In pursuit of some privacy

Source: Mumbai Mirror

By Subhash K Jha

Date: February 10, 2010

Two of Bollywood’s biggest filmmakers Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Aditya Chopra had a serious misunderstanding last year when Chopra ended up using the Punjabi exclamation ‘Hadippa’, a registered by Bhansali’s production house, for Yash Raj Films’ Dil Bole Hadippa! While the incident left a bitter taste in Bhansali’s mouth and the director had vowed to not go anywhere near the Yash Raj banner, the acrimony has now faded.

Bhansali for the first time will be shooting from February 21 at Yash Raj Studios, and that too for the crucial last schedule of the Hrithik Roshan-Aishwarya Rai starrer Guzaarish.

A source says, “It is the final lap of shooting and Sanjay needs to be absolutely relaxed. He weighed the pros and cons and decided to let bygones be bygones and approached Yash Raj. Mr Yash Chopra and his son Aditya have happily extended all facilities at their swanky studio to the director who hopes to shoot in peace and without any guests dropping in.”

“A drawback in shooting at one of the other major film studios in Mumbai is that guests can drop in any time. Despite giving clear instructions to his actors and technicians that no visitors would be allowed on the sets of Guzaarish, Sanjay regularly had to deal with VIP guests on the sets and he had to politely turn them down. At Yash Raj such intrusions are not allowed at any cost thereby saving Sanjay a lot of embarrassment,” adds the source.

Bhansali says, “I am shooting at Yash Raj later this month and it is strictly a business arrangement. The studio is comfortable and convenient. And we all belong to the same fraternity, don’t we?”

Once this schedule is complete, the director will only have to shoot some scenes with a magician and a song with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in which she will dance spontaneously, without the help of a choreographer.

Hrithik is a true friend

Source: Indiainfo

Date: February 9, 2010

Hrithik Roshan is known to not make too many public appearances. However he made it a point to stand by childhood buddy Jatin Kumar who lost his father Sujit Kumar a few days back. Jatin, a producer himself, has grown up with Hrithik and they have been close friends since childhood. So when Hrithik got to know about Jatin’s loss he was apparently at the loss as much as him. ‘Hrithik stood by Jatin at the funeral and greeted and hugged over 200 people, thanking them for coming. He was almost functioning like Jatin’s brother. People have never really seen Hrithik like this,’ says a source who was at the funeral. “They have grown together and used to spend a lot of time together at Jatin’s place when he was in school,” adds the source. Hrithik surely treasures his friends and relationships.

It has been more almost two years since Jodhaa Akbar hit the theatres in February 2008 and baring a small role in the movie Luck By Chance, Hrithik Roshan hasn't been seen on-screen. His much publicised movie Kites with Barbara Mori which was supposed to hit the theatres last year hasn't seen light of the day as yet. A bad spell seems to have been cast around the Anurag Basu directed movie as it continues to be delayed.

Kites was supposed to launch Hrithik as an international star and thus the movie will have a international version too. The movie premièred at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009 where Hrithik walked the red carpet along with Mori. But if sources close to the Roshans are to be believed the team isn't still done with the editing. They had approached Raj Kumar Hirani for editing the movie but he turned down the offer due to prior commitments

If this wasn't enough there seems to be differences between director Anurag Basu and producer Rakesh Roshan. The Life In A Metro director has in fact come out in open and accepted his differences with Roshan senior. Basu even went on to say that he did not have creative differences with Roshan but they were professional in nature. Basu who is critically rated very high as a director doesn't seem comfortable working with his producer any more.

And who can forget the much publicised turmoil in Hrithik's personal life due to his alleged extra marital affair with Barbara Mori. There were rumours that Suzanne Roshan had left the house with her two kids last year after Hrithik refused to mend his ways. The actor was getting too close to Mexican babe Barbara Mori for Suzanne to feel comfortable. Hrithik had hurried home from abroad and convinced Suzanne to return home.

All said and done, Kites hasn't been the best of experiences for Roshans and the entire team including Anurag Basu and Barbara Mori will breathe a sigh of relief once the movie hits the theatres.

"I almost didn't make it for Kites": Hrithik

When Karan Johars My Name is Khan opens tomorrow, audiences worldwide will also be treated to the first look of Rakesh Roshan’s love saga Kites

The film, directed by Anurag Basu, has the most-awaited contemporary screen pair Bollywoods Hrithik Roshan wooing Mexican beauty Barbara Mori. But it is a film that Hrithik almost never made. Years of strenuous dancing and doing breath-taking action for films like Krrish, Dhoom 2 and Jodhaa Akbar, that got the superstar every award worth its metal, also left Hrithik with excruciating knee pain. And just before he was to start work on his home production, the actor found himself on crutches!

I hadnt okayed a single script after Jodhaa Akbar, says Hrithik. I was sitting free with a bad knee which had crippled me for about six months. But the script of Kites got my adrenaline going. I was in no condition to accept this film. And I was travelling around the world to find a solution to my knee problem. Finland, Singapore, LA, New York and China, I went for alternative therapies, medicines and physiotherapy... but nothing worked.

