Lights, camera, cut for Amitabh Bachchan

Actor Amitabh Bachchan, who has been shooting an ad-film in Kutch for the past three days, began his day on Sunday by shooting in Prag Mahal, an old palace located in the heart of Bhuj city.

Accompanied by the top officials of state tourism, revenue and police departments, the megastar drove to Karo Dungar, the black hill of Kutch. At the hilltop, he had to shoot with foxes who gather there in the morning to eat the 'prasad' offered at the Guru Dattatrya temple.

Later, the film unit visited Hodko village, well-known for Meghwal
embroidery and leather work.An official source said that Bachchan was initially supposed to shoot at Dholavira, but since the site is 250 km away and as the roads between Rapar and Dholavira is in bad condition, the idea was dropped. However, shooting will take place at Dholavira, but without the Big B.

Kutchis did not get a chance to meet the superstar as he refused to meet anyone including the media. "Though, he shot at the Aina Mahal in Bhuj, he refused to meet Pragmalji-III of the royal family," said a source in TCGL. Similarly, the state tourism secretary Vipul Mitra turned down a request from the Maninagar Gadi Sansthan whose religious head Swami Purushottam Priyadasji Maharaj wanted to honour the superstar when he was shooting at the palace, adjacent to the Bhuj temple.

The megastar would be shooting at the ancient port town of Mandvi on Monday, which would be the last day of his four-day Kutch visit. He would be further travelling towards Saurashtra for the shooting.

Source http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_lights-camera-cut-for-amitabh-bachchan_1390037

‘No frontal nudity for me’

Sherlyn Chopra on the cover of Playboy magazine may seem like a far-fetched thought for most, but the item girl claims the international magazine, which has made the who’s who of Hollywood shed their clothes, approached her to be on its cover. “Got a Playboy cover offer. Don’t know what to say,” posted Sherlyn on her Twitter account last week.

Before long, the actress, predictably enough, did a U-turn, explaining why she couldn’t go ahead with the offer. “I guess it’s my Indianness to blame. I adore nudity. It is pure and it projects the subject in its most genuine form. But to do full frontal nudity is something I am not ready for,” she said.

Ironically, the actress had posted a picture of herself in the buff on Twitter only last week. And, in earlier interviews, she even claimed that she would “love to be on the (Playboy) cover and make India proud.”

While Sherlyn’s claim sounds suspicious, to say the least, a close friend of the actress reveals, “It all started when Bob, the chief official Playboy photographer, saw bikini clad images of Sherlyn on the Internet and contacted her for a shoot. But the deal fell apart as they were not offering her a cover.”

In an attempt to verify Chopra’s claims, HT City contacted the Playboy head office in Chicago, but received no confirmation on the matter.

Source http://www.hindustantimes.com/no-frontal-nudity-for-me/article1-549380.aspx

DeWyze beats Bowersox to win American Idol contest

Illinois paint shop assistant Lee DeWyze has won the ninth season of the American Idol talent contest.

He overcame his shyness to impress judges and viewers with his spirit and soulful voice, beating bluesy musician and judges' favourite Crystal Bowersox.

"I have never been happier in my life," he said after scooping the title and a recording contract which will launch with his version of U2's Beautiful Day.

The finale also made the most of Simon Cowell's last appearance as a judge.

DeWyze's victory was based on votes cast after Tuesday's performance show, which drew more judges' compliments for Ohio's Bowersox.

Crystal Bowersox had been the bookmakers' favourite

Cowell was treated to a film package recounting highlights from his career.

"You have the honesty of Abe Lincoln and the charm of the guy who shot him," comedian Dane Cook told the smiling British judge.

"I didn't think I was going to be this emotional and I genuinely am," Cowell said on stage, turning to the audience.

"Everybody asks who's going to replace me, who going to be the next judge. The truth is, you guys are the judge of this show and you've done an incredible job over the years."

Source http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_and_canada/10169517.stm

Why can't I see Hrithik doing intimate scenes: Rakesh Roshan

The verdict is out. Rakesh Roshan's latest venture Kites may not be getting a 5-star review, but the actor-turned- filmmaker is confident that it will become a trendsetter in Bollywood. He speaks to Sreya Basu during a post-release promotional visit to Kolkata.

Are you happy with the reviews you are getting for Kites?
I don't make a film for reviews. I don't make films with any expectation or deliberation. I make films that touch my heart…not run-of-the-mill Bollywood films that have six songs; and Kites is a film that is close to my heart.

You have invested an amount as huge as 30 million dollars in Kites. Do you think the film has finally been worth it?
See, when we decided to make a global film, we knew that we had to compete with a lot of films because the world has become smaller now. People are aware of the kind of films being made in Hollywood.

So if you have even one action sequence that has to be able to meet the standards of those films. We released the film in that world too. So the expense was required by the script. And the film has justified the expense.

