Heroine: Five reasons why the film doesn't work for me

New Delhi: National award winning director Madhur Bhandarkar’s film ‘Heroine’ has been grabbing headlines from long. From Aishwarya Rai walking out of the film to the rumours of Kareena Kapoor forcing Madhur to change the script, we have heard tons of stories about the film. While many claimed that this will be Kareena’s biggest hit ever, the box office collections reflect something else.

Thanks to all the publicity, ‘Heroine’ did good business in the overseas market and earned approximately Rs 25 crore in the first weekend in India. However, because of the mixed reactions from critics and audiences, the box office collections of ‘Heroine’ dropped significantly on Monday. Film critic Taran Adarsh tweeted, “Heroine had 50 per cent fall on Mon, when compared to Fri total. Mass-dominated circuits down, plexes added to the total. Collected 3.75 cr nett.”

Despite good publicity and an impressive star cast, why do you think ‘Heroine’ failed to impress? Many claim that it’s a combination of ‘Page 3’ and ‘Fashion’, while others felt that Madhur tried to include so many things in the plot that it became confusing. But the list doesn’t end here...

Kareena Kapoor's highly talked about film 'Heroine' will finally hit the screens on September 21, 2012. The film depicts the ups and downs in the life of a superstar named Mahi Arora.
Director of 'Heroine', Madhur Bhandarkar claims that Kareena Kapoor has never done such a role before. Her character is very complex and edgy.
Without disclosing Kareena Kapoor's remuneration for 'Heroine', director Madhur Bhandarkar has called her the most expensive heroine in Bollywood referring to her costly wardrobe for the film.
The fashionable pieces Kareena has donned in the film, playing the role of a superstar, were sourced from major brands from all over the world.
Kareena Kapoor will be seen flaunting 130 dresses in the film. Some of them have been imported from many fashion hubs of the world.
One of the dresses in the film costed Rs 1.5 crore. No wonder, Madhur calls Kareena the most expensive heroine.
Many media reports claimed that Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Heroine' is inspired by Manisha Koirala's life. However, the filmmaker claims that the movie is inspired by many real-life incidents.
As being reported, Randeep Hooda's character in the film is also inspired by Pakistani cricketer Imran Khan.
Kareena Kapoor says there is hardly anything common between her and the character she plays in the film. In an interview she said, "People think there are similarities, but I am not like that in real life. She is bold, manipulative, dark and edgy," she said.
Kareena Kapoor who played a prostitute at the age of 22, calls it her bravest role ever.
Typically you see films where a star's journey is shown from rise to fall and then rise. In 'Heroine' that's not the case as from the very first frame you can see that this superstar is declining.
Kareena Kapoor's 'Halkat Jawani' item number is another attraction of 'Heroine'. The saree she worn in the song will be auctioned.
As Kareena Kapoor claims, her beau Saif Ali Khan exercises to her 'Halkat Jawani' number.
Apart from Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Randeep Hooda, Shahana Goswami, Mugdha Godse, Divya Dutta and Helen will also be seen in the film.
Previously, Arunoday Singh was signed to play Kareena Kapoor's cricketer boyfriend. However, he was soon replaced by Randeep Hooda.
Kareena Kapoor's popular 'Dubai' dialogue shown in the promo became a matter of concern for many. After many people objecting to it, it has been censored for Dubai and has been passed by the censor board.

images

$Heroine: 5 reasons why the film doesn\'t work for me$

Kareena Kapoor

Not hard hitting enough: It’s tough to believe that ‘Heroine’ is made by the same director who made films like ‘Chandni Bar’ and ‘Page 3’. ‘Heroine’ revolves around the life of a Bollywood actress whose career is on a downfall. Probably, we have seen so many films on the same subject that there are no shocking moments in the film. Apart from what shown in the trailers, there are hardly any punch lines in the movie. Everybody knows how Bollywood treats yesteryear actors, the concept of casting couch and why stars find it difficult to make friends. The plot of ‘Heroine’ has no ups and downs. In an interview, Kareena said that her sister Karisma had tears in her eyes when the film ended. After watching the film, you wonder why?

Falls short of logic: ‘Heroine’ also fails to answer some very obvious questions. An actress who doesn’t have a good public image and no meaty projects in hand, why will any of the top brands hire her as their brand ambassador? In the film, Mahi Arora’s (Kareena) highly ambitious project ‘Tarannum Jaan’ gets shelved as the director has a dispute with the production house. So why didn’t she offered to produce the film. What will she do with all the money she earned from the so called endorsements?

What is the definition of an award winning performance: Madhur Bhandarkar made big claims about Kareena Kapoor’s performance in the film. Though Kareena looks extremely stylish in the movie and has proved that she can act, but do you think she deserves a National award for ‘Heroine’? After a point you get bored to see Kareena crying her eyes out in almost every scene.

‘Heroine’ is only about the heroine: The film is so focussed on Kareena Kapoor that you hardly feel the presence of actors like Arjun Rampal and Randeep Hooda in the film. No wonder, Arjun and Randeep didn’t promote the film. Their roles were no more than extended cameos. After ‘Jannat 2’, ‘Jism 2’ and ‘Heroine’, we really want to see Randeep Hooda playing a lead role.

Madhur needs a fresh star cast: Be it Mugdha Godse, Ranvir Shorey, Achint Kaur or Harsh Chhaya, we have seen all of them playing small roles in Madhur’s earlier films. Probably he should look for new actors to play supporting roles now.