Two weeks before shooting began for Kites, Hrithik went to Santa Fe. He couldnt even bend his knee because the cartilage was so badly damaged. So he told Anurag Basu and Rakesh Roshan that he wanted to pull out. I told them that there are two actors who speak English well and would fit into this character, and they are friends. I offered to assist and be involved in the creative side. But Anurag and dad were adamant. They said they would use duplicates in scenes where I was required to run. I was broken, because Im an athlete, a superhero, and to think of using duplicates just broke my spirit, continues Hrithik.

Then a miracle happened. On the first day of the shoot, Hrithiks pain came down by 50 per cent; after the first week it was down to 10 per cent. Then it was gone. I thought all the things I did to heal my knee had converged together. Or my prayers had been answered,he says. That s when I heard that Santa Fe is surrounded by magnetic mountains and people from over the world come there to get healed. It was destiny that we chose Santa Fe to begin Kites.

His pain was gone, but Hrithiks woes continued. When he realised that he had to bare his torso in the film, he panicked. Because of my knee, I hadnt been doing cardio and had gained weight, says the actor famous for his ripped body. And if I was to appear bare-chested, my audience would expect nothing but perfection from me. So, I devised new ways to shed the fat. Not being able to run, jump or skip, I used to just pick up a five pound dumbbell and do arm curves for 45 minutes. That became my cardio workout. I used to try and keep my heart rate up as much as I could. At times I used to just spin my hands like a windmill for half hour. Ab workouts were not a problem. And there was my diet. Living on egg whites, almonds and peanuts worked.

Relieved that he could get the actor he most wanted in Kites, Rakesh Roshan says, I kept giving Hrithik confidence and I was sure things would work out for the better. During Krrish, Hrithiks knee had given problems but he came out of it. I was praying for that miracle this time, too. But, honestly, I was mentally prepared to just pack up the entire schedule and return home if things didn’t work out...

In pursuit of some privacy

Source: Mumbai Mirror

By Subhash K Jha

Date: February 10, 2010

Two of Bollywoods biggest filmmakers Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Aditya Chopra had a serious misunderstanding last year when Chopra ended up using the Punjabi exclamation Hadippa, a registered by Bhansali’s production house, for Yash Raj Films Dil Bole Hadippa! While the incident left a bitter taste in Bhansalis mouth and the director had vowed to not go anywhere near the Yash Raj banner, the acrimony has now faded.

Bhansali for the first time will be shooting from February 21 at Yash Raj Studios, and that too for the crucial last schedule of the Hrithik Roshan-Aishwarya Rai starrer Guzaarish.

A source says, It is the final lap of shooting and Sanjay needs to be absolutely relaxed. He weighed the pros and cons and decided to let bygones be bygones and approached Yash Raj. Mr Yash Chopra and his son Aditya have happily extended all facilities at their swanky studio to the director who hopes to shoot in peace and without any guests dropping in.

A drawback in shooting at one of the other major film studios in Mumbai is that guests can drop in any time. Despite giving clear instructions to his actors and technicians that no visitors would be allowed on the sets of Guzaarish, Sanjay regularly had to deal with VIP guests on the sets and he had to politely turn them down. At Yash Raj such intrusions are not allowed at any cost thereby saving Sanjay a lot of embarrassment,adds the source.

Bhansali says, I am shooting at Yash Raj later this month and it is strictly a business arrangement. The studio is comfortable and convenient. And we all belong to the same fraternity, dont we?

Once this schedule is complete, the director will only have to shoot some scenes with a magician and a song with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in which she will dance spontaneously, without the help of a choreographer.

The Kite Runner

Source: Box Office India

By: Vajir Singh

Date: February 13, 2010

He may not be media-savvy and thus often doesn’t get due credit as being among the top directors in the industry. But if you go by his filmography and business at the box office, you can’t help but admit he’s the man with the Midas touch. That’s Rakesh Roshan, who is all set with his next production, the much-awaited Kites, being directed by Anurag Basu and featuring son Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Mori.

The theatrical trailers were launched on Friday, along with My Name Is Khan, and according to the trade, the response is awesome! To know more, here’s Rakesh Roshan in a talkathon with Vajir Singh.

To start with, why is the film titled Kites? What does it mean?

You may not understand now but it’s been explained in a subtle way through the narrative. We will also explain it through the promos. When you look at two kites in the sky, they look amazing… the way they come together and try and cross paths… their fights in the sky.

Though kites fly freely, they don’t know that the strings aren’t in their hands. This is what we’ve tried to convey through our film.

Though Karan Johar and Ekta Kapoor have moved on from their ‘K’ fixation, you are still sticking with it?

(Laughs) Well, it’s only limited to the title of my film.

Okay, tell us what’s the response to the theatrical promos of Kites?

I’ve been flooded with calls since morning. I’m getting calls from Punjab, Delhi and the entire North. I’ve been told that the audience is really enjoying the trailers and applauding at several scenes. I’m glad and a little relieved.

