Kareena Kapoor’s Heroine is regarded as one of her best works for the depth and rawness that she brought to the role. The film was a Madhur Bhandarkar directorial and became the talk of the town due to its
undertones and jibes at the Hindi film industry. However, the film was first supposed to be made with Aishwarya Rai, but the actress was replaced after she announced her pregnancy in 2011.
However, the controversy intensified when Madhur Bhandarkar said that the actress had hidden her pregnancy. In a resurfaced chat with the Hindustan Times (2012), Kareena Kapoor was asked if she felt bad about replacing the pregnant actress. She said, “It is a personal thing between Madhur and Aishwarya, and I am nobody to comment on it because I was not associated with the film at that point.”
She said, “I am sure she would have done the film differently. In fact, I have always believed that she is the most beautiful woman in the film industry, and she is extremely talented and an icon to many, so I’m sure she would have portrayed the role brilliantly.”
Kareena mentioned that she didn’t feel any pressure about replacing Aishwarya. “It just so happened that our destinies crossed, and obviously, the way she would have done it is different from how I did it. We have our own individual style; we are two completely different actresses. She is also a diva… and Heroine too talks about the life of a diva, so I am glad that Madhur selected me to do this film,” she said.
Aishwarya Rai being replaced in the film due to her pregnancy caused quite a stir. However, in 2011, Madhur Bhandarkar claimed that the actress had hidden her pregnancy from him, creating complications with the shoot. “The entire event would not have taken place if, at the onset, the actress had informed the state of her health and impending maternity,” the filmmaker said, as quoted by India Today.
He added, “The truth was hidden from us. We learnt about the entire thing from news channels like the rest of the world, which said the actress was four months pregnant and she was due in November.”
The film was announced in Cannes on May 13, while we commenced shooting on June 7. There was a gap of 24 days, even if we had known the truth behind the maternal state of the actress… Things could have been reworked, keeping the state of matters in mind accordingly, and this crisis could have been averted,” Bhandarkar said.
Although Kareena’s performance was lauded in the film, it failed to achieve box office success. Despite significant hype generated by the Aishwarya controversy, the film failed to perform well at the Indian box office. Today, it is counted among Kareena Kapoor’s finest works, but it didn’t get its due when it was first released and became a flop.
