CCTVs to monitor Hrithik's household staff

Rakesh Roshan has installed nine close-circuit television cameras in the three floors of his house inorder to ensure the safety of his family. And the senior Roshan personally monitors the footage from each of the cameras. This way, he can keep a tab on the comings and goings in his house. The cameras are aimed at the entrances to the house and in the kitchen. Apparently, he had ordered the cameras a long time ago, but has installed them only recently.

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When will Hrithik’s Kites fly?

Probably the most highly anticipated flick of the year, the release of Hrithik Roshan starrer Kitesis still quite uncertain this year.

The kind of hoopla created around Kites was one of the reasons for it being tagged as the most awaited film of the year. The rumours generated reportedly by the Roshan camp themselves about the Hrithik, Barbara link - up got only more steamy after having a look at the film’s sizzling promos. While some tagged the release date to be on December 11, others pushed it to December 18. News is that it could also be pushed up till December 25 to compete against big daddy Aamir’s next release Three Idiots.

However Papa Roshan had earlier explained to us, “The release date of Kites is still not zeroed upon as we want the film to have a global opening. I want to involve the international market with the film’s release and the technicality of the entire situation is taking its time. As the film is being made in both the Hindi and English language, the dubbing process is still ongoing.” For the time being, Rakesh Roshan is still in Los Angeles, negotiating with Hollywood studios, and his representative here said that the date will be finalised once he reached Indian shores, which could probably be by the end of this month or early next month.

There is a lot of effort being put to bring a happy end to this year with the three big releases, Raju Hirani’s Three Idiots, Kites and Karan Johar’s My Name is Khan respectively. The year 2009 has been a bad one for Bollywood considering the producer-multiplex strike played a major dampener leaving these films dillydallying on a tight rope. These eagerly awaited films are facing stiff competition with the dozens of other films that are already fighting for the Diwali-Chritsmas holidays to cash in on.

Here’s hoping these films get to see the light of day, this year in itself!

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No Kites flying for Roshans this year

The buzz is that Rakesh Roshan’s most ambitious and hottest film to date — Kites with Hrithik Roshan and the Mexican livewire Barbara Mori in the lead — will now release on January 15, 2010 instead of December 18, 2009.

A producer close to the Roshans says, “Kaho Na Pyaar Hai, Hrithik’s debut vehicle, released on January 14, 2000. It is the film that catapulted him to superstardom. Now the Roshans are seriously contemplating on releasing Kites — Hrithik’s foray into the international market, exactly a decade after KNPH to celebrate the actor’s tenth year as a superstar.

At the moment in Bollywood, Hrithik is the only one with a double whammy to his name, with Dhoom 2 and Krishh occupying a place of pride in the Top 5 all time grossers. Rakesh Roshan told BT, “I will take a decision by September 10 on whether I’m coming in December this year or next January.”

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Kites will fly in december

Hrithik Roshan's much-awaited flick will release worldwide on December 18

After much hoopla and indecision, it's finally official. Anurag Basu's Kites will release on December 18. And no, the film was not delayed due to editing issues.

Rather, it was waiting for international buyers. Says a source, "Now that there's a slump in the international market, Kites won't wait for international buyers any longer.

The producers will give the film on a commission basis to international distributors."

The decision to release Kites on December 18 was taken after watching the film's final cut. Post-editing, the film is apparently an erotic feast.

The love scenes between Hrithik and Mori are sizzling and the producers have nothing to worry about.

Rakesh Roshan admits they're looking at December 18 as the worldwide release date for Kites.

"But there are details that still need to be worked out and I'd rather not talk about it until everything is in place," he said. Adds Anurag, "Yes, we are looking at the date. I've left the final decision to Roshanji and Eros."
Song Chopped

Meanwhile, according to sources, Rakesh and Anurag had a difference of opinion over retaining a Barbara-Hrithik song.

Rakesh, weaned on commercial cinema, thought it was an USP, while Anurag thought it hampered the film's flow.

The song now goes off. However, Anurag insisted, "As for the songs, they all carry the story forward. If we remove one, I'll have to re-edit the film for continuity."