How come you haven’t got any calls from the overseas market?

I’m waiting for that. It will happen soon as India is in a different time zone.

The theatrical trailer was leaked on youtube.com. Were you disheartened?

To be frank, it was a blessing in disguise. Initially, we were skeptical but soon we were flooded with calls because those who saw the trailer, loved it. I received phone calls from across the globe and the verdict was unanimous. They are all looking forward to Kites -- everyone feels there has been no romantic film for a while and Kites is releasing soon.

Rumour has it Reliance BIG Pictures tried to send the trailer via e-mail and it thus got leaked?

Not true. It was not leaked from Reliance but from Canada, where our film went for censoring. One enthusiastic movie fan uploaded it.

Why is there so little of Kangna Ranaut in the trailer?

Let me clarify here. Kangna Ranaut has a special appearance in the film. And capturing and showing her more in the trailer would have sent out a wrong signal to the audience. It is not a love triangle.

You are always known for attempting something new in each of your productions. What are you offering in Kites?

You will have to wait and watch. Right now, all I can say is the style of filmmaking is different. It’s a love story but it’s different. It’s a love story between an Indian boy and a foreigner shot very differently. No one ever thought of making a romantic film of this scale and so beautifully.

Don’t you think the use of Mexican and English will keep B and C class audiences away?

I would never attempt anything that would keep my viewers away. First, Kites is not an English film, it is 60 per cent Hindi and 40 per cent Spanish and English. But everyone will still understand what the characters are saying, irrespective of the language. We’ve taken care of that.

Why two different versions – one for the overseas market and another for India?

It is very clear that we are trying to open more and more territories for the Indian cinema. We will have two versions – about two hours (for India) and an hour and half (for US, UK and other foreign territories).

Reportedly, Raju Hirani was requested to edit the film. Comment.

You should ask Hirani if we ever asked him to edit our film or address this question to the media, which has been speculating.

Why is it that Kites took so long to reach theatres?

I don’t agree. Every film takes two and half years to make and Kites is no different.

What was the idea behind showing the film at Cannes? Did your plan succeed?

Of course we succeeded in our promotional and business plan by showing it at Cannes. We exchanged notes with buyers and many studios. Later, when I went to LA, I met more people and they all saw the film again.

Does this mean the English version will be released with more prints compared to the Indian version?

Why do you ask this? It is an Indian film so definitely, more prints will be released in India. But I can assure you that the total number of prints will be much more than that of any other Hindi film released so far. We also intend to release 200-300 more prints in the US.

Would you like to share some of your marketing gimmicks?

If I reveal them, it would spoil the fun! You’ll see.

So we will see one dhamaka from Filmkraft every 15 days?

Absolutely.

Whatever has happened to the next part of Krrish?

I am still working on it. As of now, it’s only Kites, Kites and Kites.

Going back to Kites, much has been said and written about the interference Anurag Basu faced from Hrithik Roshan and yourself. Can you tell us just whose film Kites is?

Kites is my film. I am the producer, Anurag is the director. He is the captain and he has done a fantastic job. When I decided to sign him to direct this prestigious project, no one had the confidence in him except me. Today, I feel proud to announce that he has taken the film to another level.

GOOD BETTER BEST

SOurce: Telgraph India

Date: February 18, 2010

THEIR STARDOM IS NOT IN DOUBT, BUT WHAT ABOUT THEIR ACTING ABILITIES? THEY DELIVER HITS BUT DO THEY DELIVER QUALITY? A t2 REPORT CARD ON THE STANDOUT PERFORMANCES BY OUR HEROES.

Hrithik Roshan

Best

Hrithik Roshan, arguably our best star actor, has seldom disappointed. But he really made history with this one. In Jodhaa Akbar, Duggu made us want to time-travel and shout ‘Azeem-O-Shaan Shahenshah’! Ash could not take his eyes off him. Neither could we.

Better

The true litmus test of Hrithik’s acting abilities. From Sanjeev Kumar to Kamal Haasan, the best had already creamed the child-in-a-man act. But Hrithik’s Rohit in Koi... Mil Gaya was a boy wonder, from the language to the body language

Good

Well, Hrithik has to share this medal with his abs but his Aryan act in Dhoom:2 really took the cool quotient of Bolly heroes to another level. And the way he grooved... honestly, no kamina comes close.

"Kites will be completely new from whatever we've seen in the world" - Hrithik Roshan

Source: Bollywood Hungama

By: Devansh Patel

Date: February 18, 2010

If you ask any Indian living abroad on their most anticipated film, you'd probably hear any of the 'Khan' releases. It could've been Veer, 3 Idiots, Kurbaan or My Name Is Khan. All these films had one thing in common - 'Khan's'. Come May 21, things might change yet again. There will be an uproar, there will be new marketing strategies involved, there will be a revolutionary change in Indian cinema, there will be a time when the 'Khan's' may well have to take a back seat because the old player will rise yet again to remind them that 'he' exists. 'Roshans' are making their comeback - a come back with a vengeance to change the shape and style of Indian cinema, that's what the makers quote.

