For her next feature , Kapoor was cast as the protagonist of Madhur Bhandarkar 's '' Heroine '' , a drama revolving around the Bollywood film industry . Originally the first choice for the role , Kapoor was hesitant to take on the project when Bhandarkar approached her with the film 's initial concept . With reservations about the criticism her character might evoke , she was replaced by Aishwarya Rai . Days after production began , Rai left the film ( due to her pregnancy ) and Bhandarkar re-approached Kapoor with the film . When the director reinforced his faith in her , she agreed to do the film after having read the completed script . Kapoor ( who described her character of Mahi Arora — a fading star — as " bipolar and schizophrenic " ) refrained from taking on any other projects , since she found '' Heroine '' " very aggressive and tiring " . Reviewers found the film to be " drably monotonous " , but noted that it was watchable primarily due to Kapoor 's performance . Rajeev Masand described it as " a deliciously camp performance , " played " with utmost sincerity " . Bollywood Hungama opined that it was her best work to date and concluded that " t hough her character is inconsistent ... Kareena furnishes the heroine 's character with a rare vulnerability and an exceptional inner life . " At the annual Stardust Awards , Kapoor garnered the Editor 's Choice for Best Actress , and received additional nominations at Filmfare , IIFA , Producers Guild , Screen and Stardust
Filmfare
58th Filmfare Awards
Kareena Kapoor