For Bhandarkar, 'Heroine' verdict's phenomenal

Madhur Bhandarkar faced many hurdles while making "Heroine" -- the filmmaker is now delighted to see the response and has expressed gratitude to the people who supported him all through.

"After 72 days of extensive shooting and great team work, I am a happy man with the response 'Heroine' has got. So to begin with, I am thankful to all of you, my audience, for whom I make my film. It's not an easy task to make a film that is about your own industry and yet I am glad that everything fell in place," Bhandarkar wrote on his blog madhurbhandarkar.net.

Made at a budget of Rs.21 crore and "released at the cost of Rs.32 crore with print and publicity", the Kareena Kapoor-starrer garnered a net collection of nearly Rs.53.50 crore worldwide by the second week, he wrote.

Bhandarkar feels it is "a phenomenal verdict for a heroine-oriented film".

Bhandarkar had at first announced "Heroine" with Aishwarya Rai, but the film got into trouble after it was announced that the actress opted out of it due to her pregnancy.

Then Kareena came on board. "Heroine" chronicles behind-the-scenes aspects of a superstar actress's life.

It released Sep 21.

"'Heroine' would not have been an experience to cherish and a success to enjoy if not for my entire team. May it be Kareena, Arjun Rampal, Randeep Hooda, Divya Dutta, Shahana Goswami, my team of writers, technicians, direction, production, marketing team and PR team. Beliefs strengthened with the support of Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur," said Bhandarkar.

The filmmaker, known for making films like "Chandni Bar", "Traffic Signal" and "Fashion", has often invited criticism for unravelling the dark secrets.

But he said: "For me, what matters is my honesty in my narrative."

"I have always respected the criticism but have stood strong by my convictions. Otherwise the journey from 'Chandni Bar' to 'Heroine' would have been an impossible one to take," he added.