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Farah Khan’s song cut from ‘Kites’

Choreographer hasn’t been informed by Roshans

Post the birth of her triplets, Farah Khan rarely choreographs a song. Lack of time is one of the main reasons, though she does make an exception for friends.

She choreographed songs in “Billu” and “Dostana”, exceptions she made for close friends Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar, who produced the two films respectively. The only other song she has choreographed recently is for the Hrithik Roshan starrer “Kites”, produced by Rakesh Roshan.

The sensuous song, which is a salsa number, took two and a half days to complete.

However, according to reports, the song has been chopped from the film. And, what’s hurting Farah the most is that no one has bothered to inform her about this.

Apparently, “Kites” was running too long and needed a cut. The first victim of the cut was the song choreographed on Hrithik and Barbara Mori by Farah. However, the Roshans have yet not told Farah about her song being deleted from the film though two weeks have passed since the decision was taken.

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Hrithik’s 'Kites' to release in December

The much-talked about Hrithik Roshan starrer "Kites" is scheduled for December release and producer Rakesh Roshan and director Anurag Basu have also agreed on how different the English and Hindi versions of the film would be.

The supposed steamy scenes between Hrithik and his co-star Barbara Mori would be the same in both versions.

"We can't cheat Hindi audiences. The so-called steamy scenes will be the same in both versions. The visuals will remain unchanged in both. There won't be anything radically different in the two versions because Hrithik and Barbara speak English-Hindi and Spanish, respectively in both English and Hindi," Basu told IANS.

Also there would be voice-overs in Hindi and English, both done by Hrithik whose love story the film chronicles in a style that would recall David Lean's "Brief Encounter" and K. Balachander's "Ek Duuje Ke Liye".

About being designated the director of the decade at International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards in Macau, Rakesh Roshan said: "I'm flattered. There were other truly deserving directors in the reckoning. I must've done something right."

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Hrithik, Barbara Mori get too cosy at Cannes

While it's chilly in Cannes, the lead pair of Kites 'keep each other warm'; the duo appears quite comfy with the 'closeness' they share

Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Mori seem to have thrown caution to the wind. The twosome were spotted dining in close comfort at the Croisette restaurant in Cannes after the Kites press conference.

Says a source, "Their chairs were too close for comfort. Considering that it is cold in Cannes, the duo seemed to be giving each other a lot of warmth."

Barbara and Hrithik also attended the India Party thrown by Vijay Mallya on a luxury yacht. Says a source, "Hand-in-hand, they looked pretty cosy, even as papa Roshan walked a discreet two steps behind."

It is learnt that Hrithik did not accompany his dad and Kites director Anurag Basu when they flew into Cannes. Hrithik left a day later and without biwi Sussanne. Barbara jetted into the festival from Mexico.

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In Pics: Hrithik,Barbara Mori,Rakesh Roshan at 'Bright Star' Premiere at Cannes 2009

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Papa sanctions Hrithik-Barbara kiss!

Rakesh Roshan is in a bittersweet mood.

The filmmaker, who went to Cannes to showcase his next venture Kites, spoke to BT about the buzz around the film because of the onscreen chemistry (and kiss) between the lead pair — his son Hrithik and Mexican model-actress Barbara Mori — that reportedly carried on off the sets in Mumbai. Rakesh, who has made half a dozen blockbusters including Khudgarz, Khoon Bhari Maang, Karan Arjun, Kaho Na Pyaar Hai, Koi Mil Gaya and Krishh, is aware that the hype and the hoopla surrounding Kites is something else. Happily, this has translated into business for him, and the worldwide rights of Kites have apparently been sold for Rs 150 crore. But Rakesh, who accompanied Hrithik and Barbara to the international film festival at Cannes, cannot help feeling as infuriated about the whole thing as he is excited.

Were the steamy scenes in Kites added to woo the international audience?
There will be two versions of Kites, one for the Indian market and the other for the international. To assume we added steamy scenes to woo an international audience is ridiculous! We’ve just made a film where we have changed the rules. And there is some intimacy between Hrithik and Barbara because they’re playing a couple in love. Hrithik had to kiss Barbara, what else could he do? Sing songs
with her like we do in our Hindi movies? It is his job as an actor to do what the filmmaker tells him.

