Kites (*ing Hrithik Roshan, Kangana Ranaut, Director: Anurag Basu)

[leaf]

Kites doesn't just want a distributor, which it has already, Big Entertainment (Reliance). It wants a Hollywood distributor like Warners Bros, Universal, etc. because Rakesh Roshan feels that his boy is entitled to stardom in America and all the places Hollywood has a bigger market in.

This is how I think Rakesh Roshan's brain works. Pappa looks at his fair-skinned, light-eyed son and thinks, "How can they resist that? How dare they say no to my son who makes the gods jealous with his beauty?" However awful the script might be (which he doesn't even seem to notice), why should it matter? The mere presence of his beautiful son and some CGI should be enough for us mere mortals.

Hopeful in Hollywood 
By Kunal M Shah 

Rakesh Roshan is in a fix — his plans to take Kites to an international platform just don’t seem to be materialising. International buyers at Cannes practically cold-shouldered his film and now he is going to try his luck with Hollywood himself. He has taken it upon himself to get the best deals possible and has marked 20 days out of his schedule solely for this purpose.

Starring Hrithik Roshan, Kangana Ranaut and Mexican actress Barbara Mori, Kites, is being taken to all the major Hollywood studios next month.

Our source said, “Rakesh Roshan wants Kites to be an international hit which will also launch his son Hrithik overseas. That’s why the film has been made in English as well. Roshan feels that the film is apt for an international market and Hrithik will also be launched abroad in a big way. Hoping to garner a major tie-up, Rakesh Roshan is going to market the film himself over 20 days and try to convince major Hollywood studios."

Another source said, “Basically, Cannes Film Festival does not have a big market for Indian films. Italian, Korean and French films have a major market there. So, Kites also did not have big buyers. They had hoped to recover a  large amount of money from Cannes, but that did not work out. The film has been sold at a huge price to Reliance and now they need to recover their money from these studios. Reliance and Rakesh Roshan had meetings with quite a few people from major studios at the festival and talks are still going on.”

Reliance refused to talk about the issue and Rakesh Roshan remained unavailable for comment.
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/30/2009070720090707023740808b2ddcdfe/Hopeful-in-Hollywood-.html

There's being blind to the flaws of the things you produce (children and films) and then there's Rakesh Roshan. If he thinks Hrithik is so special, he really should watch some American soap opera where there are a hundreds of actors who look like his son. Thanks for the lulz anyway, Roshans.

Btw, I wouldn't even have bothered writing these things, which I've felt for a very long time, if they had managed to have some humility about their film and not been such hypocrites. So, please, nobody try to jump down my throat for being honest about how I see them. I'm really happy for you if you like the Roshans' films. I just think Hrithik can do so much better than his dad's films if only he could grow a spine to say no to Pappa and think for himself.

[LinKarish]

 
 
 
   

If they hadn't gone about with their high and mighty crap, when there are plenty of Indian films, Hindi films and even ones that fall into the Bollywood category that are much more superior products than any of the films they've been part of, and going around touting what looks like to be a crappy remake of a Woody Allen film as the next big milestone of Indian, Hindi and Bollywood Cinema, then I wouldn't be enjoying this

But they did, and I am.

[krissh]

... I'm really happy for you if you like the Roshans' films. I just think Hrithik can do so much better than his dad's films if only he could grow a spine to say no to Pappa and think for himself.

That is EXACTLY my feeling! I have read a few items regarding the film opportunities that he has turned down: Rang De Basanti, and I believe Swades was also offered to him, but don't quote me on that. Considering how strong and important familial loyalty is to Indians, I suppose it isn't surprising that he feels obligated to his father for all of his support. Perhaps, he believes in his father's vision of turning Indian Cinema into a more mainstream phenomenon, the way Hong Kong Cinema has become.

I see huge potential in Hrithik, and from his public comments, it seems as though he really wants to stretch his wings and delve into more potent stuff. Actually, it would be interesting to see him play a role such as Shankar in "Sarkar" and "Sarkar Raj" which were fantastic. It will be interesting to see how the success or failure of Kites affects his business relationship with his father.

[bollyking]

BW people also need to realize that for the most part the HW is not the same kind of corrupt fraternity where no matter how bad your movie is or how bad the acting the critics will spare you and say, 'oh but the performance was good,' because they know the actor can get them fired from their job with one phone call.

