The Kites Runner

Even before we settle down to ask filmmaker Anurag Basu about his much-hyped film Kites,the director blurts out that he needs to clear the air on recent gossip.

Even before we settle down to ask filmmaker Anurag Basu about his much-hyped film Kites,the director blurts out that he needs to clear the air on recent gossip. I dont know who is spreading the rumour that the promos reveal the climax of the film. There is no truth in that. It would be silly of us to ruin the suspense before the release, says the 35-year-old filmmaker about the news that the lead characters played by Hrithik Roshan and Mexican stunner Barbara Mori die in the end.

Basu is edgy with good reason Kites has been flying headlong from one controversy into another. Moreover,the films release has been delayed since last Decemberit is now scheduled to hit the screens on May 21. We were sorting out some issues, says the filmmaker,before launching into details about the love-has-no-barriers storyline of the film starring Roshan and Mori. Kites is about a thief on the run who is destined to fall in love with a woman from a different culture,about two people who doesnt speak the same language, says Basu.

The film is about the couples journey of danger,escape and discovering each other. But more than the plot,the grapevine buzzed about the off-screen chemistry of the lead pair. They are both good actors,that is why everyone talks about them off screen, says Basu,adding that the script demanded a foreign actor. We did not want to cut corners by casting an Indian girl. It would not have been convincing enough. He had approached other actors like the Spaniard Paz Vega and Colombian Catalina Moreno,but finally settled on Mori for the part of Natasha.

Basu says the story of Kites was Hrithiks father Rakesh Roshans idea. It was during the final stages of the shoot of his last film,Life In a… Metro,that Roshan senior asked Basu to write a story with Hrithik in mind. He suggested a story,which I developed further. He liked my screenplay and I came on board as director for the project, he says.

Basu,who was nominated for a Filmfare Award for Best Director in 2008 for Life In a… Metro,says he has pushed the envelope further this time. For the first time,I shot scenes from a helicopter to give the film a more international look. I always wanted to do that for my earlier films but the budgets didnt allow. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone, he says.

Basu says his success mantra is to do things on his own terms. My family is my best critic. They have given a mixed response to this film, he says. Even as Kites readies for release,Basu is already busy with his next venture an untitled film with Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Tags:
delhi
talk