Unsteady Kareena drops plum projects

While reams were written about Deepika Padukone walking out of Abbas Mustan's Race 2, a similar story has been unfolding elsewhere, though no one is really talking about it, yet.

As insiders will tell you, if there is one actress who is known to change her mind as frequently as she changes her outfits, it is Kareena Kapoor. And her latest decision to walk out from Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film opposite Ranveer Singh marks the ninth time the popular and arguably the most highly-paid actress has deserted a project after agreeing to do it.

Here's how it adds up: Kareena was onboard Rohit Shetty's Chennai Express, which now stars Deepika Padukone. She initially agreed to Ekta Kapoor-Karan Johar's joint venture, which is now with Deepika; Kareena also walked out of Ekta Kapoor's Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai 2, which now stars Sonakshi. And these are just some of the recent examples.

So what exactly is going with the actress who easily commands a premium and yet seems to be unsure of her career choices? As things stand, Heroine winds up in September. And she is done with her bit in Talaash. And though, she has been one of the most in-demand stars in the business, Kareena has no project on her hand after that. Unless one considers Prakash Jha's Rajneeti sequel, which may star her opposite Ajay Devgn.

TOI has it from a source who has watched the star closely over the years that she wants to keep her options open. "She wants to straddle both the boats - personal and professional. She likes to say 'yes' to a project and then bides her time, to see how it shapes up. If it is not to her liking, she eventually turns it down. This way she can also give priority to her personal life and the long-due wedding".

This way, say industry insiders, the actress ensures that whoever steps in after her, is branded the 'second choice.' The recent volte face on the Bhansali film however has not gone down too well with a large section of the industry. And a friend of Kareena put up a strong defence, "Kareena decided not to do Bhansali's film simply because she couldn't adjust to his style of functioning. She felt that she may not have a very pleasant time during the making. Besides he wanted bulk dates of more than 100 days. That was impossible."

While her impending marriage has been cited as a reason for her turning down a few films, she is also acutely aware of competition and her need to retain her grip on the numbers. And her refusal to topline projects featuring not-so-successful colleagues is part of her strategy say insiders.

"Bebo is very particular about the star cast of her projects and her list of dos and don'ts . Remember how she got a certain lesser-known actor replaced in Heroine? Also, she had turned down Once Upon a Time's sequel because she did not want to do that Mandakni scene under the waterfall," points out a source.

Leading distributor and exhibitor Shyam Shroff gives Kareena the benefit of doubt: "If you commit to a project, you should not dishonour it. But I guess Kareena has her reasons. As long as one backs out from a film before it goes on floors, I guess it's okay." Trade experts Amod Mehra and Taran Adarsh too stand up for her saying she has been plagued with date hassles. "Wasn't Bhansali's film postponed due to Ranveer's back injury?" reasoned Adarsh.

A senior distributor however blames lack of professional guidance for Kareena's apparent inability to take a decision and stick to it, "It is strongly felt in the industry that she needs a guide who is working actively in the industry. She is at par with Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan. While Aamir consults Vidhu Vinod Chopra on most issues, Karan Johar is always there for Shah Rukh. Mind you, Vidhu and Karan have no vested interests. Kareena need someone like these veterans to help her take the right call."