Heroine (film)
Encyclopedia
Heroine is an upcoming Indian film co - written and directed by Madhur Bhandarkar
. The film revolves around the life of a once successful film actress Mahi Khanna, whose career is on the decline. Though speculated to be based on the lives of yester year divas like Madhubala
and Marilyn Monroe
, Bhandarkar has denied the reports saying that the movie is a “contemporary film which reveals the underbelly of the movie industry and its well-kept secrets.” Bhandarkar said that he considers the movie his magnum opus. Kareena Kapoor
has been cast to play the lead role of Mahi Khanna.
, Bhandarkar was toying with the idea of making a movie portraying the lives of movie actresses. He had even bought the rights for using the title Heroine for his movie from Guddu Dhanoa, producer of movies like Deewana and Big Brother
. Though he announced in 2010 that he is working with UTV Motion Pictures to make Heroine, he decided to make Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji
before starting with Heroine. Bhandarkar had prepared a three-hour documentary on Hollywood greats like Marilyn Monroe
, Elizabeth Taylor
, Eva Gardner
and Vivien Leigh
as a reference point to make his protagonist more rounded, complete and contemporary and had put together an acting workshop for his lead actor to get into the skin of the role. Bhandarkar later told in an interview that he has been subconsciously preparing for the movie ever since he joined the industry.
for his movie. Bhandarkar stated that Kapoor had been his first choice for his previous movies Page 3
and Fashion
. Kapoor later opted out of the movie without giving any official reason. Various media speculations were made on the reason as to why Kareena refused to be part of the movie. Some reports suggested that due to lack of dates she had refused the movie. Another section reported that she was unhappy with the script which demanded her to share intimate screen space with five different men. A majority of the media speculated that the reason why Kareena did not accept the offer was because the story had uncanny resemblance to her personal life. The movie shows that the lead protagonist gets into a relationship with a married actor and a portion of the movie shows the actress’s relationship with the children of the actor from his first marriage. Though the director consistently persuaded Kareena to be a part of the movie, it was finally decided that the movie will not have Kareena Kapoor in the leading role.
Bhandarkar later officially declared that the film was shelved as Kareena Kapoor had decided not to do the movie. He said in various interviews that he was working on different scripts and would be making a male – oriented movie this time over. It was later being rumored that Katrina Kaif was approached for the movie which was denied outright by the actress. The co-producers of the film, UTV Motion Pictures, then approached Aishwarya to be a part of the film. The news got more attention when Siddharth Roy Kapoor, CEO of UTV Motion Pictures, started approaching Aishwarya for various script hearings. Finally, after many discussions between the producers, Bhandarkar and Aishwarya, it was announced both by the director and the actor separately that they are going to work on Heroine. Bhandarkar told that he had restructured the script keeping Aishwarya in mind. It is said that Aishwarya pushed the schedule of Satte Pe Satta remake to 2012 so that she could completely concentrate on this project. Arjun Rampal was the first actor to be signed opposite Aishwarya in Heroine. Sources confirmed the news saying that Bhandarkar was going to present Rampal in a never-before-seen manner. Rampal and Rai acted together in the 2003 movie Dil Ka Rishta
. A second lead actor is also being searched who will be apparently playing the central character's young love interest. Initial names suggested included Ranbir Kapoor
, Imran Khan
and Prateik Babbar. Another character of a yester-year actress based on the likes of famous actress Nadira
was also being talked about. The film was shelved after 10 days of shooting with Rai due to the sudden announcement of her pregnancy. As of now, Kareena Kapoor has been signed on as the leading actress, with Kapoor herself, confirming her presence in the film.
. He will be designing 130 costumes worth 1.2 crore for Kareena Kapoor.
