A "Bhandarkar" Mal- function

Anything in excess is dangerous- everyone in the world understand that probably with the exception of National Award winning director Madhur Bhandarkar who is on an expose- spree. After bar girls (Chandni Bar); politics (Satta); celebrities (Page 3); corporate affairs (Corporate) and under belly of the city (Traffic Signal), Bhandarkar has this time focussed on the big bad world of modelling and fashion!

Nothing wrong but what is new here except the ambience? It is still the same homosexuality, moral compromise, cut throat competition, drugs and alcohol and dishonesty on offer! All this would have been passe had the ambience been believable. To start with Meghna Mathur's overnight rise to stardom is not quite digestible, add to it the badly choreographed fashion shows and the outrageous costumes that would not be welcomed even by the fashion unconscious! Arbaaz Khan playing the sauve fashion magazine owner does not help. He, in fact, needs a great deal of help in the acting department. Kangana Ranaut is caught in the rut- she repeats her "Gangster" act of drugs, alcohol and self- pity for the nth time. Harsh Chhaya fails miserably in enacting the gay designer.

On the positive side are Salim Sulaiman's music ("Mar jaava" and "Jalwa" stand out! ), Mugdha Ghodse's confident debut, Sameer Soni's gay designer who appears real and Kitu Gidwani and Suchitra Pillai putting in credible performances. Priyanka Chopra is adequate but I would not say that it is an award winning performance. Bhandarkar promotes men's fairness cremes though unintentionally. How would you otherwise describe Priyanka Chopra's sudden pangs of guilt after having slept with a black escort?

For the record, there are non entities like Arjan Bajwa and Rohit Roy and veterans like Raj Babbar and Kiran Juneja who end up being non entities! A host of designers turning in guest appearances along with Karan Johar, Ranvir Shoerey and Konkona Sen Sharma dont help either...