KareenaFC83: Heroine Winners Pg2 - Page 8

Madhur Bhandarkar is all set to bare the evils of yet another glossy industry called Bollywood with his upcoming movie Heroine. He did the same with Fashion when he revealed a few ground realities of the fashion industry. Heroine will peel the layers off glossy surface and discover the ugly truth suppressed beneath. So, let's find out what one should expect from the movie.

For Mahi Arora (Kareena Kapoor), limelight is her slave. It follows her like shadow. Whatever she touches turns into gold. On top of that, she is young, vibrant and of course, tremendously rich. In short, she has a perfect life or so people believe. But in reality, Mahi lives a paradox life. She is deeply insecure and lonely. The only support system in her life is her blinding love for the superstar of the nation who isn't completely committed to her. Mahi is so much in love with this man that she overlooks her career pursuits. At a time when her peers are busy bagging every endorsement deal and film deal, Mahi is giving all her attention to get her man confess love to her. This leads to her downswing. Devastation wrecks her in such a way that she is almost at the edge of losing everything when she is miraculously saved. How? This is something you will have to find out.

Now Heroine has no dearth of promotional coup. This was a movie which made a deafening noise even before a single shot was filmed. Madhur made headlines when he decided to make a film on the industry. Then when he approached Kareena with it, people speculated frantically. But Kareena left it and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan came on board. Later, she too left the movie when she turned pregnant leaving Madhur grappling for breath. Bhandarkar then went back to Kareena and now the movie is ready to hit the theatres on September 21. With so much buzz around, Heroine hardly needs any more promotions but Kareena Kapoor has not left any stone unturned.

Review: Kareena Kapoor impresses in Heroine

Kareena Kapoor sparkles as mercurial diva

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• Kareena Kapoor in a still from the movie 'Heroine'

When Kareena Kapoor's ambitious magnum opus Heroine was unveiled, it made me wonder if the world (specifically the movie-mad Indians) were ready for yet another film about the big bad world of Bollywood.

In Vidya Balan's The Dirty Picture, it was established that top movie icons are prone to raging alcoholism, and in the more recent Raaz 3, Bipasha Basu proved that actresses are an insecure, self-destructive lot who won't hesitate to kill their younger rivals. So in terms of showcasing the grime behind the glitz and glamour, these films had it covered. We were shocked, entertained and educated in equal measure.

So what could director Madhur Bhandarkar bring to the table? Plenty, if his latest directorial venture, Heroine, is anything to go by. This film about a mercurival diva ticks the stereotypes attached to a fading siren.

As star Mahi Arora, Kareena Kapoor drinks and swears like a sailor, and is more tantrum-prone than a fussy toddler. But she does it all with gut-wrenching vulnerability.

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The drama begins on a predictable note. Arora is an absolute train-wreck who gets dumped on the road by her superstar lover (Arjun Rampal).

But fortunately, she doesn't wallow in self-pity. The fiesty Arora -- who lives, eats, sleeps and dreams movies -- bounces back with a vengeance, takes on a new lover (a star cricketer) and re-builds her career.

For those who are enchanted by Bollywood and its troubled stars, this film is delightfully voyeuristic as it takes you into their sexy-yet-shady world.

Bhandarkar's usual crutches - just like those present in his earlier films "Page 3", an expose on Mumbai's rich social set, and "Fashion", a swipe at the seamier side of modelling - are weaved into the drama. There's that token gay best friend, pretentious, snobbish star wives with their over-the-top expressions and skirt-chasing married men.

Even whistle-inducing, dubious dialogue such as "In our world we are careful about who and when we open our zippers and lips to" and the seemingly profound "Fame makes you richer, but strips you of a lot of things in life" are introduced at the right intervals.

But what we didn't see coming was the implied intimate scene between Arora and art-house Bengali actress called Promita Roy, played by Shahana Goswamy, in a Black Swan-style twist.

While the film belonged to Kapoor and her tearful histrionics, the men in her life did their jobs well. Rampal as the soon-to-be-divorced matinee idol may not have much screen time, but he leaves a good impression. Randeep Hooda as the suave cricketer scores big.

Bhandarkar entertains in a rather manipulative manner. His declarations that Heroine was 70 per cent real and based on some real characters in the industry invites a guessing game. Don't be surprised if you are busy trying to figure out whether Sanjay Suri as a womanising super-star called Khan is a take on the real deal, or if the dialogue "If my career ends, I will join hands with a businessman and buy an IPL cricket team" is a dig at Preity Zinta's career.

While the film's first half is brisk, the second half meanders but manages to get its act together towards the end. There are some obvious loopholes -- such as how a top actress such as Mahi can be this isolated from the human race and reality -- but the weak links aside it's a satisfying watch.

Heroine

Meena Iyer, TNN, Sep 20, 2012, 06.28PM IST

Tags:Ranveer Shorey|Randeep Hooda|Kareena Kapoor|Heroine Movie Review|heroine

Rating - 5.5/10
Verdict - Half-baked and over-indulgent!

