Kareena Kapoor is 'cut' to size zero for ‘Heroine’

A few days old and the posters of ‘Heroine’ are already embroiled in controversy, just like the lead character in the Bollywood film, which is slated for a September 20 release across UAE cinemas.

Kareena Kapoor, according to many ardent fans, simply ‘sizzles’ in the two posters of ‘Heroine’ that director Madhur Bhandarkar tweeted out two days.

But another 24 hours was all it took for one of the two posters to be labeled a rip-off, while the second causing outrage amongst many feminists over the objectification of a woman’s body.

The first poster, with a bronze overlay, sees Kapoor lounging on a bed, with her head tilted backwards to face the camera and her legs resting against the headboard.

For those who wondered where they may have seen this exact setup need not look further than Grammy winner and new American Idol judge, Mariah Carey, who struck the exact same pose for her album, ‘The Emancipation of Mimi’.

Even the headboard is exactly the same, with Carey’s silver drape being transformed into a gold, thigh-skimming jumpsuit for Kapoor.

“They say imitation is the best form of flattery, but to rip-off someone’s else’s creativity is downright cheap and shows that the designer doesn’t have a shred of originality within him or her,” said Dubai-based advertising executive, Aradhana Modi.

Nip and tuck

And if the plagiarism charge isn’t enough, the second poster depicts what appears to be a photoshopped version of Kapoor, with inches sliced off her midriff to cut her down to size zero.

The still from the film’s item song, ‘Halkat Jawani’, sees Kapoor dressed in a short black blouse and a fusion hot pink sari.

However, when the image from the songs other stills are compared to the one on the poster, a noticeable change in the waistline is visible.

Said Bharti M on Twitter: “What sort of image are you trying to portray by so obviously photoshopping Kareena’s waist for a movie poster?

“Wasn’t there enough flak dished out at the time when she had in fact turned into a size zero? You have to repeat the process?”

Bharti is not alone in her outrage, with Dubai’s Malini Kohli, a homemaker, saying: “I don’t get what is Bollywood’s fixation with the 24-inch waist. To so obviously cut down Kareena’s waist to make her look slimmer than her actual size is derogatory for women in general.

Whatever happened to being healthy and fit?

“But we are talking about the same country that lynched Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for not losing her post pregnancy fat fast enough.”

Shobha K took to Twitter to lambast Kapoor herself, tweeting: “Kareena herself went to town denouncing her size zero frame, saying she’s now a healthy size six and proud of it.

“Clearly, those quotes are for the media, while the photoshopped posters are for her Bollywood counterparts in ‘The Dirty Picture’ and ‘Rowdy Rathore’.”

Sharjah-based Raashi Bajaj added: “Madhur Bhandarkar has carved a niche for himself for making films that depict the dark, but truthful underbelly of the corporate and glamour world.

“Plagiarism and photoshopping the lead actress’ waistline simply lives up to that media image.”

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