Fashion is my best work till now" - Madhur Bhandarkar
First
things
first!
Will
Fashion
be
your
fourth
National
Award
winning
film?
What
a
way
to
start
this
interview
(laughs).
I
am
really
keeping
my
fingers
crossed
because
some
of
the
people
who've
seen
the
movie
have
told
me
that
Fashion
is
my
best
work
till
now.
I
believe
in
making
the
film
and
leaving
it
to
the
audiences
and
the
critics
to
decide
whether
it'll
work
or
not.
I
have
done
a
good
job
and
am
waiting
for
29th
October,
the
Diwali
day
which
is
an
auspicious
day
to
release
any
film.
Hope
it
works.
It
means
that
it'll
be
a
very
fashionable
Diwali,
isn't
it?
(laughs)
Absolutely
fashionable.
I
am
really
happy
that
the
movie
is
releasing
on
this
day
because
every
time
I've
made
a
film,
I
wanted
to
release
it
during
Diwali
and
that
day
has
come.
I
am
so
happy
and
excited
to
see
the
kind
of
buzz
and
enthusiasm
the
movie
is
generating
in
India
and
abroad
among
the
audiences,
exhibitors,
etc.
The
songs
have
also
really
picked
up
quite
well
too,
especially,
'Jalwa'
and
'Mar
Jawa'.
Mr.
Ram
Gopal
Varma
said
that
the
only
film
he
is
looking
forward
to
after
string
of
flops
is
Fashion.
He
also
went
on
to
say
that
the
content
of
Fashion
will
be
pretty
interesting.
Any
comments?
It's
really
great,
in
fact,
I
just
spoke
to
him
this
afternoon
and
he
was
really
looking
forward
to
Fashion.
He
can't
wait
to
see
the
film.
He
sent
me
an
sms
saying
that
the
promos
are
also
looking
stunning.
For
me
personally,
it's
really
nice
because
I've
worked
with
Mr
Varma
for
couple
of
years
and
I've
learnt
a
lot
from
him
as
far
as
filmmaking
is
concerned.
He
has
this
gut
feeling
about
movies
and
when
he
says
that
the
film
will
work,
it
does
work.
Your
films
are
based
on
reality,
events
and
stories
happening
in
the
real
life.
Will
Fashion
follow
the
same
path
too
or
is
it
only
going
to
be
fictional?
My
movies
are
always
slice
of
life.
They've
always
been
a
mixed
blend
of
realism
and
fiction
together.
So
there
will
be
some
element
of
fiction
in
Fashion.
Before
I
make
any
film,
I
do
a
lot
of
research,
meet
and
interact
with
people.
The
audiences
will
relate
to
Fashion
in
a
way.
Did
you
meet
any
of
the
fashion
worlds
top
models
and
designers
for
their
advice?
Absolutely
yes.
I've
interacted
with
almost
everybody
from
the
fashion
world.
From
the
top
of
the
designers
to
the
top
super
models,
the
sponsors,
the
choreographers,
etc.
It
was
six
to
seven
months
of
research
which
took
me
to
make
such
kind
of
a
movie
and
a
lot
of
people
from
the
fashion
industry
are
connected
to
the
film
also.
Like
there
are
real
models
and
designers
you'll
see
in
Fashion.
There
are
other
fashion
icons
like
Aishwarya
Bachchan,
Dia
Mirza,
Sushmita
Sen,
etc.
What
made
you
cast
Priyanka
Chopra?
Priyanka
Chopra
and
I
always
wanted
to
work
together.
I
remember
that
she
was
a
great
fan
of
my
movies
and
once
we
met
at
one
of
the
film
festivals.
At
that
time
she
had
loved
my
film
Corporate.
That's
when
she
was
really
interested
in
working
with
me.
So
I
told
her
that
if
something
comes
along,
I'll
definitely
let
her
know.
Once
I
told
her
that
I'm
making
this
film
on
the
fashion
world,
she
said
to
come
and
narrate
the
film
to
her.
She
liked
the
narration
and
the
character
of
Meghna
Mathur
who
comes
from
Chandigarh
to
Mumbai
to
make
it
as
a
super
model.