Were you embarrassed watching their intimacy on the sets?
I fail to understand why everyone is asking me this question. It is silly. If as a filmmaker I can watch Hrithik jumping from a five-storey building in Krishh, why should I be uncomfortable watching him do a kiss? It is his character in Kites who is kissing Barbara. It is just a job.

Do you agree that Kites is your most hyped film?
I know there is huge excitement, and expectation, over Kites. I’m not doing anything deliberate to hype the film. We showcased it at the film festival and the international media went gaga over it. I was at Vijay Mallya’s party in Cannes and everyone was curious about Kites. Most western newspapers and magazines have written about Hrithik. For me as a father and a filmmaker, it’s a proud moment.

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In Pics: Hrithik Roshan,Barbara Mori Poses for Kites Photocall at Cannes 2009

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What's happening in Bollywood!

Hot women like Bipasha Basu, Shilpa Shetty and Diana Hayden dominate today’s line up with an exception

Fa Girl: The uber stylish and sexy Bipasha Basu launches Fa’s men’s deodorant. They may never say it, but women love using men’s deodorants and perfumes. We love her electric blue belt and chunky wedges.


Coffee Date: A winning contestant enjoys coffee with Diana Hayden at Bandra’s Carter Road CCD outlet.


Coupling: Teejay Sidhu and hubby Karan Vir Bohra enjoy their cuppa at CCD Carter Road


Cover Girl: Shilpa Shetty sets the June 2009 cover of Grazia on fire in an Azara by Alpana and Neeraj white mini.


They Cannes: Hrithik, Barbara and Rakesh Roshan walk the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival to promote Kites. Hrithik and Barbara look smouldering


Lucky Girl: Former beauty queen Parvathy Omanakuttan is a lucky girl to have made it to the Cannes Film Festival. She graced the red carpet at the premiere of ‘Fish Tail’.

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Kites’s website launched

Kites has made it to the Cannes Film Festival and Hrithik and Barbara are all set to walk the red carpet on Sunday. The official website of Kites has been launched. Take a look:

I could watch kites flying forever up in the sky, free, dancing in the sky with no worries...


Like two lovers, they meet, they fight, they embrace, they almost become one...


But it is not the will of the kites that makes them dance in the sky...


Someone else always holds the strings…


You must have noticed that there is no sign of Kangana Ranaut at all in the film’s first look, which focuses only on Hrithik and Barbara, who make a scorching hot couple. We wonder if she is the surprise package of the film.

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Kites - First Look

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Hrithik's Kites to be marketed at Cannes 2009

Hrithik Roshan starrer mega-budget "Kites" will be among a bouquet of films that will be marketed by Reliance BIG Pictures at the 62nd International Cannes Film Festival, starting May 13.

Directed by Anurag Basu, "Kites" also stars Barbara Mori, Kangana Ranaut, Nick Brown and Kabir Bedi in pivotal roles.

The entertainment arm of Indian business conglomerate Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group will market 18 films in all including various films in world cinema and popular cinema categories.

Hindi films such as director Piyush Jha's "Sikandar", comic capers "Do Knot Disturb" directed by David Dhawan, "Well Done Abba" by Shyam Benegal and Vinod Pande's "Chaloo Movie", which are in various stages of production, will also be promoted at the festival this year.

Meanwhile, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan have also left India for Cannes. Ash has been attending the event as an ambassador of cosmetics brand L’Oreal Paris.

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Strike wont affect us: Rakesh Roshan

Rakesh Roshan and Big Pictures have been able to circumvent the current producers-multiplex deadlock to take Kites to the Cannes International Film Festival 2009.

Defends Rakesh, "Why should the strike affect our visit? We are not breaking any of the conditions laid down. We're not screening our film publicly or for the media at Cannes. This is a screening only for potential buyers from the West."

Rakesh will be accompanied by his son Hrithik who stars in the film. Director Anurag Basu will also accompany them. Actress Barbara Mori, too, will be flying in from Mexico.