Be careful what you wish for roshans--just because you 'win' filmfare awards doesnt mean that the movies you've done or the acting jobs are up to international standards. maybe a dose of humility is what's needed.

[jlhs]

This? Makes me laugh and laugh. Not that I'd wish bad things toward Hrithik, but it was SO irritating to read those reviews where he dismissed the standards of the industry that got him to the level of stardom he enjoys as "obsolete." I sincerely hope that he moves away from the family line after this.

And leaf, I agree with you: Hrithik's looks are unique in India's entertainment circles, not in Hollywood. Actors that look like him are a dime a dozen over on this side of the Pacific. In fact, he bears a strong resemblance to a friend who was told by his agent (after trying to break into the industry for ten years): "Look, you've got the talent, but if they're going to cast a guy like you they're going to take him from a pool of hundreds. Go be a lawyer." So he did. LOL

I wouldn't be surprised if the English-language Kites had a straight-to-DVD release, if any, over here. Maybe it'll be a bonus feature on the Hindi DVD. 

[krissh]

I don't think it's possible to compare Bollywood with Hollywood, just as it isn't possible to compare Chinese cinema with Hollywood. They are polar opposites, which is why I loved Chinese cinema so much, and why I love Bollywood now.

I have so much to learn about Bollywood and Indian Cinema, so I wouldn't even attempt to debate the validity of the arguments presented here. I am wondering though, is it the Roshan family that you despise, or the movie? If this movie is an experiment, then shouldn't the opinions be based upon the responses (yours and others) to the movie after actually seeing it? Whether it is based upon a Woody Allen film (who I despise eternally), or just borrows elements of his style, isn't that par for the course with all movies, regardless of origin? Hollywood has become notorious for churning out the same crap, remaking remakes of remakes, and "borrowing" ideas from movies from other cultures, for years.

Whether Hrithik's looks are a dime a dozen in Hollywood, he has a charismatic style and intensity that allows for subtlety and nuance. I have no idea whether he is provided a platform, in Kites, from which to showcase his ability, but I don't care who his daddy is or what ambitions he has for his son.

So to sum up: Why are the ambitions of the Roshan family unacceptable? Why is attempting to create a multi-cultural cross-over film, that appeals to more than one audience, so wrong?

From the systemic corruption and forced mafia involvement in the Indian film industry, it sounds as though it is dog-eat-dog, sink-or-swim, and survival of the fittest to attain any level of profit or success. Whether it is ethical and just, is irrelevant ; what line has the Roshan family cross that the other film dynasties haven't?

I am not trying to be snide, I really do want to understand why this movie invites such intense ire.

[jlhs]

I personally don't object to trying to make a crossover film. The film that brought me into Bollywood is a crossover, or at least an international co-production.

What I object to is the dismissive tone Hrithik used toward song-and-dance stuff while promoting Kites, calling it "obsolete." I wholeheartedly object to putting down the industry that got him his starchild status--which was his key to breaking into that same industry. Well, here's the whole quote: "There is no Bollywood song-and-dance. There is dance, but it is realistic, not Bollywood style. In Bollywood, if an actor has to sing, there is playback, and there are dances out of nowhere and that's obsolete now. This is a film for a world platform."

Except, that it's not, because the global audience that likes Hrithik now, likes him in films with that obsolete playback and dances out of nowhere stuff. Look at the top Hindi movies from last year, and almost all of them had that same song and dance, except Jodhaa Akbar which to be fair was Hrithik's big release. And the world distributors who have never heard of Hrithik before are apparently seeing nothing special about this film made "for a world platform." What I mean to say is, sure he looks awesome, but there's nothing in this movie that makes him stand out from the crowd, apparently. Now, I could be wrong, and they could sign a distribution deal with Disney, and suddenly he'll be flipping everywhere selling L'Oreal hair products for men while looking gorgeous. That doesn't mean I'll be rooting for Kites to succeed, though, because it'll just give certain people more opportunities to publicly disrespect a movie industry that brought them their current wealth and security.

[bollyking]

I dont want to digress too much from the film but the thing with crossover movies is that they only really work when they're made for an indian audience but somehow have good enough production values, storyline, acting, that it can appeal to a wider audience. Trying to make a BW movie for a foreign audience doesnt really work (think B&B) because it ends up having the silliness of a BW movie but takes itself too seriously, and in the end what happens is that it just looks like a HW movie with a silly storyline and mediocre acting.

