Heroine Movie Review: Madhur Bhandarkar’s ‘Fashion’ Hangover?

 

Heroine Review Verdict
Viewers who have seen Bhandarkar's Fashion might get a jolt of deja vu as the film explores the same concept of rise, downfall and redemption…

 

Heroine Review Story Plot
Mahi Arora (Kareena Kapoor) seems to have it all…youth, riches, fame and a fan following. However, what lurks behind the facade is an insecure woman, who is given to bouts of hysteria, especially because of her complicated relationship with her co-star Aryan Khanna (Arjun Rampal), a major film-star, whose own marriage is on the rocks and who seems reluctant to commit to Mahi. To complicate matters further, Mahi gets on the wrong side of industry big-wigs and ends up seeing her career go down the drain. Thrown into the mix is cricketer Angad Paul (Randeep Hooda), a dashing sportsman with a penchant for dating movie stars.

 

How Mahi manages to make a comeback by taking the help of a wily PR exec pallavi (Divya Dutta) and tackles her professional and personal issues, is what Bhandarkar's so called magnum opus deals with.

 

Heroine Review Performances
The film is a 'Kareena Kapoor' product all the way. Though there are other actors in the film, it is Bebo who dominates every scene with her screen presence. However, maybe it's the character that she has been given, but the hysterical, insecure actress that she plays, seems too stereotypical and might get on your nerves, for we mostly get to see that just side of her personality throughout the flick. But all said and done, Kareena's fans are sure to enjoy the film. On their parts, Arjun and Randeep perform passably, though their roles (especially Hooda's) seem quite short. Govind Namdeo as Mahi's loyal secretary Rashid bhai and Divya Dutta as the scheming Pallavi put in decent efforts.

 

Heroine Review Direction
Like mentioned before, Bhandarkar's Heroine is sure to give you a jolt of deja vu and remind you of Fashion that had impressed everyone a few years back. However, the director fails to realize that the same formula may not necessarily work again. The funda of serving up glamour and stereotypical characters like the gay designer, the bitchy starlets and the hysterical, chain-smoking, pill-popping, insecure star has been done to death already! Moreover, Bhandarkar neglects to shed any light on Mahi's past and seems content to only focus on her insecurities and bi-polar nature, with the result that Mahi seems more like a caricature than a real person. On the bright side, Bhandarkar has invested a lot of thought in Kareena's look and costumes and this is clearly visible on the screen, for Bebo looks like a million bucks. However, mere visual appeal is not enough to save the day, is it?

 

Heroine Review Music
The title track main Heroine hoon is sure to remind you of title tracks of James Bond movies, though the song does have visual impact. Apart from that, there is Halkat jawani, which is sure to make you tap your feet in tune with the music and the touching Saaiyan, a solo classical Sufi track in the melodious voice of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. All in all, the music is quite decent

 

Kareena Kapoor fans are sure to watch it once…for others, we recommend buying a Fashion DVD and watching it again…