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