The basic formula for any Madhur Bhandarkar film is as straight as it gets and his latest Fashion continues the tradition. Even though the film is laced with stupidity, Fashion manages to work on a lot of levels.
(Click here to read a review of Fashion)
The underdog usually comes from some godforsaken small town to the biggest baddest city in the world called Mumbai. Here the protagonist, usually a woman, starts to work in some fancy setting- a page three news desk, a traffic signal, some corporate outfit. As she is exposed to the workings of the business she is told that no one, absolutely no one can make it to the top without bartering a piece of their soul. She, being the idealistic woman, refuses but for how long. Somewhere in the middle she comes across people who are sympathetic and nice to her. Watch out she will hurt them eventually. Going thorough the throes of mundane existence she trades her morals for success. She is aware that even though she might do what is doesn’t believe in, this is just temporary. Predictably she changes into just the thing she loathes. Then something will go wrong, really wrong. In the bargain this person would be forwarded as a compromise candidate. This person will come a full circle and that will be the end of it. Their confidence would be shattered and they won’t believe in anything and continue with their lives.
Madhur Bhandarkar always finds a microcosm of the world in the premise of his films. Hence the traffic signal would become a mini India; the corporate entity would be just like the current world situation. He takes pot shots at the people of these worlds, he lampoons them. Everyone is caricatured in his films and his phobias are fueled. He tattles on the setting and fulfills the basic skewed notion that people have of a certain lifestyle. This works as everyone is a voyeur and who doesn’t love seeing someone fall. I was in Delhi when the fabled 1 MG Road mall was razed to the ground under the strange land ceiling act. There was such a show that was put up. The fashionistas cried hoarse saying that ‘middle class’ was jealous of their air kissing life and hence they were being singled out. This is exactly the kind of mindset that Bhandarkar operates on. He is one for headlines. He is the archetypal person who feeds on the Aaj Tak like sensationalism- follow headlines and don't bother with the main story.
Bhandarkar's characters are very black and white. His definition of gray is really slightly black or off-white and nothing more than that. Characters in Bhandarkar films don't really do anything but take a semi-stand. This largely reflects the director's own stance. In a recent television interview when pressed to reveal his personal take on issues that laced his films, Bhandarkar refused to say anything. The man was so scared that all he said was he was an observer who brings up an issue and once the film is over he moves on. He also confessed that the issue be it gay marriage or marital rape and other such 'sensational' ideas were his weapons only for a short span of time (he implied this) for once he is done with them the issue 'dies' for him (he said this).
This is rather sad and unfortunate for Madhur Bhandarkar fails to realize his own reach. There are people who wait for his films and take them a little to seriously at times. All my corporate friends used to sing his praises till he made a film on their supposed world. Now they had a problem with him as he showed nothing but lies! Here is a man who makes use of current affairs and doesn't even have the guts to voice his opinion.
(Click here to read a review of Fashion)
The underdog usually comes from some godforsaken small town to the biggest baddest city in the world called Mumbai. Here the protagonist, usually a woman, starts to work in some fancy setting- a page three news desk, a traffic signal, some corporate outfit. As she is exposed to the workings of the business she is told that no one, absolutely no one can make it to the top without bartering a piece of their soul. She, being the idealistic woman, refuses but for how long. Somewhere in the middle she comes across people who are sympathetic and nice to her. Watch out she will hurt them eventually. Going thorough the throes of mundane existence she trades her morals for success. She is aware that even though she might do what is doesn’t believe in, this is just temporary. Predictably she changes into just the thing she loathes. Then something will go wrong, really wrong. In the bargain this person would be forwarded as a compromise candidate. This person will come a full circle and that will be the end of it. Their confidence would be shattered and they won’t believe in anything and continue with their lives.
Madhur Bhandarkar always finds a microcosm of the world in the premise of his films. Hence the traffic signal would become a mini India; the corporate entity would be just like the current world situation. He takes pot shots at the people of these worlds, he lampoons them. Everyone is caricatured in his films and his phobias are fueled. He tattles on the setting and fulfills the basic skewed notion that people have of a certain lifestyle. This works as everyone is a voyeur and who doesn’t love seeing someone fall. I was in Delhi when the fabled 1 MG Road mall was razed to the ground under the strange land ceiling act. There was such a show that was put up. The fashionistas cried hoarse saying that ‘middle class’ was jealous of their air kissing life and hence they were being singled out. This is exactly the kind of mindset that Bhandarkar operates on. He is one for headlines. He is the archetypal person who feeds on the Aaj Tak like sensationalism- follow headlines and don't bother with the main story.
Bhandarkar's characters are very black and white. His definition of gray is really slightly black or off-white and nothing more than that. Characters in Bhandarkar films don't really do anything but take a semi-stand. This largely reflects the director's own stance. In a recent television interview when pressed to reveal his personal take on issues that laced his films, Bhandarkar refused to say anything. The man was so scared that all he said was he was an observer who brings up an issue and once the film is over he moves on. He also confessed that the issue be it gay marriage or marital rape and other such 'sensational' ideas were his weapons only for a short span of time (he implied this) for once he is done with them the issue 'dies' for him (he said this).
This is rather sad and unfortunate for Madhur Bhandarkar fails to realize his own reach. There are people who wait for his films and take them a little to seriously at times. All my corporate friends used to sing his praises till he made a film on their supposed world. Now they had a problem with him as he showed nothing but lies! Here is a man who makes use of current affairs and doesn't even have the guts to voice his opinion.
1 comments:
didn't Tiwari write this film?
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