And this is what we call an 'exclusive' of all 'exclusives'. For the first time before the release of their film Kites, both Rakesh Roshan and Hrithik Roshan have lend their voice and their opinion on whether Kites will be a revolutionary change in Indian cinema, especially in the overseas market. Here's what the father and son have to say about Kites.

Producer of Kites, Rakesh Roshan says, "We are very excited about the release of Kites in the overseas, especially in the UK. Yes it's indeed, one of a kind film, which will witness the widest release ever. For the first time, an Indian Film will be releasing in English and Hindi version, one for the diaspora audience and the other for the International audience across cultures and races.

Kites is unique in many ways, it will also showcase for the first time an International (Mexican) actress, Barbara Mori in the lead. And the English and Spanish version is being presented by Brett Ratner. So yes, this film is going to sail across boundaries. And we are hoping to tap new markets which have never been attempted so far. However, it's too early to comment on the Spanish premiere."

Hrithik Roshan adds, "Kites is a very special film for me. It embarks my return after three and a half years, and yes I'm equally excited about its worldwide release. We all had conviction in the concept of Kites and always felt that this film can cross boundaries and break the borders of language and geography. Kites can become something that will be completely new to what we've ever seen in India or in the world. And we all have collectively achieved that. It is a film which will appeal to people across cultures and ethnicity and will hopefully change the way people look at Indian cinema in the overseas."

It takes 2 to tango

Source: Screen

Date: Feb 18, 2010

Choreographers Chinni Prakash and Rekha Prakash are so completely in tandem that the real-life couple behaves and interacts more like two best buddies who form a professional duo. A career of over 20 years and their recent National award for Jodhaa Akbar seem like mere steps in their passionate resume, for their latest work includes the spectacular songs of Veer and Ibn-e-batuta in Ishqiya

The pre-Jumma phase

Their hit Hindi films are legion - from Govinda’s home production Hatya in 1988 to Thanedaar, the cult Jumma chumma from Hum that raised the bar for the audiovisual value of a song, Saajan, Khiladi, Khuda Gawah, Mohra, Vijaypath, Gambler, Karan Arjun, Coolie No.1, Gupt, Ziddi, Dhadkan, Ajnabee, Tere Naam and Yuvvraaj among the creme-de-la-creme.

But Rome was not built in a day, and neither did their skills develop overnight. Chinni Prakash is the son of the late Chinni of the popular Chinni-Sampath duo that ruled in the South and also did a lot of Hindi films from the ‘60s to the ‘80s. “My great-grandfather played the tabla. My father’s real name was Chunnilal and his brothers Sohanlal and Hiralal were dancers in the court of the Maharaja. We are Marwadis who migrated to films - my uncles to Mumbai, where they worked more with people like Raj Kapoor, O.P.Ralhan and Manmohan Desai, and my father, who went to Madras, as Chennai was then called,” says Chinni. “However, my uncles worked solo and would sometimes do films down South, while my father joined a South Indian choreographer named Sampath to form Chinni-Sampath, and sometimes worked on Chennai-made Hindi films like Ram Aur Shyam and Haathi Mere Saathi and with Mehmoodsaab in films like Sadhu Aur Shaitan, Do Phool and Sabse Bada Rupaiya. So dance and rhythm were in my blood.”

Rekha pipes in, “I hail from Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh. I was encouraged by my parents - my family has an Army background - to learn Kuchipudi. My guru was the eminent Vempati Chinna Satyam. But I never wanted a career in classical dance, so I joined Chinni’s father as assistant. I was the first to branch out independently.”

Chinni smiles, “She was 200 songs old in the South when we teamed up. The South films then were really very tough - they needed fast work, had very tight budgets and the canvas was of course 35 mm. We had to show all our skills within this. Rekha began with Ramudu Parshuramudu in 1979 and I with Mr Vijay in 1980, where we choreographed two songs separately before joining forces with the third song.”

The Hindi chapter, for both, took off with the Govinda-Mandakini 1987 film Pyar Karke Dekho. “It was Govinda who recommended us freely. We did his home production Hatya in 1988 and he took us to David Dhawan for Swarg and Mukul S.Anand for Mahasangram wherein we did Madhuri Dixit’s rain song. And that’s how Mukul signed us on for Hum.”

The career-defining Jumma chumma

Says Chinni, “The primary difference between us and the old-school choreographers was that we did not believe only in dance steps. Facial expressions, camera angles and lighting were all important to boost a song. I used to watch Michael Jackson’s music video cassettes and similar other dance albums and when Mukul took me to Mr Amitabh Bachchan and Laxmikant-Pyarelal and made Rekha and I hear Jumma chumma de de I was so inspired that I suggested the way the song could be done.”

Mukul and Bachchan, says Chinni, were very receptive. “I suggested the mugs of beer and the foam and the backlit silhouettes of the dancers. We rehearsed this song for 4 days and had endless discussions in Mr Bachchan’s vanity van - he was the only star to have one then!”

