Kites

Actually in my opinion, there are two aspects to a movie. One is what is being told, and the other one is how it is being told. After a century, that the motion picture came into existence, it's becoming progressively difficult of the former part about what is being told. Because it's almost next to impossible to say or to show something radically new on the screen after having so many stories brought on to celluloid by all the film makers on this planet. That leaves us with the only option left which is how it is being told.

Kites is one such movie where the first aspect doesn't apply at all because a love story in which the two lovers try to overcome all the hurdles only to realise that everything goes in vain, is not new at all and this theme has been used and done to death by our film makers. So the film makers of this particular movie zeroed in on the second aspect but it is now the turn of the audience to realise that this effort too has gone in vain.

I heard that the chemistry between the lead pair is good and I agree to some extent, having watched the movie. But it ended up being an incomplete chemical reaction as there was no catalyst at all, to speed it up. The story and the other characters who constitute the catalyst, were all ignored. The problem with this movie is that it tried to fit into all possible genres, romance, action, drama and tragedy. The film makers would have thought to make this movie appeal to a global audience but I believe that it's a terrible mistake. Because you need not ape others to be global, but can remain local and still be global. As Kamalhasan opines that when it comes to movies, as one becomes more ethnic it becomes more global.

Off late a disturbing trend is springing up in our movies and that is importing foreign actresses (read white actresses). Though I have no complaints with the casting of this movie, movies like "Love aajkal", "Aladdin" etc have female leads who are foreign and don't know the language at all. Even in kollywood and tollywood the trend has been to cast north indian actresses who don't know the language at all. I leave it to the film fraternity to ponder over the true intention behind this trend. If the reason is to have an actress only if she is fair skinned, then I have no reservations to say that ours is a racist film industry.

Coming back to Kites, the positive in this movie is the romance between Hrithik and Barbara mori-the spanish beauty, lightening up the screen. All the guys would have wanted to trade places with Hrithik, and all the girls would have done anything to trade places with Barbara mori. Well some guys would have even wanted to trade places with Barbara mori too, such was the beauty and sex appeal of Hrithik and Barbara. It reminded me of "Meet Joe Black" in which Brad pitt and Claire Forlani sizzle to our delight.

Verdict: Hrithik has given a wonderful performance, but watch it only if you are his die hard fan.