I wont judge the film until i see it but anyone who thinks that they can 'launch' an international career they way fathers 'launch' their sons in BW is sure to be disappointed. Aish tried 'launching' herself multiple times it didnt work.

[newbiefan]

This is how I think Rakesh Roshan's brain works. Pappa looks at his fair-skinned, light-eyed son and thinks, "How can they resist that? How dare they say no to my son who makes the gods jealous with his beauty?" However awful the script might be (which he doesn't even seem to notice), why should it matter? The mere presence of his beautiful son and some CGI should be enough for us mere mortals.

While I think Rakesh Roshan makes awful films, I don't see how you can arrive at this conclusion about Roshan Sr. thinking his "fair-skinned, light-eyed" son is entitled to international stardom. I admit that I am a newbie, so I am not aware of any comments he might have made in the distant past that support such a conclusion, but in the past several months while controversy has swirled around Kites, I haven't seen anything from him that suggests that he thinks Hrithik's looks make him more palatable to the west. For instance, he refused to be drawn into making comments about Hrithik's supposed resemblance to Jesus Christ. I merely see him as an indulgent father who wants bigger and better things for his son. Now, whether becoming a Hollywood star is better than being a Bollywood star is debatable, but do you suppose if Hrithik was a few shades darker and had brown eyes, Roshan Sr. would not attempt to launch him in the west?

 

There's being blind to the flaws of the things you produce (children and films) and then there's Rakesh Roshan. If he thinks Hrithik is so special, he really should watch some American soap opera where there are a hundreds of actors who look like his son. Thanks for the lulz anyway, Roshans.

Is Hrithik's appeal solely based on his "white" looks? I find him mesmerising on screen. He has amazing eyes. Judging by his fanbase (or lack thereof) on this board, it seems not too many others feel the same way about him, but perhaps the "international" audience might feel differently.
As I see it, a lot of desi folks are trying to reach out to non desi audiences these days, be it the big release of CC2C, or Ash doing the occasional hollywood flick, or the quieter approach of someone like Irrfan Khan doing supporting roles without much fanfare. The Roshans are trying to get in on the action, but instead of Hrithik doing bit parts in Hollywood productions, they have taken the riskier route of making a film that they feel can find an audience in the west. If their gamble succeeds, they are visionaries, if it fails, they are fools. They are talking up their movie, which is natural. The only truly offensive comments I have seen are from Hrithik himself, none from Roshan Sr.

[LinKarish]

"There is no Bollywood song-and-dance. There is dance, but it is realistic, not Bollywood style. In Bollywood, if an actor has to sing, there is playback, and there are dances out of nowhere and that's obsolete now. This is a film for a world platform."

There are a whole lot of problems with this quote alone.  Like jihs, pointed out, the "dances out of nowhere" are not obsolete.  But adding to that. Now, it is one thing to complain about bad song placement, but imo, musicals with dances out of nowhere, plenty of them make complete sense and gels together very well in terms of a musical.  There are others, where the song placement and songs are ridiculous, but then there are the good ones.  It's just like any other industry with good and bad films.

Western Musicals, even the big ones post 2000, many of them have "dances out of nowhere" as well.  And because they are musicals, they work (for the good ones.)

This quote also implies that all Bollywood films have "dances out of nowhere." This is not true. From the beginning of Hindi films, to modern day Bollywood, there are still films that follow the playback, song format but don't have any "dances out of nowhere."

Playback.  He seems to be sort of dissing it, imo.   It's something that has evolved to give prominent, great voices to these films.  I mean, would you rather have Pierce Brosnan singing, or have a completely believable replacement of Udit Narayan for Aamir in Lagaan?  Yes, it's one thing for it to be realistic in some aspects.  And there are plenty of ones that don't match.  But aren't Western musical films, aren't their tracks pre-recorded as well?  The difference is that many times, it's the actors themselves singing, but still it's not raw singing.  

Then, the fact that his film is apparently for a "world platform."  How exactly?  So he's saying all the other Bollywood films aren't good enough to be on a world platform?  Yes, I know in his defense it can be argued that he is saying that he is marketing it to a world platform instead of Indians.  That that's what this film was made for from the beginning--with that in mind.  But the fact that he made so many disses before it, it implies that none of the other Bollywood films that have his previously listed critieria are not for the "world platform."  First of all, what is this "world platform?"

