Kites director Anurag Basu on this year’s most hyped, most expensive, most discussed and most critically- ravaged film
What do you make of the diverse reactions that Kites has got?
We knew that we’ll get a mixed feedback but we didn’t expect such extreme reactions. Some people have really liked it while some have really not. There’s nothing in-between, which is very strange. We were very clear that we are making a good-looking commercial potboiler. We also knew that many in India might not completely take to the film because of the Spanish/English dialogues. I was actually anxious about the response of the Western media and audience. I was uncertain whether they will take to the story. Interestingly, the West has lapped it up. And they’ve done so unanimously. I’m happy about that.
Wasn’t the film designed for the West itself - after all it was Hrithik Roshan’s Hollywood launch-pad?
It was never planned like that. It was Rakesh Roshan’s story idea that I developed and co-wrote with two other writers. When we took the movie to Cannes and we saw the reaction of the foreign press, our confidence grew. We decided to see whether we can really make it into a global film. It wasn’t supposed to be Hrithik’s Hollywood launchpad. But if that happens then it’ll be great.
How much of Kites is yours and how much of it is Rakesh Roshan’s?
It’s everybody’s film. You have to understand that in all my earlier films, be it Murder, Gangster or Life In A...Metro, I’ve written the story and gone on to shoot it. My bouncing-boards were my assistants and my wife. You can say, that I was a dictator when I made my earlier films. Kites was a democratic process. The film starred Hrithik who was doing his home production. We had a lot of discussions.
So all those stories of Rakesh Roshan’s interference are false?
Look, as a filmmaker, I believe the film works on paper. You write something you like, you lock it and you go and shoot it. When we were locking the script, Rakeshji was very much a part of the writing process. We had a lot of debates, discussions and arguments when we were locking the script. Even Duggu (Hrithik) was involved in these discussions. Once we locked the script, Rakeshji never came on the sets. So there was no interference at all.
Many feel that the mix of Rakesh Roshan’s commercial and your artistic leanings, didn’t work. Comment.
I don’t know how to answer this. I decided to make this film because I wanted to know the popular side of cinema. I thought that was my weakness. I saw this as an interesting learning experience.
Weakness? You think working in a big set -up is an advantage?
Look, there is no easy answer here. I’ll talk from experience. Life In A...Metro was critically as well as commercially acclaimed in India. We had a London premiere also. The film got very bad reviews in the foreign publications. I was hurt. That was when the hunger to make a film that works across sections took place. In a sense that was where Kites was born. I wanted to tell a story that had global appeal. I wanted to go beyond the boundaries of Bollywood. For that, Kites needed a big star like Hrithik Roshan.
But in making a film that finds appreciation in the West, you lost your core audience in India.
Yes, to some extent you are correct. This bit hurts me tremendously. But in my career trajectory, Kites is just another step. It’s a decision I took and I’m happy about it. You have to know that my generation of filmmakers is all trying to crack that one film that works globally. We don’t know what will work but we are trying to find out. In the West, the perception is that Mira Nair and Shekhar Kapur are the only directors in India. Given the right opportunities, people like me, Imtiaz Ali and Vishal Bhardwaj are no less. I made Kites to see whether we can crack the global formula. It’s been a good learning experience.
How do you defend the story of Kites, which many feel is the oldest story in the world, almost a rehash of Ek Duuje Ke Liye?
You know what, there are only three original stories in the world. You try and find a new twist in the story. Kites is definitely not Ek Duuje Ke Liye. If people are saying so then they’ve forgotten Ek Duuje Ke Liye. They should see it again. Maybe the comparisons are because both the films had language barriers as a theme. The theme might be similar but the story is different.
The Spanish/English dialogues are being regarded as the biggest reason of the non- performance of the film. Why couldn’t Hrithik speak in Hindi?
How else could we do it? The film is about a Spanish girl and an Indian boy. He doesn’t understand Spanish and she doesn’t understand Hindi. Hrithik’s character is trying to make the girl understand and he can only do that in English because at least she knows a little of that. He can’t talk to her in Hindi! We wanted to keep it real. Anyways there are minimum dialogues in the film. We never cheated the audience. Throughout the promotion and publicity, we said that the film has three languages.
Were you emotionally and creatively hurt when you got to know that Hollywood director Brett Ratner will be re-editing Kites?
Well emotionally it hurt but not so much creatively. Initially, when I was informed that Brett Ratner will be re-editing the film and presenting his version, I wanted to refuse. But then I thought about it. He’s clearly not doing it for money. He’s doing it because he loves the film. We had a chat and he told me what he liked and didn’t like. I have seen the final edit that he has done. He’s edited it at a pace I couldn’t have done myself. He’s trimmed it by 25 minutes.
With so much hoopla surrounding the film, can you tell me honestly if you are happy with Kites?
Yes, I’m happy.
In retrospect would you want to make any changes?
Well, I would have liked to include a few scenes regarding the story plot, which we removed. I should’ve stuck to my guns and made sure the scenes were included.
What’s the best and the worst comments you’ve got for Kites?
The best bit is that most of the foreign publications that reviewed the film have written a nice paragraph about me. They’ve really praised me and I think that’s great. I read those reviews whenever I’m depressed. Also I asked my family if Kites was better than Life In A...Metro and they all said it was. As a film-maker I want to grow from my last film, so that’s positive. As for the worst bit, well there have been countless comments. Some of the headlines have been really bad. The worst is that some people said that the chemistry between Hrithik and Barbara didn’t work. That really gutted me because our film is all about their chemistry.
Finally the big question: Will Hrithik Roshan crossover to Hollywood?
200 per cent yes. That’ll happen very soon. He’s already getting big offers. He has the look and the appeal that can make him a global star. He can pass off as a Persian, Hispanic, Latin-American and of course Indian. He just can’t look Chinese.
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