In a world of films created by Madhur Bhandarkar, nothing is sacred. After exploring the world of fashion, media and corporate boardrooms, Bhandarkar now plunges into the most controversial and talked-about subject we know of today – the film Industry. Heroine is, amazingly, just one of his many ‘blowing-the-lid-off’ accounts that spell bound the audience with its magic. He has used the magician factor of Kareena Kapoor at work here, who effortlessly swishes her wand with style and makes this film worth watching.
Mahi (Kareena Kapoor) is a high-rung heroine in the big bad world of the film industry. Bi-polar in nature, she’s least bothered about the competition around. All she can think about is commitment and wedding bells. Madly in love with superstar Aryan Khanna (Arjun Rampal), she starts losing a grip on herself when he refuses to commit due to the ongoing problems in his own life. Somehow, she salvages her career, courtesy an enterprising PR agent (Divya Dutta) and a new boyfriend in tow (Randeep Hooda). But Murphy’s Law strikes, yet again. Mahi loses out on various opportunities and the ones that come her way don’t really work out. Popping anti-depression pills and drowning her sorrow in gallons of Bourbon, she eventually heads towards a crossroad which changes her life beyond measure.
While trying to convey the rise and fall of the self-obsessed, impulsive and troubled diva, the film finds itself trapped within the Bhandarkar constraints. So, there is a strong female protagonist. While her life spirals downwards, she will fight the insurmountable odds for survival. There will be redemption. Lovers will cheat on each other. Drugs, wine and clinical depression are a must. Oh yes, homosexuality too. It’s all there.
Kareena Kapoor plays Mahi with utmost ease, making each and every characteristic believable. You’ll smile when she expresses her selfless love for Aryan. You’ll ogle at her inimitable beauty when she struts about like a diva. You’ll show concern when she gulps pills and whiskey in quick succession. And you’ll cry when she does, feeling what she feels. Clearly, she’s the hero of Heroine.
Heroine has an episodic feel to it. The movie is a merger of various personalities, which unfortunately don’t fall on the same page in the end. Making it seem disjointed and amateurish. There is a line in the film which Mahi, a bi-polar patient, tells her mom, “My life is fully under control.” Well, the same can’t be said about the film. Overall the director has done a good job with the protagonist which makes the movie worth watching.