And
why
Mugdha
Godse?
That's
interesting
too.
When
I
was
researching
for
Fashion
and
went
to
the
Delhi
Fashion
Week,
where
I
saw
this
girl
walking
on
the
ramp.
I
was
introduced
to
her
previously
by
a
friend
of
mine.
When
I
saw
the
confidence
in
her
walk
and
her
eyes,
I
knew
she
was
my
Janet
of
Fashion.
I
met
her
and
straight
away
told
her
if
she
was
interested
to
do
a
movie
with
me.
The
rest
is
history
now.
In
fact,
she
has
surprised
everybody
by
her
performance
in
Fashion.
From
Priyanka
to
Kangana,
everybody
appreciated
her
work.
People
say
that
models
can't
act.
I
can
say
that
Mugdha,
the
newest
model
turned
actress
will
prove
them
wrong.
You're
working
with
a
fresh
and
a
new
team
of
actors
this
time
around.
How
was
the
experience?
I
always
make
it
a
point
to
work
with
a
new
team
and
a
new
set
of
actors
all
the
time.
It's
challenging
and
something
different.
This
is
my
style
of
working.
You've
said
that
Fashion
is
your
best
work
ever,
better
than
all
your
past
films.
Is
it
really?
I
don't
know
or
remember
where
I
said
this
or
who
has
said
this
(laughs).
For
me,
my
best
work
will
always
remain
Satta
which
didn't
do
very
well
at
the
box
office.
Konkana
Sen
Sharma
and
Atul
Kulkarni,
your
two
lucky
mascots.
You
can't
leave
them
behind
can
you?
(laughs)
Yes,
I
can't.
They
are
the
best
I've
worked
with.
I
did
approach
Atul
Kulkarni
to
play
a
cameo
in
Fashion
but
he
couldn't
make
it
for
some
reason.
The
good
thing
is
that
Konkana
is
there.
She
plays
herself,
Konkana
Sen
Sharma
-
the
actress.
Her
boyfriend
Ranvir
Shorey
is
also
there
and
both
of
them
play
a
couple
in
the
film.
This
is
your
first
film
which
will
appeal
to
the
overseas
audiences
as
well,
seeing
the
subject
you've
approached
this
time
-
Fashion.
Any
comments?
You're
right.
For
me
it's
a
big
leap
in
terms
of
the
film,
the
concept
and
the
budget
because
I've
never
made
a
movie
of
18
to
20
crores.
I've
always
made
it
between
3
to
4
crores.
I
always
say
that
I
am
an
experimental
filmmaker
but
my
films
do
get
a
commercial
acceptance.
So
for
me,
I'm
excited
by
the
kind
of
feedback,
messages
and
calls
I'm
getting
from
the
U.K
and
the
U.S.
I
hope
that
it
gets
appreciated
there.
As
you
must
be
aware
that
the
U.K
market
is
star
driven.
What
have
you
got
for
them
besides
Priyanka
Chopra?
Priyanka
Chopra
is
the
first
thing
which
will
make
it
big
in
the
U.K.
But
more
than
her,
it's
the
concept
and
the
look
of
the
film
which
people
are
going
to
love.
I
bet,
the
overseas
audiences
haven't
seen
such
style
in
Hindi
movies
before.
Fashion
will
change
that.
Priyanka
Chopra
has
changed
at
least
150
dresses
in
the
film.
Fashion
is
a
personal
story
of
these
three
models
and
what
they
go
through.
I
am
not
making
a
statement
on
the
Fashion
Industry
here.
What
about
the
homosexuality
element
in
the
fashion
world
which
prevails?
Have
you
shown
that
aspect
too?
Definitely
yes.
The
gay
angle
in
Fashion
is
very
evident.
Is
it
wise
to
go
on
a
fashion
show
to
promote
your
film
rather
than
go
to
any
reality
shows?
Reality
show
or
fashion
week
or
any
kind
of
publicity
for
any
film
is
a
must.
If
we
have
to
do
both,
we
have
to
do
it.
There
is
no
way
out
and
there
is
nothing
wrong
in
it.
