Hrithik in Kites

Has Rakesh Roshan, the super salesman (who made a table profit even with the indifferently-received Krazzy 4), made a killing by pre-selling his new Hrithik film Kites for Rs 120 crore? “Where have people got that from,” wonders the slick film-maker. “Because the question of selling Kites so soon doesn’t arise at all.” The film trade may be abuzz over the big deal but the truth is RR is too good a businessman to look at short-term gains when he can afford to wait and play a much bigger game.

He couldn’t sell the concept of Krrish internationally as India’s answer to Superman, as it essentially remained just another successful Hindi film. But Rakesh Roshan hasn’t given up the Western dream. “Kites will be a big, expensive film because I want to sell it in the international market,” discloses Roshan Sr. “We’re making it on an international scale, it will be top quality entertainment with no compromises. The action sequences will match international standards.”

His big plus is that Kites is a subject where the lingo won’t matter. It can be seen and understood anywhere in the world. “The boy (Hrithik) and girl (US-based Barbara Mori) don’t understand each other’s language. She speaks only Spanish while he could speak any language — English, Hindi, Bengali, French, anything, since she won’t understand him any way. And then slowly they begin to relate to each other because ultimately it’s all aami tomake bhalo baashi!” laughs the producer. You can understand the slip into Bengali since RR’s director, Anurag Basu, is a Bengali. Rakesh Roshan himself is half-Bengali — mom Ira was a Bengali who married the Punjabi musician, Roshan. In fact, dida was a great favourite with Hrithik Roshan until she passed away a couple of years ago.