The chart-smashing song unleashed a flood of work for the duo. Khuda Gawah, Mukul’s film based on Pathans, was a real challenge. Did they do research for the Afghanistan-based story? “I think that the combination of a song, its lyrics that are always very important, the director and actors are what really inspire us,” says Chinni. “Research is something we restrict to specific cases, like Jodhaa Akbar. But even there the mood and emotions are more important.”

Pushing the envelope

Today, Chinni and Rekha Prakash have won several awards, but in the early stage of their careers, purists criticised their work because of the way they used innumerable extras. “We did start the trend of having many dancers, at first in our South Indian movies!” confesses Chinni. “For me, the arrival of the Cinemascope screen made just a lead pair in the field look as if the rest of the frame was empty and dull. My vision was to make the frame look filled in and make a family watching a film enjoy more and make it look different from a serial, some of which also had songs then! But I had to fight for this. They would give us 10 to 20 dancers and I would demand a hundred. It meant a steep escalation in budgets! Later we became the first to actually cart 200 Indian dancers all the way to Russia to shoot songs for Khiladiyon Ke Khiladi!”

But when it was Jodhaa Akbar time, it was Ashutosh Gowariker who visualised everything on an epic scale. 500 dancers, three months of rehearsals and 15 days of shooting went into their National award-winning song Azeem-o-shaan shehenshah. “We give him full credit for trusting us and giving us all support and facilities,” says Chinni.

National honour

Says Rekha, “I remember being sad that we were getting a song in which one of the best dancers of today - Hrithik Roshan - was just sitting up there on the throne and 500 dancers were doing the song! But Ashutosh had total faith in us and Chinni did a lot of research.”

“The research was somewhat unorthodox - I watched a lot of historical films from the ’50s to the ’70s,” smiles Chinni. “I wrote the full story of the song in a book. I gave the director a complete break-up of the shots with details like cuts, camera angles, costumes and frames. This was the most difficult part of my career, just like giving a final examination!”

The duo is thrilled about the recognition despite several earlier awards. Says Chinni, “One award we valued highly before was the Screen trophy for Chhota baccha samajhke from Masoom, which was very difficult as we had to deal with 200 kids! The other awards were not for particularly challenging songs. So both the National and Screen awards came for songs where there was no star on screen, and our work was the star! And it was a great feeling in both cases!”

“I was more thrilled than Chinni was when we got the news of our National win from a friend in Bangalore while we were shooting for a film!” says Rekha. “We did not believe it at first, because most awards always go to popular songs with stars!”

Credit where due

The humble team admits that associates had a major roles in their success - from stars and song-creators to filmmakers and technicians and their own team. “Among today’s lot, A.R.Rahman’s tunes are very inspiring, while others tend to be a bit erratic. Among the older names, Laxmikant-Pyarelal and Nadeem-Shravan were very focussed.”

Veer, says Chinni, gave them scope once again to compose for a period subject in a retro way and “the music was very good. In Ishqiya, our only song Ibn-e-batuta was the one entertaining item in a basically serious film.”

The duo considers Govinda unbeatable at bringing songs on screen alive . “There are so many technically-perfect actors and actresses, but few like him or a Madhuri Dixit who enjoy the song and what they are doing - both these artistes seem to literally forget themselves and just melt into the song - and that makes the difference! Performing from the soul shows clearly in the results!” The couple also rate Rishi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan (“He is like an obedient child who can be moulded any way you wish!”) as fantastic and have lots of praise for Akshay Kumar and Bobby Deol. “Bobby was a complete surprise in Gupt. His father Dharamji (Dharmendra) and Sunny Deol are not known for dancing, so we expected Bobby to be the same. But he is among the best! It is sad that after Gupt he never got a musically-rich film!” says Chinni.

Explains Rekha, “A good dancer has ample time to invest something extra within an 8-maatra beat. But our job is to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the actor when we get to do a song. Suniel Shetty and Sunny Deol are not great dancers - everyone cannot be a Hrithik! - but we have to work within their abilities.”

Wisdom of experience

At this stage of their careers, with over 150 Hindi films as well as a thriving career in the South even today (“We have even done a few Marathi and Bengali films”), the duo would rather go selective. “We want to do the best and select work and to work on good songs with good filmmakers,” says Chinni. “My son Sushwanth Prakash is now training with me. So the legacy will continue.” Their other son, Siddharth, is learning the piano and wants to be a music director.

What would be their tips to the present choreographers? “To never leave our culture!” thunders Chinni. “Get inspired by anything from abroad, but don’t copy them completely. My father and uncles basically followed and trained in the Kathak format. Rekha is trained in Kuchipudi. For us, doing things like hip-hop et al is child’s play! So do not forget your Indian classical base - if you have that, everything becomes easy!”

Seconds Rekha, “And yes, remember one thing - dance is the only human activity that can remove every kind of frustration. It’s far more therapuetic than music, which we choose according to our mood!”