The Kites unit will be in Cannes from May 14-17. They'll be staying at The Martinez.

Rakesh who is frantically working to complete all the formalities, says, "We'll be screening a specially-prepared trailer of Kites on May 15. On May 16 , we we will screen the film at Cannes for internantional buyers."

So far, all of the filmmaker's productions have been very desi in their appeal. Kites is being taken to an international audience. And Cannes is the first stop, therefore very important.

Says Rakesh, "We hope to pitch Kites as our production house's first truly international product. Cannes is a very important venue for international cinema. That's why we've made sure to complete the film in time although Anurag Basu and I have been working against time to do so. But we've managed."

Cannes update
Though Sajid Nadiadwala might have said he won't be taking Kambakkht Ishq to Cannes, entertainment studio Eros International is definitely taking the the film to the festival. "We introduce three film projects (KI, Love Aaj Kal and Aladin) at Cannes," says Sunil Lulla of Eros.

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Producers’ strike to end tomorrow

The producers’ the distributors’ strike against multiplexes, on account of profit sharing, looks as if it may finally come to an end. Both sides have agreed to meet to discuss the issue tomorrow. The strike, which began on April 4, had producers and distributors demanding a 50 percent cut of the profits made by multiplex owners.

We asked Chairman of the United Producers and Distributors Association Forum, Mukesh Bhatt, who supported the strike reasoning that filmmakers work hard and multiplexes should not be the only ones reaping the profits. He said, “I am not an astrologer who can predict what’s going to happen but we are meeting tomorrow with positive mindset. Let’s hope that the issue gets sorted out.”

Ramesh Sippy, director of the cult film Sholay (1975), who is also a member of the committee, said, “We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow; how can we tell? It also depends on what the other party says and what they have in mind. So let’s see.”

On the other hand, Sudhir Mishra, who has produced the ready-to-release Sikandar, seemed more positive about tomorrow’s meeting, saying, “It would be good to see the issue sorted out at tomorrow’s meet. A lot of films have been put on hold because of this strike. We are all hoping the outcome of the meeting is positive.”

Film trade analyst Taran Adarsh echoes Mishra’s words, saying, “I think the matter will be sorted out at tomorrow’s meeting. I am very optimistic in every aspect of life and would not like to think about the negative side.”

According to Mukesh Bhatt, the venue of the meeting has not been decided on yet.

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Why are the Roshans still at a hotel

Though the air has been cleared regarding trouble in Hrithik and Sussaane’s marriage, the question that lingers is why are the Jr. Roshans still staying at a hotel and not going back home?

It is almost a month since they have been staying at the JW Marriott Hotel with their two sons.

To begin with, Hrithik and Sussanne had said that the termite problem in their apartment had forced them to leave home temporarily and shift into the hotel. But we know that no termite treatment takes a month to be carried out.

Now it’s been said that the real problem is between Hrithik and his father, filmmaker Rakesh Roshan.

According to reports, the duo has had a fight and hence Hrithik has moved out of his parents’ house with his family.

The problems started during the shooting of “Kites”. Rakesh did not like Hrithik’s closeness to his co-star, Mexican actress Barbara Mori. In fact, there used to be regular arguments between Hrithik and Rakesh regarding his relationship with Barbara.

Moreover, Hrithik went out of his way and spent a lot of money on Barbara and her family.

This upset Rakesh as he felt that this would harm his marriage to Sussanne, whom the in-laws are very fond of.

Rakesh was on his daughter-in-law’s side and wanted Hrithik to mend his ways, which caused a strain in the father-son relationship.

While Hrithik has managed to save his marriage, it remains to be seen when he’ll mend the relationship with his dad.

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Sanjay Khan laughs off the Hrithik-Susanne spilt!

A tabloid this morning reported that one of Bollywood's most successful marriages had gone kaput. It claimed that Susanne Roshan had taken her two kids and walked out of Hrithik's home and was now staying with her parents. This is Sanjay Khan, Susanne’s father's, reaction to the Hrithik-Susanne split story.