. A promotional poster was released during a press conference in which Ronnie Screwvala of UTV Motion Pictures, Madhur Bhandarkar, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan officially announced the movie. The director said, "The movie is a glamorous yet bold story of the internal journey of a superstar. I am certain it will appeal to audiences across the globe and Aishwarya was a perfect choice for the role. In fact, no one could’ve essayed it better." Screwvala stated “With Heroine, we plan to take things to the next level. When you watch the film, you will feel that the role was written with someone as talented and stunning as Aishwarya in mind.” The actress too admitted that she was "looking forward to this new journey in the movie.” It was also announced that Aishwarya will be have a wardrobe of more than 40 outfits designed by Manish Malhotra in the film. Explaining why he was launching the project in Cannes, Screwvala alluded to Rai's star power saying, "She is the brand ambassador for India and for Indian cinema when it comes to the French Riviera." The actress was quick to deny any reference to her personal life being portrayed in the movie and said that the entire idea was a result of Bhandarkar's conceptualization. The Official Press Release distributed as a part of the announcement stated that "The film is based on the life and times of a superstar heroine, Mahi from the dream factory we call 'Bollywood'. The film is a daring, shocking, glamorous, scandalous behind-the-scenes account of the reality behind the world of glitz and glamour that our film stars inhabit. For a country obsessed with films and film stars, Heroine will take audiences on a voyeuristic journey to see what really goes on in the lives of India's sweethearts."
, who had earlier worked with Madhur Bhandarkar in his critically acclaimed movie Fashion
, will be composing the songs for Heroine.
Madhur Bhandarkar
Madhur Bhandarkar is a National Award-winning Indian film director, script writer, and producer. He is best known for his films such as Chandni Bar , Page 3 , Traffic Signal , and Fashion...
. The film revolves around the life of a once successful film actress Mahi Khanna, whose career is on the decline. Though speculated to be based on the lives of yester year divas like Madhubala
Madhubala
Mumtaz Jahan Begum Dehlavi, known by her stage name Madhubala was a Hindi movie actress. She starred in several successful movies in the 1950s and early 1960s, many of which have attained a classic status...
and Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
, Bhandarkar has denied the reports saying that the movie is a “contemporary film which reveals the underbelly of the movie industry and its well-kept secrets.” Bhandarkar said that he considers the movie his magnum opus. Kareena Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor , often informally referred to as Bebo, is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films. During her career, Kapoor has received six Filmfare Awards, among nine nominations, and has been noted for her performances in a range of film genres; these include her work from contemporary...
has been cast to play the lead role of Mahi Khanna.
Cast
- Kareena KapoorKareena KapoorKareena Kapoor , often informally referred to as Bebo, is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films. During her career, Kapoor has received six Filmfare Awards, among nine nominations, and has been noted for her performances in a range of film genres; these include her work from contemporary...
as Mahi Khanna - Arjun RampalArjun RampalArjun Rampal , born 26 November 1972, is an award-winning Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films, as well as a fashion model.- Film career :...
- Randeep HoodaRandeep HoodaRandeep Singh Hooda is an Indian actor who works in Bollywood films.-Early life:Hooda was born in the village of Jaseya in Rohtak district of Haryana. His mother, Asha Hooda, is a social worker and his father, Dr. Ranbir Hooda, is a surgeon by profession...
- Shahana GoswamiShahana GoswamiShahana Goswami is an Indian actress who works in Bollywood films.-Career:Shahana had a single-minded focus on professional acting since childhood. She moved to Mumbai to complete her graduation and to explore the possibility of taking up acting as a career. In Mumbai, her first steps in acting...
- Amrita Raichand
- Divya DuttaDivya DuttaDivya Dutta is an Indian actress from Ludhiana, Punjab, India who appears in Hindi and Punjabi films.- Career :She did her schooling from Sacred Heart Convent, Ludhiana...
- Lillete DubeyLillete DubeyLillete Dubey is an Indian actress who appeared on the stage and in Bollywood films. Dubey is noted for appearing in some of the most popular Indian movies, including Baghban, Kal Ho Naa Ho and Fanaa. Her another notable appearance is in the Mira Nair movie Monsoon Wedding.-Personal life and...
Development
After the completion of his movie JailJail
A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie...
, Bhandarkar was toying with the idea of making a movie portraying the lives of movie actresses. He had even bought the rights for using the title Heroine for his movie from Guddu Dhanoa, producer of movies like Deewana and Big Brother
Big Brother (film)
Big Brother is a 2007 Bollywood film which starred Sunny Deol and Priyanka Chopra in the lead roles.-Plot:Big Brother is a story set in modern India which revolves around a small middle class family composed of Dev Sharma Sunny Deol, his wife Aarti Priyanka Chopra, his mother Farida Jalal, brother...