And what are the restrictions they follow in their lifestyles? “We have no night-life!” chuckles Chinni. “After 10 p.m., we are dead to the world.” And Rekha laughs and adds, “Unless it is one of those days when money is coming in because we are at work!”

Off the cuff- Excerpts from Farhan Akhtar's Interview

Rate Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan and yourself on a scale of one to ten on the following parameters

• Communication skills

SRK - 15

Aamir - 10

Hrithik - 8 or 9

Myself - 5

• Life of a party

It is difficult to rate this in numbers. SRK and Hrithik are very funny. Both of them love dancing so once the party kicks off, they are always dancing. Aamir is a lot more reserved. In all honesty, I haven’t partied with Aamir since Dil Chahta Hai

SRK - 10

Aamir - 5

Hrithik - 10

Myself - 8 or 9

• Easy to direct

Honestly, they were all very easy to direct.

ALL - 10

• Willing to admit to mistakes

Again, I think, I would give all of them 10 and that’s what makes them good at what they do. I know for a fact that I can be stubborn about certain things.

• Emotionally giving

I spend a lot more time with Hrithik and Shah Rukh than I do with Aamir. So it will be really difficult for me to say anything about Aamir on this front.

• Extempore speakers

SRK- 10

Aamir - 5

Hrithik - 8

Myself - 5

• Aware of the world

All of us are pretty aware of what’s happening in the world around us, so I would probably rate them just up there. Even if we want to detach ourselves from what’s happening around us you media people don’t let it happen. There is no escape. So 10 on 10 for everyone

• Be a 3am friend

My friendship is more with Hrithik and Shah Rukh than it is with Aamir. My relationship with Aamir is a lot more professional than personal so to put him into this equation feels very weird as it’s unfair to him.

SRK-10

Hrithik-10

Myself - 0

I switch off my phone when I sleep, I love my sleep. I think I don’t qualify for this.

• Politically correct

SRK-3 or 4, mostly he says what he feels

Hrithik- 10

Myself- 7 or 8, I have the knack of saying wrong things as well

• Spontaneous

SRK- 10

Hrithik- 8, He has changed a lot from what he was to what he is now

• Animal Charm

SRK-10

Hrithik -10

Both of them are very attractive people.

Myself - I don’t know about myself (laughs) how do I rate myself on animal charm?

Hollywood's Mark Helfrich "re-edits" Kites after Brett Ratner "re-worked" on it

Source: Yahoo Movies

Date: Feb 23, 2010

Famous Hollywood editor Mark Helfrich (X-Men: The Last Stand) now has "re-edited" the English version of blockbuster "Kites" after it was "re-worked" by well known American filmmaker Brett Ratner (Red Dragon).

Satellite Award winner editor-director-actor Helfrich is member of prestigious Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences who has edited 35 movies. Aiming at Western audiences, Ratner was reportedly asked to re-format "Kites" to fit in the Western psyche. It may be the first for a Hollywood director formatting a Bollywood movie.

Now BMI award winner Hollywood's Graeme Revell (Pineapple Express) has provided "additional background score" although the original music was by Filmfare winner Rajesh Roshan (Julie)

Intercultural romance thriller "Kites" has lot of Hollywood and "foreign" element attached to it.

Besides Uruguay born Mexican actress-model MTV winner Barbara Mori (Inspiraci"n) as its leading lady, its cast also includes Hollywood actors Nicholas Brown, Luce Rains, teven Michael Quezada, Jamie Haqqani, Dave Colon, Clark Sanchez, and Ronald Hamilton. Consulting producer is Gilley Grey; production design by

David Baca; special effects coordination by Skip Burrows; stunts by Mark Brooks, Bobby Burns, Edward Duran, Angelique Midthunder, and Chester E. Tripp III; and stunt coordinators Spiro Razatos and Denney Pierce. It was filmed in USA in Las Vegas (Nevada), Santa Fe (New Mexico), and Los Angeles (California).

Salsa dance based "Kites", film with ambiguous title, in English-Hindi-Spanish, budgeted around 30 million dollars, is slated for May 21 worldwide release in over 60 countries. Directed by ilmfare winner Anurag Basu (Life in a Metro), produced by Filmfare winner Rakesh Roshan (Krrish), "Kites" is a said to be a love story that defies boundaries-cultures-rules-barriers-anguage. Besides Mori, it stars Filmfare winner Hrithik Roshan (Jodhaa Akbar), Filmfare winner Kangana Ranaut (Gangster), Kabir Bedi (Take 3 Girls), etc. Its two versions-Hindi for domestic ndian audience and English for international audiences-were reportedly simultaneously shot. (ANI)

Two hot to handle

Source: HT

Date: February 23, 2010

He is a true style icon, and she, the sexiest woman, in Bollywood. Despite their almost carefree attitude to fashion, actors Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif together make a sizzling duo in their first ever shoot together for the cover of fashion glossy Harper’s Bazaar’s first anniversary issue.

