/> Star Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Kangna Ranaut, Barbara Mori, Kabir Bedi, Nick Brown, Yuri Suri

Story / Writer: Akash Khurana, Anurag Basu, Robin Bhatt

Music Director: Rajesh Roshan

Producer: Rakesh Roshan, Sunaina Roshan

Director: Anurag Basu

SantaBanta Rating: **

So, the Hrithik biggie is finally here and looking all loaded. Picture this, our very own Greek god on the run with this exotic babe from the far-far-away. Together they defy an omnipotent capo and his trigger-happy son who has sworn to hunt them down.

Add a dash of breathtaking locales, adrenalin pumping action and some steamy scenes to the tale of these incongruous lovers and voila... ‘Kites' is ready to soar at the box-office across the globe or so thinks Mr Anurag basu.

But alas, all the good things about Kites only end up on writer's desk and what you see on screen is one confused attempt by the director who can't decide between his Bollywood roots and Hollywood style, and ends up delivering a hackneyed wild goose chase. I mean, come on, it took three people to write a chase film so predictable?

First half, with its monotonous music and prolonged love-dovey glances, hampers the fast paced opening to the story in the sin-city where avaricious J makes his living as a salsa dancer.

As a sideline, he marries immigrant women to get them green cards. When Gina (Kangna), the rich daughter of a powerful casino owner Bob (Kabir Bedi), falls for him, J. goes along in order to marry into money.

He discovers that his future brother-in-law, the vicious, homicidal Tony (Nick Brown), is about to marry a beautiful Mexican woman named Natasha (Barbara Mori), whom J knows as Linda, the last of the immigrant women he married. Love blooms 'again' between the two and they elope by ditching the jilted brother-sister duo.

We, as not so privileged moviegoers, don't get too see the real taste of Hrithik and Barbara's steamy romance, which is specially crafted in the 90-minute song-less thriller for their first-world audience. Instead we get to see them as half-naked fugitives squabbling in Spanish, English and god-knows-what at an outpost and at best nuzzling at times.

Even the climax sequence, which was supposed to be the emotional highpoint of the film, evoked mirth from the audience, clearly exposing the chinks in the director's plot.

To his credit Mr Basu, aptly goes back and forth with the narrative and gives a fine visual appeal to his project but a plot sans any major twists makes J and Natasha's love-on-the-run a non-starter.


Performance-wise, Hrithik shines in his role though, at places, it seems he is pitching a bit too hard for his case in Hollywood. Barbara Mori despite over flashing her toothy smile manages to engage the audience with her Mexican good looks and Spanish charm.

Kangna is merely doing a favour to Mr Basu in Kites with her cameo. Kabir Bedi as suave rich-daddy is a predictable replica of his earlier performances.

Nick Brown, clearly, seems to be watching wrong sort of movies to prepare for his Tony-the-wacko-brother part. If it is his natural style then I'm even more sorry him as an actor. His anger and actions are incomprehensible at times even by his own standards.

Music by Rajesh Roshan not only lacks the magic but also hampers the prospects of Kites being a slick thriller.

As for Mr Basu, he has made a very average effort in Kites. Now it's time for him to accept the consequences like a man or as they'll tell it in Spanish- ‘A lo hecho, pecho', Mr Basu.