And all of my feelings on this are shaped by his other comments.  His lumping together all of India's films to....whatever the hell he thinks Indian films are.  Saying how he and his father are making some serious, films and how India hasn't and doesn't.  All kinds of freaking bullshit.  I would quote but am not even going to watch and listen to his poor, wounded artiste tone that he has during that interview.  

So he and his father have been making films with great, serious characterizations, delving deep into the psyche of their characters while get this.....India has never done such films before.  Let's for the sake of arguement say that Roshans' films are just what Hrithik claimed they are.  But how freaking condescending, entitled and closed off in his own little world.

Indian films are way beyond his little group of filmi fraternity.  Even his own film fraternity have made great films much better than the what he and his father have. And when you go by his words on what kind of cinema is worthy, and what should be looked down on, fixed, etc etc. All of his films are nowhere near other great pieces of art from India--going by his own freaking criteria.  He would have us believe that he and his father have made some great serious films with amazing characterization--the likes of which India has never seen, and just couldn't possibly accept.  Frack you, Hrithik.

So yeah, when he just disses all of India and its films just so he and his father can get some kind of props for what is most likely to be some crappy film, then yeah, I am going to be turned off.  I will be rooting for it to fail.  

He has amazing eyes. Judging by his fanbase (or lack thereof) on this board, it seems not too many others feel the same way about him, but perhaps the "international" audience might feel differently.

Oh, he had a fanbase.  He probably still does.  I'm pretty confident when I say plenty of us who are hoping they fall down flat on their faces, had no particular dislike for Hrithik before this, probably even liked/still like him in general.

[dhiire jalna]

Oh, he had a fanbase.  He probably still does.  I'm pretty confident when I say plenty of us who are hoping they fall down flat on their faces, had no particular dislike for Hrithik before this, probably even liked/still like him in general.

Persons such as myself?  I'm still a hard-core Hrithik fan and I wholly believe Kites will be a massive flop and quite rightly so. It looks to be an appallingly bad film. And I hope that whatever seems to have warped Hrithik's brain as of late, disappears, the sooner the better.

[Mirya]

What a shame that this appears to be a remake of Match Point. I didn't care for that story at all. Though some of the plot will surely be changed for Kites, I doubt it will be a totally different film.

[leaf]

Kites releasing on Dec 18

After much hoopla and indecision, it’s finally official. Anurag Basu’s Kites will release on December 18. And no, the film was not delayed due to editing issues.

Rather, it was waiting for international buyers. Says a source, “Now that there’s a slump in the international market, Kites won’t wait for international buyers any longer.

The producers will give the film on a commission basis to international distributors.”

The decision to release Kites on December 18 was taken after watching the film’s final cut. Post-editing, the film is apparently an erotic feast.

The love scenes between Hrithik and Mori are sizzling and the producers have nothing to worry about.

World Release

Rakesh Roshan admits they’re looking at December 18 as the worldwide release date for Kites.

“But there are details that still need to be worked out and I’d rather not talk about it until everything is in place,” he said. Adds Anurag, “Yes, we are looking at the date. I’ve left the final decision to Roshanji and Eros.”

Song Chopped
Meanwhile, according to sources, Rakesh and Anurag had a difference of opinion over retaining a Barbara-Hrithik song.

Rakesh, weaned on commercial cinema, thought it was an USP, while Anurag thought it hampered the film’s flow.

The song now goes off. However, Anurag insisted, “As for the songs, they all carry the story forward. If we remove one, I’ll have to re-edit the film for continuity.”
http://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/2009/jul/250709-Hrithik-Roshan-Anurag-Basu-Kites-international-buyers-Rakesh-Roshan.htm

[Dolce~oro]

“Now that there’s a slump in the international market, Kites won’t wait for international buyers any longer.

The producers will give the film on a commission basis to international distributors.”

Does this mean we could get it later? Or possibly not get it at all? I'm confused

[leaf]

I think you'll get it wherever desi films usually play in the US, just not the wide release that they had hoped for.

[Dolce~oro]

Good enough for me. That means it will play in at least one decently located theatre in TO, most BW films do.

[rubyjones]

“Now that there’s a slump in the international market, Kites won’t wait for international buyers any longer.

The producers will give the film on a commission basis to international distributors.”

