Producer: Ronnie Screwvala

Writer, director: Madhur Bhandarkar

Stars: Priyanka Chopra, Kangana Ranaut, Mugdha Godse, Arjan Bajwa

Romp on the ramp

Creative Quotient:
True to his brand equity, Madhur Bhandarkar takes a dip in the realistic realm of fashion industry and fishes out its sordid mechanics. Meghna Mathur (Priyanka), a small-town aspirant with stars in her eyes, lands up in Mumbai against her father’s will. Trouncing managers, co-ordinators, designers and agency owners - she surmounts all odds and emerges a supermodel. But the compromises she has made to get to the top come hounding back. Dethroned rival Shonali (Kangana), jilted boyfriend (Arjan), betraying rich lover (Arbaaz) and a close friend (Mugdha) whom she fights off - are the players in the story. Madhur is evidently inspired by the drug-addicted supermodel Shivani Kapoor and model Geetanjali Nagpal who was abandoned on the streets and he spins the plot rather deftly. However, a dozen fashion shows seem a tad too many and the climatic melodrama is predictable. Meghna receiving the news of Shonali’s death at the threshold of her show-stopper re-entry on the ramp is too contrived. The drugs-alcohol-smoke-and-sex racket is a recurring and disturbing motif here. The only surprise in the plot comes in the form of a marriage of convenience between a homosexual designer and a second-rung model. Another undoing is that the film lacks punchy lines, Niranjan Iyengar’s dialogues fail to create the requisite impact in the intense scenes.

Technical Expertise:
Madhur Bhandarkar’s characters are palpable and pulsating with nervous energy - Priyanka and Kangana are the life and soul of the film while newbie Mugdha is also adept in her part. Like always, Madhur’s supporting cast - Sameer Soni, Harsh Chhaya, Chitrashi Rawat and Raj Babbar slip into their roles with great ease. Cute cameos by Konkana Sen and Ranvir Shorey add zing to the proceedings.

Nitin Desai provides perfect backdrops highlighting the mood of the film. Mahesh Limay’s cinematography captures the moments of the film effectively. Kudos to Rita Dhody’s styling of the film - every dress and look is in perfect sync with the characters. The final fashion show in Paris is a highlight of the film. But couldn’t editor Devendra Murudeshwar have trimmed the second half sharper?