The cover interview reveals that Kat is a brand-wary natural, while Hrithik is a self-confessed perfectionist. And despite the weight and beard he’s put on for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish, he has Katrina’s vote for India’s most stylish male star.

Kat, meanwhile, is mum on all questions related to beau Salman. “When Salman and I first became close, he wanted to keep it private, and after so many years I don’t see the need to change things,” she says.

She does admit to be looking forward to marriage. “I think it is a completion.” “Getting these style icons together for the first time is a coup,” says Sujata Assomull, Editor Harper’s Bazaar India.

Hrithik, Katrina's spicy shoot!

Source: India Today

Date: February 24, 2010

About five months ago, the Harper's Bazaar team began to plan the first anniversary issue and chose to celebrate the style of Bollywood, the biggest influence on fashion in India. The team soon realised it could not be just one person. It had to be a couple. It was a virtually unanimous decision that the most stylish man in Bollywood was Hrithik Roshan, and the most fashionable woman-Katrina Kaif. Of course, the fact that they are among the highest paid stars in Bollywood, with brands bombarding them for endorsements, as well super successful actors didn't hurt either. Bazaar India was sure they would make a very sexy and chic duo; in fact, it seemed strange that they hadn't worked together in a movie yet. So, here are the two hot looking actors of Bollywood in one frame!

Hrithik: Hot dude of Bollywood

It has been almost a decade since Kaho Naa...Pyaar Hai hit the screens and marked the birth of a new Bollywood superstar-Hrithik Roshan, who immediately broke millions of hearts by marrying Sussanne Khan. From the beginning, he established his calibre. He set hearts fluttering with his looks, won respect for his acting, wowed us with his dancing, and kept us surprised with his chameleon-like quality, changing his look from the child-man in Koi… Mil Gaya to sexy street-chic in Dhoom 2 (a film he describes as "fashion school"). "My job allows me to live the many people inside me," he says.

Style, marriage and more!

Katrina admits to looking forward to marriage - "I see it as a completion," she says. Until then, she seems set to continue her reign as one of the most beautiful women Bollywood has ever seen, one who has consistently been voted India's sexiest woman by leading lad mags. Her vote for India's most stylish male star is shared between Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan. At the Bazaar shoot, her on-screen chemistry with Hrithik was clear to see. And you can believe that when they get cast together (as is rumoured will happen soon), the tabloids will jump to conclusions.

On the Brand-wagon

Labels don't matter for Katrina, neither does jewellery; the only thing she looks for is fabric and cut. As for personal style, she is frank that hers has two facets - the actor and the girl-at-home. While the actor's red carpet look is all out glamour in classic, elegant dresses, the girl-at-home would rather lounge around in track pants. Roshan is very particular about what he wears - but then, he is a self-confessed perfectionist. "I can tell immediately if something is going to work on me or not," he says, picking Emporio Armani and Diesel as his favourite labels. While he's almost relaxed when it comes to red-carpet dressing, surrendering himself to the hands of the experts - his designers and wife Sussanne - he works closely with stylists for his look in a movie.

The wow factor

It was a decision that generated an enormous amount of buzz, in both Bollywood and the fashion industry. "They are the brightest beacons for style in Bollywood," said young director of the moment Zoya Akhtar, who worked with Roshan in Luck by Chance. "They would make a beautiful duo," observed Suneet Varma, who has dressed Hrithik in the soon-to-be-released film Kites and worked with Katrina when she was a Lakme model. "They are an unexpected pair, and there is no doubt that the imagery would have that wow factor. They both are among best-dressed in Bollywood," JJ Valaya exclaimed. Prasad Naik, who shot the two for Bazaar and has worked with both over the years, was equally enthusiastic when we approached him, responding that this would be a cover he would just have to shoot.

Dhoomsday

Source: Mumbai Mirror

Date: March 03, 2010

By:Vickey Lalwani

Fans from Rajasthan gathered outside Hrithiks residence to catch a glimpse of their favourite star on Holi on Monday

On Monday, Hrithik Roshans fans brought traffic to a standstill in an attempt to get a glimpse of their favourite star.

The drama unfolded at 1.30 pm, when around 30 Holi revellers gathered outside Hrithiks Juhu residence, Pallazio. They claimed to have especially come all the way from Rajasthan and requested the security guard to let them meet the actor. They called out Hrithiks name and started singing his songs. When their efforts failed to attract attention, some even tried to forcefully enter his residence but in vain.

Around 3pm, Hrithik came to the balcony and waved out to the euphoric fans who repeatedly started screaming, Krrish. The actor good-naturedly gestured to ask if he should swoop down like Krrish to meet them.

When asked if they would show the same enthusiasm to meet any other actor, they said, Nahin. Hrithik hamara bhagwan hai. Aaj darshan ho gaye.When asked what s so special about Hrithik, they replied, Uska dance pagal kar deta hai aadmi ko, and some of them started dancing like Hrithik in the song, It s magic, its magic from Koi Mil Gaya.