Theatre : Grand Cinemas, Sharjah
Date & Time : 20th Sept 2012, 5:00 PM

Madhur Bhandarkar is back again with a supposedly hard-hitting flick which delves into the dark side of Bollywood through the eyes of a top heroine who fades from the limelight due to her choices. Let me be clear, he messes it up big time with an atrociously long and disengaging narrative owing to its incoherent screenplay and a hellacious conclusion, with only Kareena being its sole saving grace!

Plot revolves around the life of an enchantress Mahi Arora (Kareena), a top heroine who evanesce slowly due to her bipolar disorder, self-obsession, ignorance, sacrifices, excessive drinking and an infamous relationship with the soon-to-be-divorced superstar Aryan Khanna (Arjun Rampal). She appoints a PR lady to save her sinking career by staying in the limelight through cheap publicity stunts which fetches her various endorsements... In the meantime she gets into a relationship with Angad Paul (Randeep Hooda), the vice-captain of Indian cricket team. The rest of the plot is about her triumphs and self-ruination by succumbing to her impulsive weaknesses!

To be frank, how many times have we seen the story of a heroine who falls from the extravagant heights to being just a goose-egg, due to excessive drinking, smoking, self-obsession and self-destructive nature ? Though Bhandarkar enlightens about many stark truths of the film industry, its ain't effective as his previous ventures due to his rottenly stereotypical approach. Right from the start of the movie, Bhandarkar begins to rehash his own movies like the national award winning 'Page 3' and 'Fashion'. Eventhough the above two movies also feature many stereotypical elements, it had a coherent script and engaging narrative to make up its shortcomings. Even it had various elements inspired from 'Dirty Picture' as well.

Coming to its positives, first half was passable with usual Bhandarkar gimmicks, while Kareena puts all her heart in the role of a fading siren, with looking drop-dead gorgeous at her good times doing some really intimate & voyeuristic sequences and her transformational looks of a self-destructive actress was done with conviction. But have to admit on the fact, she is nowhere near to her counterparts Priyanka (Fashion) and Vidya Balan (Dirty Picture). The film does have some gritty dialogues, which takes digs at industry and various personalities revolving the industry. Arjun Rampal did justice to his part.

Bhandarkar's obsession for gays, lesbians and bisexuals doesn't end, its tiring to watch a gay fashion-designer for the umpteenth time with those annoying transvestic traits. Apart from that, many of the characters were made to abuse (especially the F word) and smoke at regular intervals so pretentiously, so that it could attain the tag of a 'bold-attempt'. The episode where the heroine goes to do a movie with substance and ends up on a lesbian adventure and where she goes for adopting a child were completely out-of-sych. As for the climax portions, where the director had no clue whatsoever how to end the film, he comes up with an awfully appalling conclusion to top the miseries. The main problem with the movie was the over-indulgence of too many insider accounts, though some of them were indeed interesting and enlightening. The music and background score of the movie were just passable, nothing much to rave about with 'Halkat Jawani' being the pick of the album. Cinematography was good. Editing was insufficient.

All in all, this was Kareena's 'Dirty Picture' and a golden opportunity got misfired due to Bhandarkar's over-indulgence which goes absolutely haywire in the second half, with Kareena's superlative performance which may fetch her Filmfare awards, but definitely not worthy of a national mention like Priyanka or Vidya, for 'Fashion' or 'Dirty Picture' respectively!!

https://www.snehasallapam.com/malayalam-movie-discussions/11440-heroine-my-take.html

Review: 'Heroine' is absolutely Kareena's film, not Madhur's
Last Updated: Thursday, September 20, 2012, 23:54

Wronged lead protagonist. Check. Cheating lover. Check. Clinical depression. Check. Manipulative friends. Check. Homosexuality. Check. Rising and then eventually falling and slowly fading in career. Check.
These are the main ingredients of each and every Madhur Bhandarkar film. And 'Heroine' is no different really. After giving an insight into the world of Fashion, Page 3 media and Corporate world, Bhandarkar delves into a territory which is perhaps the most familiar to him - Bollywood.

Bhandarkar narrates the story of a shining actress Mahi Arora (Kareena Kapoor) who seems to be slowly losing her sheen all thanks to her personal life and erratic mood swings. Even though Mahi is considered the best in the industry and is the reigning queen of Bollywood who everyone wants to compete with, Mahi seems to be more interested in getting married to her boyfriend, superstar Aryan Khanna (Arjun Rampal). Aryan, meanwhile, is going through a divorce and remains non-committal towards Mahi, which leads to her downfall.

Wronged by the people whom she is most close to, Mahi seeks psychiatric treatment and plans to resurrect her career and her life. While she manages to re build her image, get a new boyfriend (Randeep Hooda), sign some fabulous endorsements and also some films, Mahi realises that to be at the top of the game, she needs to compromise her own morals and ethics and leave behind people who probably care for her the most.