At first he was amazed at where the piece of news came from. He said, “I am laughing. From where do you guys get all this stuff from? Could you please tell me what exactly they have printed?” After listening to the gist of the story, he said, “It is bizarre. The paper has gone mad. They are using clever tricks like this to sell copies.”

“I will tell you what is true. It is true that Hrithik had gone to South Africa for four days to shoot for an ad. Meanwhile, Susanne has not been keeping too well and she is going under physiotherapy (for her leg). There is termite cleaning going on at Hrithik’s place where the curtains and cupboards, among other things are being cleaned. So instead of sitting at home and smelling paint, she decided to come here with the kids. I have a big family with three daughters and a son."

"My house has a swimming pool and all my grandchildren have come here to swim (to beat the heat). Everyone is having a ball. Hrithik returned from South Africa last night after completing the ad shoot so he joined Susanne and the kids here.”

About Barbara Mori, he said, “The poor girl wrapped up shooting two months ago and she has gone back. We have hardly heard from her since then.”

Khan says such stories are being spread by people who are jealous of Hrithik and his success.

“Hrithik is the youngest superstar in the country. People are jealous of him and don’t want to see him succeed. That is why they have started a malicious campaign to attack his heart, home and family. They don’t have the might to face him so the sly people attack him from the back with a vicious and malicious campaign that has no basis or foundation. They are trying to defile him through his movie.”

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Rakesh Roshan rubbishes Hrithik-Susanne split

Hrithik’s father, Rakesh Roshan, has rubbished the story of Hrithik and Susanne Roshan splitting because of Hrithik's Kites' co-star Barbara Mori.

A very calm and cool Rakesh asserted, “The story you saw this morning is all wrong.”

Regarding the proximity between Barbara and Hrithik and the stories about them that have been doing the rounds, he said, “People like to talk, what can you do about that? All the stories are rubbish.”

Lastly he said, “Hrithik and Susanne are staying together at Susanne’s parents’ house with the children and her family as renovation is going on at our place. They will be back as soon as it is over, in a few weeks’ time.”

People woke up to the heartbreaking story of Bollywood’s golden couple Hrithik and Susanne Roshan splitting because of the star’s proximity to his Mexican co-star in Kites, Barbara Mori. The story in a leading tabloid said that Susanne had moved out of the Roshan household with her two children because Hrithik’s closeness to Barbara had created a rift in their relationship and she couldn’t take it anymore. It also alleged that Hrithik flew down from South Africa (where he was shooting for an action packed ad) to patch up with his wife, who had left her in-laws’ place while he was out of town.

Hrithik and Susanne have been married since 2000 and have two children together, Hrehaan and Hridhaan.

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"I am going home" says 'Kites' Cinematographer

All's not well on the sets on Rakesh Roshan's Kites in New Mexico. The producer upset cinematographer Bobby Singh so much that the he stormed out of the under-production film.

Kites, being directed by Anurag Basu stars Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Mori. It was the director who brought the cinematographer on board. They'd worked together in the past in Metro, Woh Lamhe and Gangster. And Roshan agreed to have him on board after seeing his work.

According to a reliable source, "Bobby and Anurag are friends, besides being a great team. Basu appreciates Bobby's work and gives him a free hand. But Roshan had his own ideas of how the film should look. He didn't agree with Bobby's style and would interfere in camera angles and light shots etc.

Initially Bobby kept quiet as Rakesh is a senior filmmaker and creative differences happen on every set. But as the days went by, Bobby felt his work as a cinematographer was increasingly getting undermined."

The differences between Bobby and Roshan was affecting everyone on the set. Things finally came to a head on the day when Roshan Sr shouted at Bobby in front of the whole cast ad crew. The source says, "Bobby was fixing his camera for a particular shot when Rakesh came up to him and started firing him loudly.

Rakesh had apparently told Bobby to do the shot from another angle but Bobby wanted to try a different angle. Rakesh was furious as Bobby had disregarded his instructions, and made his displeasure clear in front of the entire unit. Bobby felt so humiliated about this dressing down that he stormed off the sets and took a flight straight back to Mumbai!"

When contacted Bobby doesn't deny the story but says, "Yes I am no more a part of Kites but I don't want to talk about it."

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