When I watched Heroine, I came back unimpressed- with the movie, most of its elements, and Kareena Kapoor’s wardrobe.
Kareena looks gorgeous for sure, and she has a powerful role as Mahi Arora the superstar, but her on-screen wardrobe is nothing to write home about. Manish Malhotra and his team have kept her wardrobe updated with some trends, but they mostly lack a punch. Most of the outfits fail to make an impression, while most are repetitive.
For instance, while depicting Mahi’s shoots, we usually see her dancing in heavily sequined dresses (like all Bollywood songs are like that!), though at a couple of film shoots she is dressed in ethnic clothes.
Mahi- not a style icon
A superstar in today’s times is not just an actor, but also a fashion icon and trendsetter, much like Kareena herself. She is known for making saris on the red carpet glamourous, staying covered up and feminine (she rarely sports cleavage or super short hemlines). She carefully steers clear trends like bodycon dresses (though she has a lovely figure), and likes to have fun once in a while with prints and silhouettes.
Mahi, on the other hand, makes no style statements, though she does dress well and looks gorgeous almost all the time. Mahi’s off-screen avatar is a tad more interesting, like the blazer she wears to a store opening in Delhi and the long kurta-churidar at a wedding (obviously designed by Manish Malhotra). And the resort look for the yacht getaway with hottie Randeep Hooda.
Mahi’s at-home clothes are a tad more interesting, like the black top with shoulder holes paired with dark green skinny jeans, and the printed long top she wears as a dress.
Fashion repetition
A word on red carpet dressing- while Kareena looks stunning in the red gown and statement neckpiece at her movie premier, the look reminded me of the auction scene from Agent Vinod- from the silhouette to choice of accessory. Oh, and the semi-sheer Halkat Jawaani blouse reminded me of the red blouse Kareena wore in Chammak Challo (Ra.One).
A word on Kareena Kapoor’s makeup
The winner in the movie is Kareena Kapoor’s makeup (done by Mickey Contractor). Not only does the actor look gorgeous in every scene, the no-makeup looks are almost realistic. You can see her under eye dark circles when she is home, and her chapped lips when she shuts herself at home for several days.