Fashion: How Mugdha Godse, Soni Samir, and Ashwin Mushran Got Their Roles

Mugdha Allahse

When Madhur Bhandarkar was filming Traffic Signal, actress Mugdha Godse approached him and said she would love to collaborate with him. But at that point, things didn't work out. And Bhandarkar discovered the ideal young woman to play Janet when Fashion happened. Godse tells us, "He and his team used to visit fashion shows to understand their workings and spend a lot of time backstage," recalling how she first joined the company. The team and I had a lengthy conversation during one of our fashion weeks in Delhi, and I contributed the most ideas and insights. I was asked to be in the movie the following day, and I said yes.

Godse, a top model herself, says that although the "film's story was very close to reality," it was "a bit scary," she also says that working with the team made the experience enjoyable. "I recall that they all joined together to celebrate my birthday while we were filming. Priyanka received the balloons and cake. Godse, whose film debut was this one, says, "The experience was made even more special because it was my first film and being appreciated right after my first scene by Madhur and others felt special welcomed to the acting world."

Soni Samir

In the movie, Samir Soni portrayed gay designer Rahul Arora, who also has a boyfriend. One of the funniest scenes from the film's production, according to Soni, was shooting a scene in which he had to kiss the guy as he dropped him off at the car. "When I started working on the movie, my goal was to portray Rahul's character in a way that would make you forget he was gay. Considering how stereotypically gay characters were portrayed in earlier shows. I was thus mentally preparing myself to kiss him, and I wanted to do it perfectly to avoid making the audience feel uncomfortable or awkward. So the actor, who was very young at the time, and I sat in the car together. I observed him trembling. "Bhaiyya darr lag raha hai," he said in response to my question, "kya hua hai" (he laughs). This guy was calling me "bhaiyya" while I was trying to act like my character.

Soni continues by explaining how adjustments were eventually made. "After Madhur made some changes to the scene, I couldn't help but give him a kiss on the cheek. The boy remained terrified. I therefore sat down with him before the shot and told him, "Listen, don't be afraid." "I'll take care of it," he says.

Mushran Ashwin

Ashwin Mushran saw Fashion as a great chance to collaborate with Priyanka Chopra, Madhur Bhandarkar, and other talented people. At that time, not many actors would accept the role of a gay character. It's probable that casting these parts proved to be challenging for the creators. However, I thought it was a fantastic part and I wanted to collaborate with Bhandarkar and Priyanka. However, I thought it was a nice role when I got the first call," the actor, who was initially offered the role played by Harsh Chhaya, says.

The movie featured multiple supermodels in various roles. Mushran talks about how he learned a lot from working with them. They were a wonderful addition to the set. Who was who didn't really matter to them. It felt really revitalizing. We as actors want that to remain grounded, so I really liked that they said, "We do what we do and we don't really obsess over who is the actor and who is the director." According to the actor who portrayed Rohit in the movie, "Everyone gives actors so much power sometimes that we think we are way more important than we are."

Mushran also mentioned that he wasn't thrilled about taking on a very different role for the role. "I wanted it to remain organic. And I recall asking an assistant director to allow me to be a little more gay during a scene that I was filming with Priyanka. I said, "Do you look at the clothes I am wearing?" as I shot him a glance. And after that, it was never addressed," he concludes.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Press Time staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.