No matter what your gender or sexual orientation, Dostana serves up a rather friendly feast for the eyes. The movie starts off with a colorful splash as topless Kunal (John Abraham) and scantily clad Shilpa Shetty get their bounce on in sunny Miami. We then get a few glimpses into Kunal's and Sam's (Abhishek Bachchan) American bachelor lifestyle before the ball really gets rolling into the premise of the story: Kunal and Sam need a place to live, and Neha (Priyanka Chopra) has a totally phat one. However, Neha's aunt won't be having two studs stay with her niece; she needs "baby-log," not "baba-log." Enter Sam's novel idea: why not act like baby-log trapped in hot hunk bodies? A reluctant Kunal agrees to the plot, and the three roommates get along brilliantly, until... the two men fall in love with the woman. The rest of the story awaits you at your local Indian theater.
The movie does have some genuinely touching moments, but it maintains its comedic flow, never going overboard with the drama. The laugh riot is upheld with good timing in the dialogues, a healthy sprinkling of double entendre, and quirky background sound effects. The songs are catchy, and the choreography is visually enticing. My favorite picturization was of "Ma Da Laadla," following Kirron Kher's entrance onto the scene as Sam's anxious mother.
As far as the ground-breaking capacity of the movie -- the mere bringing of a homosexual theme out of the closet, although faux-homo, is quite a leap for a mainstream director and A-list actors. Although many stereotypes are displayed in the film, it is done in an endearing matter, for what that's worth, which is certainly a step above fear and disgust. We have graduated on from trembling Kantaben and Saif Ali Khan's father in Kal Ho Na Ho, whom Saif has to assure that he is "normal" and not gay. Also interesting was the PR surrounding the movie; instead of assuring the media that the movie did not promote or endorse homosexuality, the promoters assured the media that the movie would not offend homosexuals. This acknowledgment of and respect for the homosexual audience is certainly a positive narrative shift.
There were a few amusing factual errors in the movie. For example, it is suggested at one point that the Immigration & Naturalization Services (INS) would provide expedited services to registered domestic partners. Not only is there no longer an INS (its functions have been taken over by the Department of Homeland Security), but, unfortunately, a domestic partnership does not accord any immigration benefits whatsoever.
The other problem I have with so many Bollywood films "abroad" is the proliferation of whiteness. In Miami, other than in Neha's household and the three black bouncers at the nightclub, why is everyone blonde and skinny? Where my fat Cubans at?
Overall, Karan Johar's latest production is a very pleasant film -- entertaining, light, and marking a paradigm shift of sorts. Two thumbs up. ;)
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Scratch N' Sniff: A Review of Madhur Bhandarkar's "Fashion"
Fashion chronicles several years in the life of Meghana Mathur (played by Priyanka Chopra) as she forays from a small-town girl from Chandigarh into India's top model. Commencing the story with a spirit of naive optimism, Meghana navigates through various shades of vulnerability, arrogance, degeneracy, fear, and gratitude, tracking her exhausting career and her blurred personal/professional relationships.
The director of the film, Madhur Bhandarkar, is known for making edgy, realistic cinema exposing the inside world of various industries, and Fashion continues this trend by exploring... the fashion industry. Overall, the quality of the production was superb, and Priyanka Chopra also excelled in portraying the journey of Meghana Mathur. Kangana Ranaut did a decent job in her usual role of the drugged up, mentally unstable glamor girl (I'm convinced she always gets cast in these roles because of her curly hair, grrr), and Mugdha Godse shows promise as the altruistic struggling model. The styling was amazing, and the music was sensational.
The problem with Fashion is that the elements that it exposes -- and that ostensibly required extensive research -- are rather predictable shockers for your average middle-class audience member. The plot thickens with the introduction of various elements that one could readily imagine being associated with the modeling world: "Gays!" "Alcohol!" "Drugs!" "Affair!" "Abortion!" "One-night stand!" Right before intermission, in a matter I found just a tad cliche, Priyanka lights a cigarette for the very first time, precipitating her downfall.
I know that a film by its nature is finite and thus has its limitations in how many angles it can touch, but I feel that some major issues went unexplored. First of all, why is it that Meghana wanted to be a model -- ji nahi, supermodel? She is asked the question once and sort of blows it off. Through a dialogue in the film, it is revealed that 200 girls come to Mumbai every day with dreams of becoming a supermodel. What is it about our society that makes image and glamor so enticing to so many girls? I think the film owed it to the audience to give at least some examination to the social, cultural, and gendered socialization that triggered this desire in Ms. Mathur and so many others.
An even greater omission than exploring the motivation behind joining the industry was the lack of attention paid to the body image of the aspiring models. Pretty much all "normal" women, no matter what we look like, are prone to thinking our stomachs are too big, our faces too-acne-ridden, our boobs the wrong size, our hair too dry... and that's before you inject the Desi factor, also making us hairy, greasy, and dark. It would be a mistake to say that models don't obsess over these issues as well; indeed, it's precisely by obsessing over these issues and pouring large proportions of their disposable incomes into fixing them that many land where they do. Regular salons and cosmetics don't always suffice for threading, waxing, exfoliating the skin, heightening the cheekbones with blush, or tinting the hair and eyebrows; sometimes you need the professional tummy tuck, silicone implant, or botox.
Despite all amendments one may make to her appearance, she will still inevitably be airbrushed for the magazine cover because she shows a slight blemish on her chin, or her arms look too fat. And speaking of fat, Meghana is shown happily running away on the treadmill and then eating nice meals at five-star restaurants without subsequently vomiting them; I'm not sure this is quite so representative of reality, when India has just recently entered the size-zero craze.
