Language trouble for 'Kites'

prithvi.k

on off on off......
When you take a chance with a film like Kites that, in Hrithik Roshan’s words, is more like pasta than biryani, there are bound to be problems. For example, in the interiors of a state like Bihar where conversations with the cows are the highlight of the day, it’s hardly likely to be a dialogue in Spanish while coaxing more milk out of the bovines.

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Audiences in Bihar were left scratching their heads mid-film while Hrithik and Barbara cooed to each other in Spanish and English. This is not what the distributors had bargained for. At the very least, a film based on spaghetti westerns, was meant to have strung along a predictable but coherent thought process: guns, chases and ineffectual cops who arrive just as the action is getting over.

Pretty straightforward stuff, even if the lovers don’t walk off happily into the sunset. Hrithik jumped off a cliff into the sea, and that was pretty much the state of the viewers, who felt as much at sea as the lead actors.

Not surprisingly then, Gopal Bhartiya, the Bihar distributor of Kites, is fuming because the producers sold the film saying that it’s a Hindi film despite most of the dialogue being Spanish and English. Bhartiya is all set to file a case against the filmmakers.

Gopal Bhartiya confirmed the news and said, “I am in a state of shock. I am just back from Mumbai where I met the CEO of Big Pictures (co-producer) Kamal Gyanchandani and Rakesh Roshan. I clearly told them that what they did is not right. When most people in Bihar do not understand English, how are they supposed to understand Spanish? I will file a case against them.

Everyone was aware that the girl (Barbara Mori’s character) is not Indian so we could digest the fact that she speaks a foreign language but what did they make Hrithik speak English throughout the film? The filmmakers have not only cheated us but also the audience who have paid money to watch the film.

I have lost so much money on the film. I wonder how the censor board gave a certificate to Kites as a Hindi film. I am currently exploring my legal options. All I want to say right now is that I won’t stay quiet till I get justice.”

Bhartiya’s association with Rakesh Roshan goes back a long way. “I had also released Rakesh Roshan’s Khudgarz (1987) and Khoon Bhari Maang (1988). He is one of the most reputed filmmakers, which is why we buy his films. He should not have kept us in the dark about the film’s language. Although Gyanchandaniji has assured me monetary compensation, I am not taking his word for it,” he added.

Kamal Gyanchandani said, “We have been meeting all our distributors. I think it’s presumptuous to comment on the legal notice as we haven’t received it yet. The film is still in its initial days so we can’t say if the language is affecting the collections.”

When asked if the Bihar distributor complained about the language, Gyanchandani said, “I would not like to comment on the specifics of what transpired between us and the distributors in the meetings. We will only react if we get a legal notice.”
 
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