An hour and a half after the scheduled time and plenty of apology later, when the mesmerising Kareena Kapoor and director Madhur Bhandarkar entered the venue in order to address the media, the ambience was not exactly – what one would call – comfortable. However, once the questions began being thrown at the director-heroine duo left, right and centre, the two dealt with them in an extraordinarily calm and composed manner. Madhur Bhandarkar and Kareena Kapoor were in the capital for promotion of the former’s magnum opus and the latter’s most challenging work till date – ‘Heroine’.

When the ‘Jab We Met’ star was asked about the success of ‘Barfi!’ and her cousin Ranbir Kapoor’s spectacular performance in the film, the actress responded by saying that it was a very lucky moment for the Kapoor family. However, the actress candidly admitted that she hasn’t yet been able to watch her cousin’s ‘Barfi!’.

“The Kapoor family has always been accepted warmly, be it in the field of direction, production or acting. Ranbir was seen in a different role in ‘Barfi!’, and I’m extremely happy that the audience liked him. I have worked with all my mind and heart as far as acting is concerned. But with ‘Heroine’, I’ve tried to break away from the mould of the bubbly characters that people have seen me performing in ‘Jab We Met’ and ‘3 Idiots’. This is perhaps the first time I’m trying to essay a different kind of person on screen. I hope you’ll all like it,” says Kapoor.

Apart from Kareena Kapoor, who is the lead protagonist of ‘Heroine’, Arjun Rampal and Randeep Hooda are the actors who will be seen in pivotal roles. However, the ‘heroes’ of the film have been conspicuous by their absence from conferences and promotional events. “From the beginning to the end, the film focuses on Kareena; it is the story of Mahi Arora. The two actors in the film, Arjun Rampal and Randeep Hooda have both delivered brilliant performances. The two actors are the surprise elements of the film. When you watch ‘Heroine’, you will realise that,” says Bhandarkar about his male actors.

When asked about her expectations from the “most challenging” film of her life, Kapoor says, “My sister (Karisma Kapoor) has already seen the film. She is my biggest critic, and she couldn’t stop crying for ten minutes after watching the film. For me, that was the most special moment of my life. Her reaction to ‘Heroine’ was a huge achievement for me; and the rest of it lies on all of you, on the audience, and God.”

Kareena Kapoor doesn’t hold herself back in expressing her emotions for her contemporary actresses. Says the ‘heroine’, “I absolutely loved Priyanka Chopra in ‘Fashion’ and I loved Vidya Balan in ‘The Dirty Picture’,” despite speculations of rivalry between her and Priyanka.

In the trailers of ‘Heroine’, time and again Mahi Arora (Kareena’s character) is seen slamming the media about concocting stories about the lives of heroines. On asking her whether or not she is similar to her character, the actress dismisses it with a laugh. “I’m not like that at all. I’m pretty balanced, very calm and composed in real life and publicly. In the film, Mahi has been instigated by the media, and is going through a difficult phase of her life. When you see the film, you’d understand and sympathise with her.”

From ‘Refugee’ to ‘Heroine’, Kareena’s journey has been one which has seen more troughs than crests probably. And with the gigantic canvas of ‘Heroine’, the actress will perhaps be able to redefine herself and her talent in acting, feels director Madhur Bhandarkar. ‘Heroine’ hits the theatres on September 21, on Kareena’s birthday, and the actress and director are both hopeful that the film will be successful. Here’s hoping the same!