Ultimate Bollywood » Bollywood Features » 2010
Music is an efficient part of our movies, and it brings lot of money to the producer - Anurag Basu
by Raj S. Rangarajan
Continuing our series on Kites (Hindi) and its just-released Hollywood version - Kites, The Remix - Producer of the movie, Rakesh Roshan, Director Anurag Basu and Rajesh Roshan, Music Director tell us why they made the film.
Desiclub.com: How come you didn't direct Kites?
Rakesh: So happened I saw Anurag's Gangster and loved his work. He is one youngster who knows what filmmaking is all about. I told him, "I would like Hrithik to work with you in your next project." His response, "I make only small films, so for Hrithik I'd need to make a large film with a large canvas." Once I narrated the storyline Anurag was hooked and agreed to direct. I don't have to achieve anything; we have to make a good film, whoever directs is not important. I liked the way he worked.
In India, mostly, we give breaks to new actors or actresses, but we never think of giving a break to a new talented director. In those days movies were 5 crores of rupees, nowadays movies are more than 20 crores to make. We have to suppress our ego and give the project to somebody else, its not an easy thing. Once the script and vision were embedded in his mind he (Anurag) went along. I know what a filmmaker requires. I gave them the best location, best shooting facility, I should not deprive him of anything. I said, I am behind you like a rock. Don't worry about time and money, just spend money as need at the right place.
Desiclub.com: Your father was also in films and so is your son. All fathers have faith in their children, but at what stage did you decide that Hrithik, the actor is ready to become Hrithik, the star?
Rakesh: Well, when we are at home, we are having breakfast and lunch, together at the same table, we are father and son, we discuss so many things, but the moment we are at the set, he is an actor for me. There I don't see him as a son.
I have worked with Shahrukh (Khan), Salman (Khan), Anil (Kapoor), they are very good, we understand each other very well. Right from the word "Script", he (Hrithik) is there - he is in the place of the character.
Desiclub.com: Why an International version?
Rakesh: Because we wanted to be the first to go global. China and Korea have made International versions, India is lagging behind. After Kaho Naa.. Pyaar Hai, (where Hrithik debuted in 2000) and Koi Mil Gaya and 15 films (as director), its time specially since we have an Indian diaspora. I had to keep the Indian audience, cannot make a movie just for the foreign audience. Once we are successful, a time will come when we have to make just one version.
Desiclub.com: How difficult was it to shoot in Nevada? Are permissions easy to obtain?
Rakesh: I went and saw the location, and it took 2 months to obtain permissions. To a question on whether it was a meaningful experience to shoot in Mexico, Rakesh said, "it all depends on the script since the scripts demands what kind of location to choose. For instance I went to New Zealand for the first time to shoot for Kaho Naa.. Pyaar Hai and, for Koyi Mil Gaya, to Singapore. Some scenes were shot in English for Kites and some for the Hindi version. I felt only a love story would appeal to a global market and I wouldn't mind if one day my grandchildren entered the film industry."
Desiclub.com: Do you think music and melody has changed?
Rajesh Roshan, music director for the film, who was present, defended the concept that "we have all grown with the times, and have become more westernised, but that doesn't mean we have lost our tradition and soul. For instance, Rahman's music has scored very high marks for Slumdog; melody in Indian films and music has surpassed its limit, and will continue to survive. On the music aspect, Rajesh Roshan, Rakesh's brother explained how the sound track was original in that the beat had to be individually synchronized."
Expanding on their family unit, Rakesh added, "In our family as brothers we are very cohesive." In an interesting take on how film makers nowadays come to Rajesh Roshan with a pre-recorded tape of a western tune, and ask him to work on a similar melody for their film, Rajesh said, it was degrading for a music director. Rakesh calls his brother, the king of melody.
Rajesh ads, "It is not like a Bollywood film in that we had to add some extra scenes for the Hindi filmgoer to understand. We just went with our instincts since the songs are mostly in the background. Background scores in both versions are different. The mixing was done in Los Angeles and the background score for the English version was done by New Zealander, Graeme Revell, a film music composer.
Anurag declares: A film becomes big or small with ideas not with a large budget.
Desiclub.com: It was a huge budget film, what was the challenge?
Anurag: Making smaller films are more difficult because of shoestring budgets. Here, it was easy, had a free hand, and all I had to do was write. When asked about the budget, Rakeshji just said, "don't think of the film, you just write the script."
Desiclub.com: How you feel about the International cut? Do you have any inputs at all?
Anurag: All the songs in Kites are taking the story ahead, they are background songs, and it wasn't difficult to replace the score and have a fresh background score for the English version. When we write screenplay for Indian movies, we structure it differently. We plan for pre-interval, then for 15 minutes you are disconnected with the movie and then you start again. So, it has to be edited differently for the English version - something with Hollywood sensibilities.
