K.I.T.E.S - a five letter word which according to the makers of this film depicts a beautiful facet of love between two people, where the couple doesn’t realize that their fate is controlled by someone else. Fact is they are talking nonsense! Directed by Anurag Basu, the film brings together the hit jodi of Hrithik Roshan, Rakesh Roshan and Rajesh Roshan. The trio had decent films to their credit till date, Kaho Na Pyaar Hai, Koi Mil Gayaa and Krishh. However, with their latest venture ‘Kites’, the zing goes missing. Joining them this time are Barbara Mori (a Mexican actress) and Kangana Ranaut. The film narrates the story of J, an Indian who teaches Salsa in Las Vegas and his tryst with Linda, a Mexican illegal immigrant.

What’s the Story : Hrithik Roshan stars as J, an Indian who teaches Salsa in Las Vegas. His student, Gina (Kangana Ranaut) falls in love with him; however J distances himself from her. J’s ambition is earn lot of money and when runs out of money, he gets into Green Card scam which involves him marrying illegal immigrants. Quite soon he realizes that Gina is the daughter of one of the richest businessmen in the city and pretends that he’s in love with her. Eventually, he’s invited to attend a family event where he bumps into his future sister-in-law, Natasha (Barbara Mori). Sparks fly every time they see eye to eye and deep down they realize that they are in love with each other despite not speaking the same language. How does this predicament change their lives? Will their love withstand the consequences of their big decision? That forms the rest of this story.

What is Good: The film was probably made with a budget of close to Rs.50-60 crores and it shows on screen. It’s not the glossy, Karan Johar kind of film; however Anurag Basu and Rakesh Roshan have gone to extreme limits to make this film look authentic. Most of the story is set in Las Vegas and the hinterlands of New Mexico, Los Angeles with breathtaking landscapes. Most of the film is set on the road and the action choreography especially the car chases has been well picturised. There’s another interesting aspect which has to be keenly observed. The film works the best when there are no dialogues! Salim-Sulaiman’s background score for the film compliments the emotions especially that of Hrithik with his rugged look. Ayananka Bose’s cinematography is slick and pleasing on the eyes. Avik Ali’s editing is great and there’s hardly a frame which looks unnecessary, but it’s not his fault that the conversations turn out to be boring!

Of the star cast, Hrithik is terrific when he doesn’t talk much. There’s only one dance sequence and the actor once again dazzles us with his cool moves. The Mexican actress, Barbara Mori gets into the skin of her character, probably that’s because she plays herself. Of course, I am not taking about the illegal immigrant part of the story. She’s quite pleasing on your eyes, if you know what I mean. Kangana Ranaut hardly has a role in the film and she’s pretty good in her small role. Nick Brown, as the hot blooded Indo-American named Tony looks frustrated all the time on screen for a good reason. His girlfriend ditches him. Despite decent performances from the lead actors, there’s something inexplicably missing in this film.

What is bad: First things first, the film gets off to a flying start and then you wait for the kites to soar. They hardly ever do. Although the premise that two people from different cultures, languages fall in love seems interesting, ‘Kites’ falters from the lack of a gripping narrative. It’s true that the screenplay of the film is good, but it’s a tad too predictable when it comes to the actual turn of events. The first look of Hrithik is a give away of what might have happened and even the story is narrated in intermittent flashbacks, you can easily work it out. The conversations between the lead characters are perhaps the biggest drawbacks of the film. They don’t understand each other’s language. Sometimes they let their eyes do the talking. But when it comes to translating their language in bits and pieces for the other person, it’s hard to take it seriously. Either they talk a lot or talk too little to keep their chemistry going. If I may add, most of the characters in the film are hard to empathize because despite being thrown in adverse circumstances, they still behave like the heroes and villains back in the 70’s. The novelty is missing and it’s a pity considering the fact that the film was meant for an international audience. Music by Rajesh Roshan and the songs are pretty disappointing.

Bottomline: Love stories are usually cheesy or plain dumb. This one is neither of them. It’s shockingly boring. Perhaps the only part where it catches you by surprise is the climax. The film shall henceforth be remembered for two reasons – 1) Barbara Mori 2) Hrithik-Barbara’s onscreen chemistry when they don’t talk to each other. Whatever maybe the case, the film leaves you gasping for Mori…err…more wind which could have taken the Kites higher. For now, I can safely conclude that neither Anurag Basu nor Rakesh Roshan had a clue to what had happened to the thread connecting the idea and the actual film. This Indianization of a Mexican Salsa is a little too alien on our taste buds. Two big thumbs down for ‘Kites’. Watch it if you must, but don’t forget to carry your pillow along. They had everything to make a perfect recipe, but the film is a little too confused when it comes to deciding to whom it’s serving!