Bollywood Soars Toward Hollywood

LITTLE about Kites suggests Rush Hour. An extravagant Bollywood romantic thriller, Kites features the Indian star Hrithik Roshan and the Mexican actress Barbara Mori as mismatched lovers who can t speak each other`s language and end up on the run in New Mexico.

But last October, when the director Brett Ratner saw an unfinished version at a screening in Los Angeles, he found echoes of Rush Hour,his own Jackie Chan-Chris Tucker smash hit. It was two characters that were fish out of water, Mr. Ratner said in a telephone interview, only here it was an Indian and a Mexican. I`m not saying that Kites will be the box office hit that Rush Hour was, but I felt it had the potential to cross over to American audiences.

So Mr. Ratner, who until then had seen only a few Hindi films, offered to re-edit Kites and make it more accessible for mainstream America. Working with Mark Helfrich, his editor on the Rush Hour series and X-Men: The Last Stand, Mr. Ratner pared the 118-minute film to 90 minutes. He lost some of the elements that just wouldn t translate, including a song sequence featuring Mr. Roshan, and had the dialogue for all the characters, except the two leads, dubbed by American voices.

On May 21 the original Hindi version and Mr. Ratners reworked English version of Kites will be released simultaneously globally, receiving a much bigger push than is typical for an Indian movie in the United States.

For me it s about breaking barriers, Mr. Roshan said in Mumbai. The larger goal, the big dream, is to have an Indian film being watched by a world market.

Bollywood already has a world market. Indian cinema has an annual estimated audience of over three billion worldwide. South Asians are avid consumers, as are viewers in countries as varied as Germany, Malaysia and South Korea. But the worlds largest film market, the United States, has remained impervious to the seductions of song and dance. There are essentially two kinds of audiences in the West: mass and niche, said Nasreen Munni Kabir, a documentary filmmaker and authority on Indian cinema. The mass audience wants English-language films with known stars and familiar story lines. The niche audience accustomed to world cinema accepts subtitles, slightly longer films and unfamiliar actors. But these films must reflect a cultural, political and social reality of their country. Bollywood films by their very nature do not fit into either category.

That state of affairs is beginning to change, thanks in large part to the staggering success of “Slumdog Millionaire. Hollywood studios have made significant investments in Bollywood (with a few missteps along the way) and wouldn t mind their Indian movies translating around the world. It also helps that the definition of Bollywood has become more elastic. No longer a monolithic style that denotes stars, songs and melodrama, Bollywood has also come to encompass something else; over the last decade new filmmakers have tweaked the traditional form so that Hindi cinema also includes films without songs that are stark and rooted in contemporary Indian realities.

Even established filmmakers are willing to break boundaries. So in the recently released My Name Is Khan the director Karan Johar forgoes his trademark opulent songs and feel-good emotions for a more grim subject: the plight of American Muslims post-9/11. Bollywood`s biggest star, Shah Rukh Khan, plays the lead, a man with Asperger’s syndrome, who embarks on a journey to meet the American president, after his family is devastated by a hate crime. The film, which was largely shot in America and features extensive English dialogue, is the first Hindi film to be distributed by Fox Searchlight. The opening box office was solid My Name Is Khan ranked 13th on the United States charts, with nearly $2 million, but with a per-screen average higher than that of the Presidents Day weekend`s box office leader, Valentine`s Day and Fox is currently exploring options of releasing a shortened international version. (The movie has now made nearly $3.4 million in the United States, one of the best showings for a Bollywood film there.)

Even as overblown Bollywood extravaganzas are being reworked to suit more minimalist Western palates, smaller, grittier Hindi films are making inroads via the festival route. In January Peepli Live, a low-budget black comedy about farmer suicides in central India, became the first Hindi film selected for competition at Sundance. In February Peepli Livescreened at the Berlin Film Festival, alongside another crossover candidate: Road, Movie. A whimsical tale of a traveling cinema in rural India, Road, Movie” was co-produced by Ross Katz, whose credits include the Oscar-nominated Lost in Translation.Fortissimo Films acquired distribution rights last year (another first for a Hindi film) and, according to Mr. Katz, Road, Movie should reach United States theaters later this year.

He acknowledged that getting people to attend a subtitled Hindi film might be tricky, but the crowd-pleasing nature of the film might help. Road, Movie is a celebration of the movies, Mr. Katz said in a telephone interview. There is an infectious quality in the film, which hopefully will translate to global audiences.

It’s doubtful that any of these films will pull off a Slumdog-style success, but there`s hope for making bigger inroads in the United States. Rakesh Roshan, who produced Kites, was cautiously optimistic as he supervised the sound mix of the Hindi-language Kites at a recording studio in Mumbai. I think we havent been able to make a Crouching Tiger so far because you need guts, and you need a vision, he said. Maybe Kites won`t work, but at least we took a step forward.

Meanwhile Mr. Ratner has already figured out his next move:I would love to make a movie in Bollywood, he said. I would do American stars in an Indian musical. That s my idea.