I
think
every
filmmaker
and
the
films
cast
want
their
film
to
reach
the
widest
of
its
audiences.
Even
the
kind
of
investment
put
into
promotion
now-a-days
is
huge.
So
it
definitely
is
a
platform
to
promote
your
film.
Have
you
met
any
model
who
has
given
up
more
than
just
their
morals
in
the
fashion
world?
(laughs)
I
know
what
your
question
is
targeting
to.
Fashion
is
much
beyond
the
casting
couch
story.
There
are
many
things
that
a
model
has
to
sacrifice
or
eradicate
like
his
or
hers
position,
principals,
ethics,
etc.
to
reach
the
top.
This
film
is
exactly
that.
And
yes,
I
have
met
models
who've
given
up
many
things
than
just
their
morals
to
reach
the
standing
in
their
career
where
they
are
right
now.
You
love
women,
don't
you?
All
your
films
are
more
or
less
having
a
female
protagonist.
Yes,
I
love
my
women.
Except
Traffic
Signal,
all
my
films
have
showcased
women
as
the
main
lead.
You
see,
even
in
Traffic
Signal,
Neetu
Chandra
and
Konkana
Sen
Sharma's
characters
were
very
strong.
I
really
feel
that
there
are
certain
issues
in
certain
films
where
the
female
protagonist
can
say
the
narration
in
a
much
better
way
than
the
male
hero.
I've
been
lucky
in
that
way
and
my
women
too
who've
seen
their
film
worked
wonders
for
them.
It's
a
proud
moment.
We've
even
seen
UTV's
Ronnie
Screwvala
experiment
with
different
genres.
Has
he
been
a
great
support
besides
just
being
a
producer?
Ronnie
has
always
been
a
great
admirer
of
my
work
and
I
respect
him
because
he
is
a
man
who
always
encourages
new
cinema.
So
after
Chandni
Bar,
Page
3,
Corporate,
etc
we
used
to
meet
so
many
times
in
parties
and
events
and
he
questioned
me
as
to
when
will
I
be
doing
a
film
with
him.
That's
when
one
day
we
met
and
I
narrated
him
the
idea
of
Fashion.
He
said
that
it
was
a
superb
idea
and
we
should
go
ahead
with
it.
This
is
the
first
time
when
I'm
co-producing
the
film
with
Ronnie.
It's
called
UTV
and
Bhandarkar
Entertainment
presents
Fashion.
It's
my
first
production.
So,
your
money
is
at
stake
then
huh?
(laughs)
Yes,
of
course,
and
not
only
that,
my
name
and
my
reputation
too.
It's
strange
to
see
that
in
an
economic
meltdown
like
this,
every
actor
and
director
are
turning
producers
to
keep
themselves
secure.
It's
not
about
escapism.
Today,
people
want
to
invest
money
only
because
they
know
that
they'll
get
something
back
from
it.
If
you
see
five
years
ago,
no
one
used
to
get
such
big
pay
packs
as
an
actor
and
a
director.
Now
things
have
changed.
It's
become
a
big
business
now.
The
kind
of
multiplexes
hitting
India
and
the
kind
of
revenue
being
generated
is
larger
than
life.
Another
feather
in
the
cap
for
you
Madhur.
You
and
Aamir
Khan
are
being
felicitated
at
the
7th
Third
Eye
Asian
Film
Festival.
I
wish
I
had
a
collection
of
such
caps
too.
(laughs)
It's
a
great
feeling
for
me
and
when
I
got
the
news
a
few
weeks
ago,
I
was
over
the
moon.
I
know
Aamir
Khan,
and
we
do
interact
with
each
other,
not
too
frequently
though.
But
socially
whenever
we
meet,
we
talk.
I
loved
his
film
Taare
Zameen
Par.
It's
an
unbelievable
film
and
I
am
also
proud
of
the
fact
that
it's
the
official
entry
at
the
Oscars
from
India.
When
do
we
then
see
a
Madhur
Bhandarkar
film
going
to
the
Oscars?
I
just
keep
making
movies.
But
fingers
crossed,
hopefully
very
soon.
I've
already
got
my
three
Oscars
from
India
which
are
the
National
Awards.