kites(2010)

Directer:Anurag Basu
Producer:Rakesh Roshan,Sharan Kapoor
Starring:Hrithik Roshan,Barbara Mori,Kangana Ranaut
Music:Rajesh Roshan
Running time:130 minutes (Hindi version)
90 minutes (English version)
Plot:"J"(Hrithik Roshan) is a Bollywood dance teacher in Las Vegas, Nevada. For extra income he marries immigrant women to get them green cards. When Gina (Kangana Ranaut), the rich daughter of a powerful casino owner (Kabir Bedi), falls for him, J. goes along in order to marry into money. He discovers that his future brother-in-law, the vicious, homicidal Tony, is about to marry a beautiful Mexican woman named Natasha (Barbara Mori), whom J. knows as Linda, the last of the immigrant women he married. On the night before "Natasha" and Tony's wedding, Linda and J. spend a romantic but chaste night, humorously agreeing to a "divorce." A jealous, gun-wielding Tony, however, arrives at her apartment while J. is there, and after he hits her, Linda impulsively knocks him out with a heavy object while he tussles with J. Linda and J. go on the run toward Mexico, with Tony and police chasing them.
My Review:The movie begins with the shot of 2kites flying in the sky with Hrithik Roshan in the back ground saying that "these kites flirt with each other for some time without knowing that if they stay togather for long one of them is bound to get cut."A very good way of conveying the message of the title "Kites".Infact this initial description itself gives us the hint of the climax.The movie begins with the end i.e hrithik is shot & unconcious in the train found by some mexican people.They remove the bullet & then he recovers only to go back to las vegas to find his love Linda.the rest of the movie is a flashback of previous 3months.The flashback narrative has been used in so many movies that it has lost its impact.infact in this movie you know since beginning that someone has shot Hrithik & he has lost his love.In next ten minutes you also come to know probably who must've shot him.Ofcourse,Tony.Hrithik flirted with his sister(Kangana)&romanced his fiancee.Tony being the son of powerfull casino owner would use all his powers to kill this couple on the run.So,now you start hoping for some great hollywood style car chases,bike chases,superb stunts?Even I thought so.Sorry guys,all these are there,but believe me you've seen better in some B-grade english movies.Typical Indian hero type fist fighting is missing.Just car,bike chases on mexican highways.Infact none of the stunts,car crashes remain with you even till the end of the movie.I remember the chase in DHOOM-2.The sequence was shot so well with all those gadgets,skates,below the truck scene.But here, nothing of that sort.Just some mindless car crashes on the highway.Let's come back to love story part.Hero speaks English,Hindi.Heroine speaks&understands only Spanish.Most of the dialogues are in English & Spanish with English sub-titles.Obviously Rakesh Roshan has not made this film for the masses.When it comes to sub-titles Anurag Basu has conveniently given sub-titles to only those important conversations.Rest of the time you are left with spanish dialogues & your great interpreter:Indian Mind.I wonder why the english version of this movie is 90min. & hindi version is 130min.Imagine we will be tortured for 40more minutes as compared to foreign audience.To me this was a complete non-entertainer.A few comic sequences would've made a lot of difference.But they were missing.The comedy of language created in "Ek Duje Ke Liye" was completely missing here.I don't think anytime the whole audience laughed togather for any of the comic scenes in those 2hours.This movie is a typical money making machine from the Roshans & I congratulate them for succeeding in that.Its meant for selling in foreign territory where the money is good.Not for the thinking,Indian audience.Relience Big pictures have put money in it & will earn huge by ring tones,selling t.v rights,pay per view on relience Big TV etc....I won't be surprised if you are able to watch this movie on Relience Big TV at your home in a month's time.Even then make sure you don't miss your "Indian Idol" episode,as it is more entertaining than this 130minutes.
A few things which I liked.The "chase song".That's the name given by me.Its a chase sequence with the song running in the background.Something New.Barbara Mori was definitely good as Linda.She acted really well.She also looked great.A definite treat to watch.Two songs "Zindagi"&"Dil kyun ye mara" are good & shot well.Kangana looks great.But she has no role to even mention about.Kabir Bedi just for few scenes with no use in the story.totally useless character.In all a movie with great marketing,great star power,high expectations but a poor strory,bad direction,lack of novelty.
My Ratings:2/5,watch Badmash Company instead,you'll enjoy it.