“Not many would have been courageous to pick Heroine” – Kareena Kapoor

By Bollywood Hungama News Network -

September 13, 2012 - 5:20 AM IST

Early this year, Indian cinema turned 100 years. Also, Kapoors have been widely acknowledged as the First Family of Indian cinema, what with the fourth generation being represented by Kareena Kapoor. With a film being made on the life and time of an actress, Heroine, there are all the right reasons to believe that perhaps it was just a poetic justice that Kareena played the part of the central protagonist in a film that arrives on completion of a century for filmmaking.

“Not many would have been courageous to pick Heroine” – Kareena Kapoor

"Well honestly I didn't even think that way and also, you can't plan such things either", smiles Kareena, "What I can say is that yes, from the very childhood I always wanted to be a heroine. Also, I am happy about the fact that Heroine has turned out to be my bravest role. See, at this stage of my career, not many actresses would want to play the role of a declining superstar. Typically you see films where a star's journey is shown from rise to fall and then rise. In Heroine that's not the case as from the very first frame you can see that this superstar is declining."

What prompted Kareena to accept the part was the fact that not just did she manage to connect with the character of Mahi Arora, she also felt that this was a challenge worth taking.

"I always take challenges when it comes to performance oriented roles and Heroine isn't something that I could have missed. Also, remember that I played a prostitute in Chameli at the age of 22 when many people around me said that it was a wrong move and since I was way too young to pick up such a part, I shouldn't do it. Still, I was convinced to play the part so I did it. Similarly when not many would have been courageous enough to pick up the part of Heroine, I have went ahead and done that. The character is such that you feel connected to it and really feel bad about what she is going through", she details.

It is a different matter though that at one point in time the role could well have been played by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The episode is well known that director Madhur Bhandarkar had first offered the film to Kareena and when things couldn't work out due to date issues, he had taken the film to Aishwarya. Later when Aishwarya got pregnant, it was time for Kareena to return to the film with her date diary being sorted as well.

"As I have always maintained, it was destiny coming into play. Moreover, every film comes with a 'kundli' of its own", she smiles, "I feel whatever happens, it is ultimately for the best."

Watch Promo: Heroine