For the International version, its the same film, but some sequences have been cut differently, and we have about 4 or 5 songs in the Hindi version, but all in the background. The international version has no songs and no dancing, but is expected be "racier, edgier and spunkier" than the Hindi edit. The English version was edited by Brett Ratner (using a remix formula originated by the international Kung Faux television series).
Desiclub.com: Brett Ratner is responsible for the International version. Now, looking at the International version, do you feel its like your film?
Anurag: Yes, its my film, most of the edits are mine, but, yes, in some places the background music could have been different?its very subjective?in some places I didn't like the background in the English version.
Desiclub.com: Was it a love story with action or an action story with love?
Anurag: I will not use action at all in the genre description, it's a love story all over. Who's betraying whom is the interesting aspect? Kites is written as a metaphor of the film. It took 30 days to write the script and it was easier in this case since the flow was fast. While writing I thought, kites fly high against and not with the wind - higher the wind, higher the flight - I normally use a metaphor when writing, and its interesting -- the more the obstacles the couple faced, their love became stronger. They fly all over, they come together, and they separate again like kites normally do but somehow their destiny is not in their hands. The title also starts with a 'K', sort of played conveniently into Rakesh Roshan's practice that all his films start with the letter 'K'.
Desiclub.com: Working with Hrithik what did he bring as an actor and how did you direct him?
Anurag: In fact, now with any story, any character I can see Hrithik in it. He is such a versatile actor. Initially I was apprehensive working with a big star, I used to avoid it - as an independent film maker, but Hrithik is a complete team-man, he knows his medium very well, he has a bit of director, a bit of a cameraman, editor, everything in him, he has a film-brain, all of which helps. All of this helped me as a filmmaker.
Hrithik was honest and organic. Barbara complained that I was messy. Our Bollywood acting comes over the top and loud sometimes, but this movie was real and unorganic. So, when you are working with a superstar, normally you see only the superstar, not the character. In Hrithik's case, all you see is the character, not the superstar.
Desiclub.com: Should Indian cinema go global?
Anurag: Why not, everything in India is becoming global, why not Indian cinema as well? Take China and Korea, we make ten times more movies than them but they make ten times more money since their audiences are global. I feel we are concentrating too much on the domestic market. Its an exciting time for Indian cinema?all of us young directors think that we have become global, but we are far from being global. Our audiences are just NRIs now who live here.
Desiclub.com: Is there a reluctance on the part of the global audience to look down on Bollywood for instance, Luck By Chance and Rock On? Do you think Kites will help that perception?
Anurag: They were good movies and we have to continuously churn out such movies to help our image. When they talk of Bollywood directors, they only think of Mira Nair, Shekhar Kapur, they have only two names; they don't know me, Karan Johar, Sanjay Leela Bhansali. We are too busy making movies for our own market in India, and we all want to cater to larger audiences. But, a different kind of marketing is needed to reach the large audience that would enjoy a Luck by Chance or a Rock On.
Desiclub.com: What next for Anurag Basu?
Anurag: Working on one, no title yet but with Ranbir and a new girl. It's a love story and a mixed genre, interesting character and story, have a metaphor too, you are up there as a film maker, but everyone is waiting and watching to see how Kites will perform at the Box office. A film becomes big or small with ideas not with a large budget.
Music is an efficient part of our movies. And, it brings lot of money to the producer, and also it has to be used differently every time. I love watching the dances and all the sequences including MTV but when I go on the floor to shoot I find it difficult to shoot the dance sequence. Its perhaps my drawback.
In Bollywood, you record the song, and then go for shooting. But for two sequences I didn't want to do that. I shot the sequences, and edited it but I had had a rough tempo in my mind. Rajesh Roshan suggested tempos too but it was tougher for him to compose, and we didn't have to edit or tweak too much. You can't make out that the song was done later.
Desiclub.com: Did you have to do lot of research since Barbara speaks only Spanish?
Anurag: Barbara herself did not speak much of English, now she's speaking good English, now she's real. My job in the film is a little overrated because I just captured her onscreen chemistry in the best possible way. They were amazing on the screen, I just had to shoot it because it was all real, and happening. They were trying to communicate in spite of the difficulties. I didn't want to make it appear staged. So, I briefed them and they understood, and I shot the scene.
Desiclub.com: So, is the headline, Kites helps Barbara speak English?
Anurag said, Yes.
[Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based independent writer. He covers trend stories on art, reviews books and films for media based in New York; Toronto, Canada; Seoul, Republic of Korea; and India. He can be reached at raj.rangarajan@gmail.com]
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