Does this mean we could get it later? Or possibly not get it at all? I'm confused

Maybe they did not get 'all' those buyers they were hoping or expecting so they had to settle for the above deal!

[jjake61]

I'm thinking...Whoa how bad is this going to be? Chandni Chawk to China and Kambacht Ishq got  distribution deals but not Kites?  I don't think the economy is 100% to blame.  Thats not to say I think it will be a bad film necessarily, just not the big international crossover hit they claimed to be making.

[Dolce~oro]

I'm thinking...Whoa how bad is this going to be? Chandni Chawk to China and Kambacht Ishq got  distribution deals but not Kites?  I don't think the economy is 100% to blame.  Thats not to say I think it will be a bad film necessarily, just not the big international crossover hit they claimed to be making.

Yeah, but for some reason I think it was the Akshay Kumar factor that helped with those two, certainly not the quality of the film. I know for sure Toronto is known for loving its AK so i was not surprised that those two stayed so long in the theatres and were playing even in downtown (a privilege usually reserved to SRK films and very few exceptions).

Then again, by the sound of it, seems that the desired scope was much bigger than that of an average Hindi film (with an average run of 3-4 weeks in 3-4 theatres across the city). It seems like they wanted way more than that, oh well... life is harsh...

[filmifan]

I'm thinking...Whoa how bad is this going to be? Chandni Chawk to China and Kambacht Ishq got  distribution deals but not Kites?  I don't think the economy is 100% to blame.  Thats not to say I think it will be a bad film necessarily, just not the big international crossover hit they claimed to be making.

IIRC, Kambakkht Ishq was (heavily) distributed only by Eros, and Chandni Chowk was co-produced by a HW studio with US distribution as part of the deal.

one of Abhay Deol's upcoming films, Road Movie, was quietly picked up at Cannes by international distributor Fortissimo Films while the Roshans were busy running around flogging Kites. with film companies looking for the next Slumdog, i doubt it's all about the economy, but rather Kites' story/genre.

[krissh]

LA LA LA LA LA LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU BECAUSE IT"S GONNA BE AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA

[leaf]

I'm thinking...Whoa how bad is this going to be? Chandni Chawk to China and Kambacht Ishq got  distribution deals but not Kites?  I don't think the economy is 100% to blame.  Thats not to say I think it will be a bad film necessarily, just not the big international crossover hit they claimed to be making.

KI had an Indian distributor. Kites also has an Indian distributor, it also wants an American distributor. That's where they had the problem.

[Spencer]

No Kites flying for Roshans this year

MEENA IYER , TNN 4 August 2009, 12:00am IST

The buzz is that Rakesh Roshan’s most ambitious and hottest film to date — Kites with Hrithik Roshan and the Mexican livewire Barbara Mori in the lead — will now release on January 15, 2010 instead of December 18, 2009

A producer close to the Roshans says, “Kaho Na Pyaar Hai, Hrithik’s debut vehicle, released on January 14, 2000. It is the film that catapulted him to superstardom. Now the Roshans are seriously contemplating on releasing Kites — Hrithik’s foray into the international market, exactly a decade after KNPH to celebrate the actor’s tenth year as a superstar.

At the moment in Bollywood, Hrithik is the only one with a double whammy to his name, with Dhoom 2 and Krishh occupying a place of pride in the Top 5 all time grossers. Rakesh Roshan told BT, “I will take a decision by September 10 on whether I’m coming in December this year or next January.”

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/No-Kites-flying-for-Roshans-this-year/articleshow/4851742.cms

[krissh]

Rakesh Roshan is a bastard! If he keeps playing these games with my emotions, I will end up committing ritual suicide, with a sharpened DVD of Koi...Mil Gaya, Hari Kari style. 2010 might as well be a billion years from now, an asteroid could hit the Earth, the distributors will strike over digital downloads, my dvd player AND laptop could break. I could go blind, and never get to count the ripples in Hrithik's pectoral muscles again! Of course, that might work out to my benefit, if I could get Hrithik to let me count them physically, instead of visually. Nope, not worth it, I still have to obsess over all the other Indian actors who have taken over my brain.

[newbiefan]

I officially give up on this film. Dang, how many times will they postpone the release date? I get the impression that it is a big mess with director, producer and lead actor each trying to get their own way with it and spoiling the proverbial broth in the process.