Skin color is another huge issue that was simply ignored. Luckily, Priyanka Chopra's skin tone does not seem to be altered for her role; she is left a "medium-wheatish" tone -- and some of the other models even venture to "dusky." However, notice that the darker you get, the more "raw" the looks are, and the women are clad in peacock feathers or animal print. In the Bollywood batch, you have the beautifully "dusky" Bipasha Basu playing the seductress, the vamp, the schizophrenic, but rarely the nice girl next door. Priyanka seemed to be an exception that was a bit darker and still able to pull the goody-two-shoes roles, and then came along her Pond's fairness cream ad to demonstrate to Indian girls how lightening their skin would help them retain their man. What psychological impact must this message have on all involved and implicated parties? Where my critical race feminists at?
It is perfectly respectable for a film simply to take on the task of telling one person's story and showing a particular aspect of her personal growth; however, I believe that Fashion set out to be more ambitious than that, and I just don't know that a major part of a model's life would not be to obsess over criticisms of her appearance, no matter how closely she fit a Barbie-type mold. I would have found it interesting had the film explored some of the social, cultural, and psychological dimensions associated with beauty, and perhaps provided some social commentary and insight into multinational, gendered branding. I believe that the film's arguably moralistic fixation on "drugs!" "alcohol!" and "sex!" would greatly scandalize and thereby appease a large segment of the audience, but this particular curly-haired kook believes that it barely scratched the surface.
The director of the film, Madhur Bhandarkar, is known for making edgy, realistic cinema exposing the inside world of various industries, and Fashion continues this trend by exploring... the fashion industry. Overall, the quality of the production was superb, and Priyanka Chopra also excelled in portraying the journey of Meghana Mathur. Kangana Ranaut did a decent job in her usual role of the drugged up, mentally unstable glamor girl (I'm convinced she always gets cast in these roles because of her curly hair, grrr), and Mugdha Godse shows promise as the altruistic struggling model. The styling was amazing, and the music was sensational.
The problem with Fashion is that the elements that it exposes -- and that ostensibly required extensive research -- are rather predictable shockers for your average middle-class audience member. The plot thickens with the introduction of various elements that one could readily imagine being associated with the modeling world: "Gays!" "Alcohol!" "Drugs!" "Affair!" "Abortion!" "One-night stand!" Right before intermission, in a matter I found just a tad cliche, Priyanka lights a cigarette for the very first time, precipitating her downfall.
I know that a film by its nature is finite and thus has its limitations in how many angles it can touch, but I feel that some major issues went unexplored. First of all, why is it that Meghana wanted to be a model -- ji nahi, supermodel? She is asked the question once and sort of blows it off. Through a dialogue in the film, it is revealed that 200 girls come to Mumbai every day with dreams of becoming a supermodel. What is it about our society that makes image and glamor so enticing to so many girls? I think the film owed it to the audience to give at least some examination to the social, cultural, and gendered socialization that triggered this desire in Ms. Mathur and so many others.
An even greater omission than exploring the motivation behind joining the industry was the lack of attention paid to the body image of the aspiring models. Pretty much all "normal" women, no matter what we look like, are prone to thinking our stomachs are too big, our faces too-acne-ridden, our boobs the wrong size, our hair too dry... and that's before you inject the Desi factor, also making us hairy, greasy, and dark. It would be a mistake to say that models don't obsess over these issues as well; indeed, it's precisely by obsessing over these issues and pouring large proportions of their disposable incomes into fixing them that many land where they do. Regular salons and cosmetics don't always suffice for threading, waxing, exfoliating the skin, heightening the cheekbones with blush, or tinting the hair and eyebrows; sometimes you need the professional tummy tuck, silicone implant, or botox.
Despite all amendments one may make to her appearance, she will still inevitably be airbrushed for the magazine cover because she shows a slight blemish on her chin, or her arms look too fat. And speaking of fat, Meghana is shown happily running away on the treadmill and then eating nice meals at five-star restaurants without subsequently vomiting them; I'm not sure this is quite so representative of reality, when India has just recently entered the size-zero craze.
Skin color is another huge issue that was simply ignored. Luckily, Priyanka Chopra's skin tone does not seem to be altered for her role; she is left a "medium-wheatish" tone -- and some of the other models even venture to "dusky." However, notice that the darker you get, the more "raw" the looks are, and the women are clad in peacock feathers or animal print. In the Bollywood batch, you have the beautifully "dusky" Bipasha Basu playing the seductress, the vamp, the schizophrenic, but rarely the nice girl next door. Priyanka seemed to be an exception that was a bit darker and still able to pull the goody-two-shoes roles, and then came along her Pond's fairness cream ad to demonstrate to Indian girls how lightening their skin would help them retain their man. What psychological impact must this message have on all involved and implicated parties? Where my critical race feminists at?
It is perfectly respectable for a film simply to take on the task of telling one person's story and showing a particular aspect of her personal growth; however, I believe that Fashion set out to be more ambitious than that, and I just don't know that a major part of a model's life would not be to obsess over criticisms of her appearance, no matter how closely she fit a Barbie-type mold. I would have found it interesting had the film explored some of the social, cultural, and psychological dimensions associated with beauty, and perhaps provided some social commentary and insight into multinational, gendered branding. I believe that the film's arguably moralistic fixation on "drugs!" "alcohol!" and "sex!" would greatly scandalize and thereby appease a large segment of the audience, but this particular curly-haired kook believes that it barely scratched the surface.
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