Why Kites is Called Kites: Director Anurag Basu Clarifies

Anurag Basu, the director of Murder, Life in a Metro and Gangster is clueless why he was chosen to direct Kites “I do not know why Rakesh Roshan took me as a director. Rakesh Roshan had seen my film Gangster. During that time, Life In A Metro wasn't released. He called me and said, "I've got a story for Hrithik in mind. I want you to direct it." At that time, I said, "No." Knowing Hrithik's star status, I always wondered why would Hrithik do my film. I was a small director who was busy with an ensemble cast film titled Life In A Metro. Plus, I had also heard that he is doing a Raj Kumar Hirani film, Aditya Chopra's film, etc. But Rakesh gave me an idea to work on. Then when I met him at the 2007, IIFA Awards in Yorkshire, he told me, "Have you done something about the idea Anurag?" That's when on the way back to India on the flight I started writing the script. Kites isn't the usual Film Kraft films which we're used to seeing. Hrithik took a walk around his hall and instantly said, 'yes'

Why is the movie Kites called Kites? Director Anurag Basu explains, In the film, I needed some metaphor. The title Kites isn't forced in. There is a saying that kites fly high in the sky, not with the wind but against the wind. Hrithik and Barbara are the kites who are flying high. Their love is unstoppable and they go against the world but there is someone who is controlling these kites. And when they fly too close, there is a risk of losing one. We took the title Kites from one of the dialogues in our film.


About making a big film after small films
It is more difficult to make smaller films. If one can do a small film, that person can do bigger films easily. In big films, everything is available. In small films, you have to manage with very little. In fact, when he (Rakesh Roshan) asked me how many days I would take to make a film, I said 90 days. He told me it would take 130 days. I said, 'I have made two films in 130 days.' One day I needed a helicopter shot, so very reluctantly I asked him if I could have it for just a day. He gave it to me for three days. Now, I am spoiled!

Rakesh Roshan's interference with Kites
I was tense when I started. I am impulsive and indecisive. He's very organised. He wants everything on paper. I guess he got a little irritated when he used to ask what shot I would take in the morning and I would say, 'I don't know. I will go there and decide.'
He must have started wondering what I was doing. I just told him, 'I work this way.' It took a week or 10 days for us to understand each other. He was not there on the sets every day. He is a director, so he knew he should not be there.


Hrithik Roshan was not prepared for Kites
Director Anurag Basu had a big challenge in front of him when he had to direct one of India’s best actors: Hrithik Roshan. “ He is very natural.” Anurag says, “. He prepares a lot, reads his script, does his rehearsals and then comes on the sets. For this film, I didn't want that. I wanted to throw him in the middle of the sea this time with no preparations. I wanted to see what happens if Hrithik is unprepared. It was very difficult. I wanted an imperfect Hrithik in Kites, and he is very good in that. We had a ball. You'll see a completely new Hrithik in Kites."