Saturday 22 September 2012

Movie Review: Heroine


You know those movies that seem to  have good intentions but fail with an unsatisfactory execution. The movie ‘Heroine’ is a brand new example of such movies.

 
  

Heroine is the story of a Bollywood actress ,Mahi Arora.  She is glamorous, rich and successful. But is she happy?  No, she is not . The protagonist is presented as a person unable to control her emotions and desperation. She is the arrogant, bitchy and stereotyped Bollywood actress. She is someone who is confused between her personal and professional lives. She rules  the film industry but is more concerned about her relationship with Aryan Khanna (Arjun Rampal). Aryan, who is in process of a divorce , doesn’t want  to commit to her at that moment. This hurts Mahi and there starts the great fall of Mahi’s career.




Mahi tries to improve her image and regain her lost stardom. But ,whatever she tries all she gets is disappointment and heartbreak. These disappointments and lust for fame make her paranoid. She falls to new lows to achieve what she needs,i.e., another successful film.



 

You must be thinking that I’m talking only about the protagonist. This is where I want to drive home a point. Kareena Kapoor solely carries the burden of this film on her shoulders. Her performance deserves praise and is the movie’s saving grace (Whoa! I did some kind of poetry here!). Arjun Rampal, playing a confused personality, also delivers a good performance.

You go to the theatre expecting a realistic portrayal of an actor’s life in Bollywood and what you get is a typical glossy Bollywood film. The film is full of clichés and, at moments, the storyline itself feels clichéd. Gay fashion designers for an instance.  Typical elements of the film-industry like gossips, jealousy, conspiracies, break-ups and arrogance come out too often and seem forced into the film. This makes the film appear to be a mere collection of events.

The director, Madhur Bhandarkar , uses inputs from his own past films rather than inventing a new creative storyline. With all the praise he garnered with those movies , expectations were certainly high from his new and much- hyped venture.

To add to the viewer's misery, Heroine's music tracks don't make you remember them.
Indian film-makers are still obsessed with long drawn movies and Heroine is no exception. Watching this long drawn and boring narrative, I was expecting a decent climax. I was disappointed yet again, with the abrupt and unsatisfactory ending. Heroine is a big opportunity wasted.

For most of the second half of the movie, I was wishing it would end soon. Thank God it did! And I’m back home. Phew!

 

My Rating: 2/5 - Avoidable