by Subhash K Jha

Madhur Bhandarkar is on a new high. He has just finalized his next script Fashion based on the beau monde. It took him four re-writes to get Priyanka Chopra's nod. But the wait, and the scriptural weight, are worth it, says Madhur.

You continue to be enamoured of female-centric subjects.
I think Fashion will be my last woman-oriented film. There are so many male-oriented subjects that I want to make. For some reason the women-centric subjects kept recurring. Now let's give the men a chance. Actually after Traffic Signal I wanted to make a prison drama called Jail about three male prisoners. But then the idea of Fashion came up.

Is Jail going to be inspired by the hit series Prison Break?
Not at all! I haven't even seen Prison Break. Jail isn't a prison-break story. It's about how hard life is inside prison, how the inmates come together to survive the brutality and the savagery. If you remember I had touched on aspects of prison life in Chandni Bar. I want Jail to be a gritty and real prison drama.

You actually wanted to make Jail after Chandni Bar. But Nagesh Kukunoor's similar film 3 Deewarein came along?
Yes I did postpone my plans for Jail at that time. But when I saw 3 Deewarein I realized my script was very different. It's again a very hard-hitting subject.Now I'll re-work the script and start again. I want to make movies with men at the helm, and a full on action film.

Is it true you had to go back to re-write your script four times because Priyanka Chopra didn't like the first draft?
I did meet Priyanka several times. We decided to work together when I met her for the first time when in Goa when my Corporate was shown at the Festival .Why just Priyanka? Even I wasn't satisfied with the writing for Fashion initially.

And I never go on the floors until I'm satisfied. I feel all my films from Chandni Bar to Traffic Signal have been made at the script level. I'm very happy with the script for Fashion. I researched on the subject for almost 7-8 months.

I attended the Fashion Week in Delhi and Mumbai. I interacted with designers, buyers, choreographers, models....everybody. Now I've the exact look of the film, the fashion world, and even the characters who play models, in place.

Coincidentally you are in Nepal for a fashion show.
Ha. Just a coincidence. The show in Kathmandu was organized by a dear friend and I couldn't say no. And I wanted to visit the Pashupatinath temple. I'm not walking the ramp or anything. I've had offers to do so frequently.

Was the delay in your new project only because of the script?
No I also wanted to take a break to give time to my family after my daughter was born. Also I'm turning producer with Fashion. It'll be co-produced by me and UTV.

When do you start Fashion?
December 2007. It would have an ensemble cast and multi tracks like Page 3. I want to sign real models and fashion designers, just as I had done in Page 3 and Traffic Signal.

Do you feel flattered when films like Breaking News copy your theme and style?
I'm told films do look at Corporate and Page 3 for inspiration. There's nothing wrong with it. I've also been inspired by so many filmmakers like Gulzar and Ram Gopal Varma.

Are there shades of the negative in Priyanka's role?
It's substantial snd strong.And something she has never done before. Nor has such a character been shown in our cinema. Naturally she'll be the main protagonist. And her character will have many shades, several ups and downs.

We'll see the entire fashion industry from her character's point of view. Wasn't that the case in Chandni Bar, Satta, Page 3? But other characters in Fashion will have equally substantial roles.

Fashion will be a very glamorous film?
Obviously, it's about the business of selling glamour. But as usual I'll probe behind the slick façade to see what goes in the fashion world. But yes, this would be my most glamorous film ever....and my most expensive project to date.

So far all my films have been within the 3-4 crore budget. Fashion will have a budget of at least 10 crores. The budget is dictated entirely by the theme. Even the junior artistes in Fashion have to be models. The luster must linger.

Personally how do you hope to move forward with Fashion?
Fashion will re-invent my image. It will be reall but also intrinsically glossy. We're getting big-name ramp walkers. Our producer Mr Ram Mirchandani and UTV are in talks with top international models. Some portions will be shot abroad. But most of the story will unfold in Delhi and Mumbai.