Heroine is a montage of flying-off-the-handle sequences with some clichés thrown in intermittently for relief. Kareena Kapoor sails through the unwieldy character emoting helplessly. Madhur Bhandarkar for some reason just doesn't have his craft under control.

I met Kareena Kapoor and Madhur Bhandarkar briefly one week before Heroine released at an event in Mumbai. Yes, she is pretty in person! I managed to steal some 15 minutes from each to talk about the impending release. Their demeanour suggested a not-so-subtle confidence. It felt as if they had a secret in their bosoms. A secret that they had made a film which will raise the bar.

I watched the film - first day, last show. And every 10 minutes I shifted in my seat out of frustration. And I'm very sure it wasn't Kareena Kapoor. She is just so gorgeous and Manish Malhotra-styled trappings make for super viewing. But truth is she cried enough for all the heroines put together in the industry.

It isn't even the unreal realism that made me listless. You walk in to Madhur Bhandarkar cinemascope expecting that. It's the disjointedness of the canvas which is so unnerving. The story line is screaming 'rework required'. The dialogues are banal platitudes and situations mere set pieces. Everything is just so unbelievably artificial. There's neither a heart-rending tale of Chandni Bar nor a poignant one of Page 3.

Not one reviewer was convinced with the portrayal of show business. And I doubt that it can be vested interests because then everybody is a stock Madhur Bhandarkar character in real world too - no greys! 

Heroine gets reduced to a farce, a bathos. But I still feel Kareena Kapoor is the only reason I did not boo out loud because the lady managed to convince me that she is a profound actor and just made a wrong choice by signing this one.

In my opinion it's Madhur Bhandarkar who has lost a bit of his sheen. And when he strikes back he'd need a real story and better research. What is your opinion? Take the poll and tell us.