I hate to measure movies in terms of halves or segments because a segment or a half cannot change the overall quality of a movie, but Heroine is a movie about extremes and Bhandarkar has probably made the mistake of living it too literally. There are particular segments of the movie which are smooth, real, boast of A-grade acting from the supporting actors, have dialogues worthy of being in a feature film, non-stereotypical but unfortunately these segments put together do not even form 33% of the movie. The remaining (majority) of the movie clearly reflects that Bhandarkar is in an eternal hangover mode as a result of his earlier works. Not to forget that the effect is amplified by fake acting by proved bad actors, unreal sets, unnecessary scenes which devalue the movie rather than doing any good to it.
One can only muster courage to go through the remaining parts of the movie, thanks to a performance by Kareena that comes only once in an actor's career. The biggest reason why the portrayal of an emotionally vulnerable and confused actor would have been a huge challenge for her is because she seems as someone who is completely opposite to that description in real life. The manner in which she has managed to express the insecurities and complexities of the character, there is no doubt that she has come out with flying colors. And that makes her the biggest winner in a movie which lost the race in the buildup itself. In fact, if you follow her eyes, expressions and antics throughout the movie rather than paying attention to the dialogues you will be able to empathize with the story of 'Heroine' and have a far superior experience. Others who deserve the credit of making the good segments of the movie exciting as well as entertaining are the actors like Ranvir Shorey, Divya Dutt and Shahana Goswami who have time and again proved their mettle as high caliber character actors.
There are certain scenes in the movie which make you wonder why couldn't Bhandarkar keep up the same tempo and finesse throughout the movie. Two such scenes have Helen in them who is playing a yesteryear superstar, explaining Kareena how the film industry has changed over years in one and affecting Kareena in a more spiritual manner in the other one. Thankfully, technically the movie did not have any major deficiencies and the best song of the movie is there as a background score to one of the better scenes. The bottom line is that this is a movie which unsuccessfully tries to break out of the zone of average and at the same time cannot be ignored because of a powerful performance which can blow you away.
For other filmy experiences visit www.imnotafilmcritic.blogspot.com
One can only muster courage to go through the remaining parts of the movie, thanks to a performance by Kareena that comes only once in an actor's career. The biggest reason why the portrayal of an emotionally vulnerable and confused actor would have been a huge challenge for her is because she seems as someone who is completely opposite to that description in real life. The manner in which she has managed to express the insecurities and complexities of the character, there is no doubt that she has come out with flying colors. And that makes her the biggest winner in a movie which lost the race in the buildup itself. In fact, if you follow her eyes, expressions and antics throughout the movie rather than paying attention to the dialogues you will be able to empathize with the story of 'Heroine' and have a far superior experience. Others who deserve the credit of making the good segments of the movie exciting as well as entertaining are the actors like Ranvir Shorey, Divya Dutt and Shahana Goswami who have time and again proved their mettle as high caliber character actors.
There are certain scenes in the movie which make you wonder why couldn't Bhandarkar keep up the same tempo and finesse throughout the movie. Two such scenes have Helen in them who is playing a yesteryear superstar, explaining Kareena how the film industry has changed over years in one and affecting Kareena in a more spiritual manner in the other one. Thankfully, technically the movie did not have any major deficiencies and the best song of the movie is there as a background score to one of the better scenes. The bottom line is that this is a movie which unsuccessfully tries to break out of the zone of average and at the same time cannot be ignored because of a powerful performance which can blow you away.
For other filmy experiences visit www.imnotafilmcritic.blogspot.com