. Though he announced in 2010 that he is working with UTV Motion Pictures to make Heroine, he decided to make Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji
Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji
Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji is a 2011 Hindi romantic comedy film, directed by Madhur Bhandarkar, starring Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Omi Vaidya, Shazahn Padamsee, Shruti Haasan and Shraddha Das in the lead roles...
before starting with Heroine. Bhandarkar had prepared a three-hour documentary on Hollywood greats like Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
, Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
, Eva Gardner
Eva Gardner
Eva Gardner is an electric bassist from Los Angeles, California. She is a graduate of the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, where she studied under trumpet player Bobby Rodriguez. She holds a degree in ethnomusicology from UCLA . Her professional credits include teaching stints at...
and Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh, Lady Olivier was an English actress. She won the Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire , a role she also played on stage in London's West End, as well as for her portrayal of the southern belle Scarlett O'Hara, alongside Clark...
as a reference point to make his protagonist more rounded, complete and contemporary and had put together an acting workshop for his lead actor to get into the skin of the role. Bhandarkar later told in an interview that he has been subconsciously preparing for the movie ever since he joined the industry.
Casting
Bhandarker had approached Kareena KapoorKareena Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor , often informally referred to as Bebo, is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films. During her career, Kapoor has received six Filmfare Awards, among nine nominations, and has been noted for her performances in a range of film genres; these include her work from contemporary...
for his movie. Bhandarkar stated that Kapoor had been his first choice for his previous movies Page 3
Page 3 (film)
Page 3 is a 2005 Indian film directed by Madhur Bhandarkar about the Page 3 Culture and media in the city of Mumbai. It stars Konkona Sen Sharma, Atul Kulkarni, Sandhya Mridul, Tara Sharma, Anju Mahendru, and Boman Irani...
and Fashion
Fashion (film)
Fashion is a 2008 Indian film co-produced, co-written, and directed by Madhur Bhandarkar. The film has a massive star cast which includes Priyanka Chopra, Kangana Ranaut and newcomers Mugdha Godse and Arjan Bajwa. Based on the dark side of the world of fashion, the movie depicts it through the...
. Kapoor later opted out of the movie without giving any official reason. Various media speculations were made on the reason as to why Kareena refused to be part of the movie. Some reports suggested that due to lack of dates she had refused the movie. Another section reported that she was unhappy with the script which demanded her to share intimate screen space with five different men. A majority of the media speculated that the reason why Kareena did not accept the offer was because the story had uncanny resemblance to her personal life. The movie shows that the lead protagonist gets into a relationship with a married actor and a portion of the movie shows the actress’s relationship with the children of the actor from his first marriage. Though the director consistently persuaded Kareena to be a part of the movie, it was finally decided that the movie will not have Kareena Kapoor in the leading role.
Bhandarkar later officially declared that the film was shelved as Kareena Kapoor had decided not to do the movie. He said in various interviews that he was working on different scripts and would be making a male – oriented movie this time over. It was later being rumored that Katrina Kaif was approached for the movie which was denied outright by the actress. The co-producers of the film, UTV Motion Pictures, then approached Aishwarya to be a part of the film. The news got more attention when Siddharth Roy Kapoor, CEO of UTV Motion Pictures, started approaching Aishwarya for various script hearings. Finally, after many discussions between the producers, Bhandarkar and Aishwarya, it was announced both by the director and the actor separately that they are going to work on Heroine. Bhandarkar told that he had restructured the script keeping Aishwarya in mind. It is said that Aishwarya pushed the schedule of Satte Pe Satta remake to 2012 so that she could completely concentrate on this project. Arjun Rampal was the first actor to be signed opposite Aishwarya in Heroine. Sources confirmed the news saying that Bhandarkar was going to present Rampal in a never-before-seen manner. Rampal and Rai acted together in the 2003 movie Dil Ka Rishta
Dil Ka Rishta
Dil Ka Rishta is a Bollywood movie, directed by Naresh Malhotra and produced by Aditya Rai, Aishwarya Rai's brother; it was released on 17 January 2003 in India.-Plot:...