The premise of the film, like every other film of Bhandarkar, remains the same. Lead protagonist who has negative shades goes through the highs and lows in her life, enjoys a period of success and then goes through a low phase only to reform and rebuild herself as a human being. What Bhandarkar shows is not new to most of us; it is just presented in a snazzy, glamorous way.

The film could easily be written off but for Kareena's performance. As the bi-polar, erratic, insecure and vulnerable fading star, Kareena gives a superb performance. She looks beautiful, glamorous and makes Mahi her own. In fact, some of the incidents seem to be lifted straight out of Kareena's life (yes, there is an MMS scandal as well). Kareena, who has for a long time been used as a glamour quotient in Rs 100 crore films, gets a meaty role and gives it her best shot. Some of the scenes in the film, although a bit unnecessary, need courage to be enacted and it comes as a surprise when a hard-core commercial actress like Kareena agrees to do such scenes. And then, does them so convincingly.

Arjun Rampal, as the confused, non-committal, playboy Aryan Khanna, gives a believable performance. It is also refreshing to see Randeep Hooda play a charming cricketer madly in love with Mahi, especially after doing a dark role in 'Jism2'. The man though, is underused. In fact, Madhur manages to cast some very talented actors like Shahana Goswami, Ranvir Shorey and Sanjay Suri in walk away cameos who ably support the film's narrative.

The film has a very linear narrative and for the greater part of the first half, one keeps wondering what exactly the plot is. A little bit of editing would also do a lot of good to the otherwise predictable storyline.

Does 'Heroine' work? Yes, but only because of Kareena Kapoor. From doing the raunchy act in 'Halkat Jawaani' to the scenes where she is battling depression and popping pills, to the confident I-don't-care-attitude of a confident actress, Kareena makes Mahi memorable and lovable.

One little request to Mr Bhandarkar; when the next time you use gay characters in your films, please don't make them so obviously effeminate. All gays aren't like that.

Ratings: 2 for the film and one extra one for Bebo. Three cheers for the film!

https://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/review-heroine-is-absolutely-kareena-s-film-not-madhur-s_119482.htm

rituparna is the editor of IBNlive

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Facebook Reviews

Ramadhyani Narayanan

Heroine - is madhur back? Yes the mastermind madhur is back...superlative performance by Kareena and its a typical madhur movie. Don't miss it!

Devebrith Pandey

Herione...

Kareena Rocks...

Lets see what happens in End...

Being Yogesh Bangali

hyyy frndzz...

watch d movie heroine...

Nice movie...a struggle kareena...

Rohan R Shetty

HEROINE REVIEW A word of caution , if you are going to watch Heroine expecting a "total paisa vasool" entertainer, then there are chances that you might get disappointed coz this one is a tragic side of a heroine's life in bollywood, But if you have loved watching movies like Dirty picture and Fashion and you are prepared to watch a similar themed movie with more emotions and a darker adaptation of the same, then you might just come out of the movie satisfied Though it does not create a complete sense of dj vu, but the movie definitely has glimpses of Bhandarkar's earlier works such as Fashion and Page 3, u cannot avoid drawing parallels with the recently acclaimed "Dirty picture" as well, this might just be a reason for you to be a bit bored watching this one, but having said that, Heroine has its moments and you should have the appetite to digest the dark side of a heroine's life to enjoy this one, it is high on emotions and there are times when you might just feel that the movie can do with some light comical moments, Bhandarkar this time has opted for a lot more serious route of his topic keeping intact his normal way of sensationalizing certain scenes, showing sometimes an unbelievable side of stardom, not to forget a few controversial lines in the movie referring to fading heroines (preity and shilpa shetty) which I personally thought was uncalled for, the movie shows more of the negative side of being a heroine and one would have also preferred to see the positive sides of it just to balance it a bit, Bhandarkar's movies have always had the quintessential gay fashion designers and this one aint different, but this time around, it's a lot more subtle What works It's a movie that has Kareena kapoor in every frame and she definitely does not disappoint, the story revolves around her relationships and her obsession with her career, she completely sinks into the role and makes her character Mahi Arora very believable, its one of her best work, Arjun Rampal has done a good job and is growing as an actor, I am a fan of Randip Hooda and he definitely shines in his little role (though I would have preferred him to have a better batting stance as there are scenes of him playing cricket), but that's the cricketer in me saying this, watch him in the scene where he breaks down, all the other characters especially divya dutta and shahana goswami are highly effective, there are a few hard hitting scenes especially the MMS one and the one between kareena and goswami, not to forget a couple of catchy songs that will keep you entertained What doesn't The movie seems a bit stretched, there is nothing much positive that you can take home as it depicts more the tragic side of being a heroine, the movie being compared to fashion, dirty picture or page 3 also may just act as a sore point, the dark Final Word - It's a movie that deserves a dhekao thanks to the superb performance from the leading lady and also for a few good scenes, but if your day hasn't gone too well then I would suggest that you wait till you feel better before watching Heroine coz this one might make you feel a bit depressed thanks to the dark theme, it's a 3 star from me and as a total bollywood fan, I would still suggest that you watch this one