KITES --- Coloured with boredom!!!!!

Produced by Rakesh Roshan and directed by Anurag Basu, ‘Kites’ is a mega-budget venture worth Rs.150 crore. Since the day it was announced, it was surrounded by hype, controversy, and rumor. The bigger the budget, the bigger the names, the bigger the hype,the bigger the expectations from the film. Kites has some of the biggest names in the business - Rakesh Roshan, Anurag Basu and Hrithik Roshan, to name a few - and the film, therefore, carries this huge responsibility on its shoulders. It has to soar higher than the hits delivered by this trio. Anything less will just not do! And I must say it failed to deliver. Anurag Basu should idolize Shanker and learn how to spend money on films. Anyone who saw the movie could say without a slight hesitation that 'Kites' was not even worth 50 crs except for those car chases and Mexican Extravaganza.

The film follows a Non- Linear narration. The story starts in a harsh terrain of the Mexican desert where a mortally wounded man Jai is left to die in the heat of the scorching sun. Once a street smart, carefree young guy, he is now a wanted man. Hrithik (Jay) is a money lover. He marries women for money and women marry him for Green Card. He has 11 legally illegal wives. He works as a Dance Teacher and his love for money gets him involved with the leading Business Man's daughter Kangana Ranaut (Jeena).He meets his would be Brother in Law and his fiancé Barbara Mori (Natasha\Linda) and guess what Linda is here one of those 11 wives. From then onwards typical Drama takes over Linda and Jay bond in Romantic Relation whereas the cheated Rich Family chases them.

Kites as a metaphor in the film. Kites are like two lovers who fly against the wind and not with the wind, they come close and separate and how their destinies are not in their hands. Performance wise, Hrithik is fine but he is not able to make a relation with his viewers mainly because both his romances with Barbara and Kangna appear to be flat without any depth. His act doesn’t have any novelty which used to be a key feature of his every new movie. But he simply excels in his last scene crying at the hill top. Barbara Mori is the refreshing factor in the film. She is a direct departure from the stereotypical Bollywood film heroine. She holds her own in each and every scene. Not only is her chemistry with Hrithik Roshan electrifying, she stands shoulder to shoulder with Hrithik in acting merits and screen presence. Barbara’s presence in the film also works with the fact that she is a talent we have not witnessed on screen before.

The one thing i liked most in the movie was the intermission for then was showed the theatrical promo of the forthcoming movie ‘Raavan’. It looks and sounds like a movie that brings together the likes of Mani Ratnam, A R Rahman, Gulzar and Santosh Sivan. My hopes are high but you never know. Promos are mostly deceptive and Bollywood has time and again strengthened my belief...;);). With no other Bollywood release to challenge it and the unprecedented buzz it has gathered, this one just might become the first big hit of 2010.

Verdict : 2/5

Pokkiri Raja --- Entertainment, but in parts.

I went for this movie with sky high expectation and to be frank, it didn't raised up to my level of expectation. This movie created a huge amount of buzz and hype as it features Mammooty and upcoming star Prithviraj. Apart from bringing in a casting coup by uniting Megastar Mammootty and youth icon Prithviraj for the first time in full length roles, this movie by debutant director Vysakh has also taken pains to present Super actress Shriya Saran to Mollywood.

Pokkiri raja is the story of two sons of a honest school teacher. Out of the two brothers, Raja runs away from home due to some circumstances which was a common feature of the Malayalam movie's made in the 80's. The movie has Mammootty as Raja and Prithvi as Soorya, both sons of popular Gandhian and idealistic teacher Madhavan Mash. The eldest son Raja was thrown out of the house by Madhavan Mash, as he was reluctant to stick to his father’s Gandhian ways. He ran away from home to Madurai after a scuffle and becomes the leader of a gang of ruffians in Madurai. Madhavan Mash has much hopes on his younger son Soorya, who was reared with care as to become a model for the youth of the town. But circumstances forced Soorya to just follow his elder brother’s path and to take arms and to become another notable name, booked by the police. Shriya plays Aswathy, the daughter of the city police commissioner who falls in love with Soorya. Then finally the two brothers meet face to face and the rest of the movie shows their tale.

The highlight of the movie is the glossy looks and colorfulness with which it is presented. With many song and dance sequences and funny moments, the movie will not give you much time to ponder over logic, atleast when in the cinema halls. Its high time that Mammootty should realize that he is NOT good in dance and he should stick on to what he does best.The song 'Kettille Kettille' and other so called 'Rap' song must have been picturised better. Remember the Rajamanicyam song.. "Pandi melam pattum koothum...". In that song Mammooty sir's screen presence is utilized to the maximum without the inclusion of dance steps. That's what a good director does. Even Manirathnam sir made Mammooty dance in Thalapathy, but he varied the camera movements and was a bit slower which made that song exceptional.But these kind of dance steps reminds me of Love in Singapore and mayabazaar which must have been avoided.

Coming to the technical aspects of the movie. The technical side of the movie is good, with every department doing their best to maintain the quality of a potential hit. Shaji's camera, and Mahesh Narayanans editing are brilliant even though the makers has failed to keep the interest going for the entire length of two hours. Jassie Gift's songs have good beats but won’t stay in our minds for long. The BGM for Mammootty was quite good. Prithviraj was good and completely outperformed Mammooty in fight sequences. Mammootty's screen presence is utilized to the maximum and he was looking awesome. The story of the film is just a combination of films like July 4, Chattambinaadu and some other malayalam films. The director did a mediocre job. Songs and Dance was not impressive for me. Climax was disappointing. This film is a usual masala entertainer which fans of both actors can celebrate and boast about and may turn out to be a hit.

If you are a die hard fan of Mammootty or Prithviraj, you will surely love this movie, as it offers everything for the fans to cherish. And for others its just another mass masala movie which seems like a combination of Tamil and Telugu films and is another chance for reminiscence. Unlike other Siby- Udayan films, this film doesn't end up as a torture as it offers something for the fans atleast.

My Verdict : 5/10