. A second lead actor is also being searched who will be apparently playing the central character's young love interest. Initial names suggested included Ranbir Kapoor
Ranbir Kapoor
Ranbir Kapoor is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood movies.Making his acting debut in the 2007 film Saawariya, for which he won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut, Kapoor went on to earn critical praise for his performance in Wake Up Sid...
, Imran Khan
Imran Khan
Imran Khan Niazi is a Pakistani politician and former Pakistani cricketer, playing international cricket for two decades in the late twentieth century. After retiring, he entered politics...
and Prateik Babbar. Another character of a yester-year actress based on the likes of famous actress Nadira
Nadira (actress)
-References:* Rediff.com* -External links:* . Audio podcast by Eric Molinsky discussing Nadira and other Jewish women in Indian cinema...
was also being talked about. The film was shelved after 10 days of shooting with Rai due to the sudden announcement of her pregnancy. As of now, Kareena Kapoor has been signed on as the leading actress, with Kapoor herself, confirming her presence in the film.
Styling
The styling of the key characters was done by ace fashion designer Manish MalhotraManish Malhotra
Manish Malhotra is considered to be India's leading and most successful fashion designer.Manish Malhotra has designed for many leading actresses in Bollywood. He is known for his different style and his ability to envision a 'look' for the character. He is known for designing the costumes for...
. He will be designing 130 costumes worth 1.2 crore for Kareena Kapoor.
Release of First Look
The first look of the movie was released as part of the 64th Cannes Film Festival2011 Cannes Film Festival
The 64th annual Cannes Film Festival was held from May 11 to May 22, 2011. American actor Robert De Niro served as the president of the jury for the main competition and French filmmaker Michel Gondry headed the jury for the short film competition...
. A promotional poster was released during a press conference in which Ronnie Screwvala of UTV Motion Pictures, Madhur Bhandarkar, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan officially announced the movie. The director said, "The movie is a glamorous yet bold story of the internal journey of a superstar. I am certain it will appeal to audiences across the globe and Aishwarya was a perfect choice for the role. In fact, no one could’ve essayed it better." Screwvala stated “With Heroine, we plan to take things to the next level. When you watch the film, you will feel that the role was written with someone as talented and stunning as Aishwarya in mind.” The actress too admitted that she was "looking forward to this new journey in the movie.” It was also announced that Aishwarya will be have a wardrobe of more than 40 outfits designed by Manish Malhotra in the film. Explaining why he was launching the project in Cannes, Screwvala alluded to Rai's star power saying, "She is the brand ambassador for India and for Indian cinema when it comes to the French Riviera." The actress was quick to deny any reference to her personal life being portrayed in the movie and said that the entire idea was a result of Bhandarkar's conceptualization. The Official Press Release distributed as a part of the announcement stated that "The film is based on the life and times of a superstar heroine, Mahi from the dream factory we call 'Bollywood'. The film is a daring, shocking, glamorous, scandalous behind-the-scenes account of the reality behind the world of glitz and glamour that our film stars inhabit. For a country obsessed with films and film stars, Heroine will take audiences on a voyeuristic journey to see what really goes on in the lives of India's sweethearts."
Soundtrack
It was announced that music director duo Salim-SulaimanSalim-Sulaiman
Salim Merchant And Sulaiman Merchant are a musical duo of brothers, born and brought up in Bhuj, Kutch, India. They belong to Ismaili Muslim family and are inspired by their father Sadruddin Merchant, who used to lead Ismaili Scouts Orchestra in India..Steeped in a family tradition of music as the...
, who had earlier worked with Madhur Bhandarkar in his critically acclaimed movie Fashion
Fashion (film)
Fashion is a 2008 Indian film co-produced, co-written, and directed by Madhur Bhandarkar. The film has a massive star cast which includes Priyanka Chopra, Kangana Ranaut and newcomers Mugdha Godse and Arjan Bajwa. Based on the dark side of the world of fashion, the movie depicts it through the...
, will be composing the songs for Heroine.