A flight cut short?

A gorgeous Indian hunk falls head over heels in love with a feisty Mexican beauty. Add a number of tunes and some bone-breaking dance moves, and what do you get? A certain film called Kites, of course!  Metrolife spoke to a few movie-buffs, who went for the paid preview of the much-awaited cross border love story, Kites.

Vishwanathan, an employee with a creative technology firm, is a die-hard Hrithik fan and was waiting for Kites. However, all his expectations went down the drain after watching the film. “The strengths of the actors haven’t been used at all. By the time you realise something is happening, the first half is over. While the second half has some action that makes the film bearable,” he complains. “Looks like the makers didn’t know whether they are making an action film or a romantic film.”

Ask him about the music and he says, “Was there any music? A romantic film needs a good score and the songs don’t have any effect.” To sum it all, he says, “What was promoted as a red hot spicy film turned out to be a bland European one for me.”
Raksha Shetty was very keen on going for the premiere but was disappointed on not getting tickets. “I wanted to be the first one to see Kites. I wanted to see Hrithik unleash his magic onscreen. I drool over his dance performances. He acts really well and gives his best which makes him a bankable actor.”

Brian, an account manager, thinks the movie was decent. “It’s like a Hollywood film in Hindi. There is no masala and it’s a straightforward love story,” he says. “Hrithik and Barbara make a good pair. The direction and the acting is good. The movie is meant for a modern audience.” He adds, “It’s crisp and tight with some nice songs in the background.”

Most film-buffs agree that though the dance sequences are good, there are very few of them. “They are there only in the first ten minutes of the film,” says Hemanth, who works for Round Table and organises many shows with Kites’ premiere being one of them. “Most of my friends, who came said ‘Forget Kites. Let’s wait for Raajneeti,” he jokes. “The worst part was that though the film was just two hours long, it was slow-paced and seemed really long.” He laughs sarcastically, “For the first time in a Hindi film, a song was being played when a car chase sequence was going on.” He adds, “The movie doesn’t live up to the hype. In fact, many people walked out of the theatre ten minutes before it ended.”

EXPERT SPEAK
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh feels the movie is a “big letdown”. “It’s body beautiful minus the soul. It’s like a mannequin that doesn’t have life. It does have some great locations and Hrithik is a powerhouse. Kangana is wasted and Barbara is good but looks mature for her part.” He adds, “But the writing is too weak and the story is nothing new. There is nothing international about it.”