Bollywood director Anurag Basu talks to Supriya Davda about his upcoming movie Kites, starring Hrithik Roshan, Barbara and Kanaga Ranaut
BY SUPRIYA DAVDA | APR 28, 2010
‘Kites’ has been produced by Hrithik’s filmmaker-father Rakesh Roshan and will be distributed and marketed by Reliance BIG Pictures. The English version, shorter by half-an-hour than the two-hour long Hindi one, has been presented and reworked by Hollywood director Brett Ratner.
In the harsh terrain of the Mexican desert, a mortally wounded man is left to die in the heat of the desert sun. This is Jai. Once a street smart, carefree young guy. Now, a wanted man. As death looms, the only thing that keeps him alive is the quest to find the love of his life, Natasha. A woman betrothed to another man. Jai and Natasha will fall in love despite language and cultural barriers, and embark on an action-packed adventure of love, dance and danger across Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Mexico- an adventure that could kill them both, or bring them together forever.
I started of by asking him about the recent controversy relating to the leak of the climax of ‘Kites’. The filmmaker begins with how truly offended and disturbed he was by this news, and further added that parts of the media are highly irresponsible and unethical despite that's not how the film ends.
"The climax that got leaked was thankfully wrong" Basu commented, reacting to reports that lead actor Hrithik Roshan and Mexican actress Barbara Mori, who play lovers in the movie, die in the end. "That is not the climax of the film, but it clearly offended me because many sections of the audience would believe it to be the actual end" he told me over the phone from Mumbai.
"See the audiences will go inside the hall with that perception which is very disturbing. It is very unethical. A film has growth only till the climax and if the audience has any perception about the same, there is no fun watching it then. It is really disturbing". he added.
Did you feel as though someone is trying to sabotage your film, even before its release? [Laughs] "I really don’t know. I just don’t want the audiences to go to the cinema hall with a preconceived notion about the climax when it’s utter nonsense".
I then go on to ask why actress Kangana Ranaut has been sidelined from the promotions of the movie. "She has not been sidelined from the promotions. We don’t want to include Kangana very much in the promotions and give a wrong perception of the film".
"If we include more of Kangana in the promotion, it will give the perception of a love triangle between Kangana, Hrithik and Barbara, which it is not. It’s a love story between Barbara and Hrithik. She has a special appearance in the film, although a special appearance it is a pivotal part" he explained.
The film carries several expectations even before the release of the film, and is said to be possibly one of the biggest hit of this year, "I feel happy, but nervous at the same time. We’ve all done such an honest job; I hope the film works".
Earlier, it was reported that Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Mori, had a passionate kissing scene in the film, which had the power to set the screen on fire. Besides, there were other intimate scenes between Hrithik and Barbara in the film too. Even Anurag’s previous films 'Murder' and 'Life..In A Metro' had some steamy scenes, ask him whether sex sells in Bollywood, "It's really no big deal, I think it's now part of our cinema. Five to six years ago it was most definitely frowned upon, but if it’s a part of the story then why not?"
When asking the director as to why audiences should see the film, he jumps to answer, "'Kites' is a cross-cultural film, a story that would attract audiences globally. It is very difficult to satisfy the masses. Nonetheless the film has international appeal and that would be the USP of the film."
Basu’s future projects include a romantic movie with Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra tentatively titled 'Silence’.
