As it turns out, they may just have to eat their words. While there may not be any takeaway from the film in terms of fashion trends or style cues, the film is certainly convincing when it comes to creating a fashion fused atmosphere. The girls—Priyanka, Mugdha and Kangana look every bit the part they play and each essays her role convincingly. A special word though for Priyanka Chopra - after a string of flops Fashion, could signal the tipping point for her. The director has been raving about her performance for a while now but after this movie, she is likely to remain entrenched in Bollywood’s top echelons.

Speaking of sterling performances this season, almost all critics are unanimous that Preity Zinta is showing signs of maturing as an actor. After playing the glamorous urban hipster in many a film, she is now being noticed for her efforts in gritty, rooted-in-reality kind of cinema. She just landed herself an award for best actress at the 44th Chicago International Film Festival for Deepa Mehta’s Heaven On Earth. Yet another feather in her cap after the successful IPL inning.

It’s good to see our actresses get more ambitious about acting careers. Why, just last week in an interview to Screen, Kareena Kapoor confessed that she had no plans to ever give up acting! Senior actresses like Hema Malini have reinvented themselves for newer challenges. Madhuri Dixit Nene is keen to do good meaningful films if it can be juggled with her duties as mother and wife…Kajol continues to do the films she wants to and Tabu balances Hindi, international and regional cinema with great ease. Mallika Sherawat, among other things, is remaking a Hindi movie with international directors…It would certainly be no exaggeration to claim that the times are a changing.

The men are not doing too badly either what with experimentations galore. Movies like A Wednesday, Nishabd among others have given senior actors ample opportunities to showcase their talent. Mr B has maintained a clear lead but Anupam Kher and Naseeruddin Shah continue to impress.

As for the youngsters-there is a great demand for talented newcomers in all departments and therefore hope for all those who wish to become a part of the magical world of movies.

All of which points to the truism uttered by many a life-coach and inspirational guru-Tough times don’t last, tough people do. The recession while it has dampened the spirits for a bit will hopefully be old news soon enough.