You have become a trendsetter in Bollywood with films like Koi Mil Gaya and Krissh. Do you think Kites has been successful in carrying forward your signature style?
Yes, I can say that. The main motive when we started Kites was to bring in a new era of cross-border collaborations. Hopefully we should achieve it in the coming days because it is a film that is different from what Bollywood has seen so far.

Every filmmaker says his film is 'different'…
(Smiles) True; everyone says that. But Kites is different in many ways… from location to music to taking of photographs, lighting…everything is different….and above all, it's an unconventional narration.

Was it a conscious decision to make Kites a cross-over film?
It was not a conscious effort (to make a cross-over film). But it's just that we thought if they (Hollywood) can make a global film, why can't we?

We didn't stress upon it…that let's take a story that's different, make it in Hollywood style. We decided to put our own emotions inside…after all we Indians are really rich in emotions.

From Kaho Naa Pyar Hai to Krissh; and let's say, even Kites, Hrithik has got to play the most varied roles and been most successful when he is starred in your films. Do you make films for Hrithik?
Not really. Hrithik has been successful with a lot of films made by other filmmakers, say, Jodhaa Akbar. He will also surprise you in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Guzaarish.

It's just that he first got noticed as an actor in Koi Mil Gaya… nobody thought he can play such a role (of a mentally-challenged boy), and I knew if there is anyone to play Rohit, it has to be him.

And yes, when I work on a new script, I do think of Hrithik, but only cast him if he fits the role.

In your earlier interviews you said it's high time that the world market recognizes Hrithik's talent. Was Kites an effort on your end to put him on a global platform with Mexican actress Barbara Mori?
Kites is a project that was made aiming at global audience. But Barbara's presence in the film is purely out of the script's demand.

We could have well cast someone from Bollywood to play the role Barbara has played; but then, I thought it would not look real.

Kites has some really intimate scenes between Hrthik and Barbara. Was it difficult for you, as the father, to watch the shooting of those scenes?
Not at all. Why should it be difficult? We are shooting a film. When I can see Hrithik jumping from 50 feet in Krissh, why can't I see him making some intimate scenes! That's the part of the film.

And it's not Hrithik Roshan but the character who is doing it.

Shah Rukh welcomes Big B!

Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan are two superstars who have time and again confessed that they are in no race to supersede each other. However, in the close knit Hindi film industry everything and anything becomes news. When Amitabh entered Twitter for about four days SRK and Big B didn’t have any conversation leading people to believe the two superstars are keeping distance and that there was indeed no smoke without fire when it came to the news of their alleged tiff.

Surprisingly, it didn’t take long for the two to break the ice on Twitter and how!

Shah Rukh welcomed Amitabh by saying, “You are the superest duperest awaited human on the twitter world.”

Amitabh sweetly responded, “ShahRukh! Finally managed to get this thing right. Found you and after pressing endless buttons here I am ...”

Many had even assumed that SRK might not be pleased to have Big B on Twitter as the latter would gather more followers! Ironically, it was Big B who was the first to congratulate SRK for having crossed 4 Lac followers!

“Shah Rukh congrats! You crossed 400,000 .. meri gaadi thoda dheeli chal rahi hai ..” wrote Amitabh to SRK. Phew! Another rumour bites the dust!

I Hate Luv Storys is pro-love: Punit Malhotra

Don't go by the name; Sonam Kapoor and Imran Khan starrer I Hate Luv Storys is totally pro-love, says young director Punit Malhotra, who has given a 'fun treatment' to the much ridiculed Bollywood romances.

Punit is confident that the film, about a young man who falls in love despite being cynical about the whole concept, will find a connect with the audience.

"It is very young, fresh and totally pro-love stories. It is not anti-anything. We all have grown up watching Bollywood romances and no matter what we say, we connect to them somewhere. They may be soppy, cheesy but they are feel-good films. People do associate with them at some level," Punit told PTI.

"It is a take-off from romantic films of Bollywood in a very nice way. It is a little tongue-and-cheek way of looking at all the romantics films and stories," he adds.

The film, produced by Karan Johar's Dharma productions, hits theatres this July.

At 28, he may seem too young to handle the intricacies of filmmaking, but Punit, nephew of fashion desinger Manish Malhotra, is a veteran when it comes to working behind the camera.

He has assisted director-producer Karan Johar on blockbusters like Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Amol Palekar on Paheli and Tarun Mansukhani on Dostana as creative director.

"I wanted to turn director couple of years back but for some reasons I did not get into it. But I have gone all out with this film. I don't think I am too young for direction," says Punit, who slogged behind the camera for close to ten years.

His closeness with the lead actress of his film has sparked romance rumours but the director rubbishes such reports.

"I don't know where it came from. It is total rubbish. People come and say anything and go away. You can laugh at times and get irritated at times but can do nothing about it. In fact, it was Sonam, who told me to keep my cool about such rumours," he says.

'Kites' grosses Rs.65 crore worldwide in opening weekend

The Hrithik Roshan-Barbara Mori starrer "Kites" grossed over Rs.65 crore in its opening weekend worldwide, according to its distributor.

"Kites" released across 2,000 screens in India and across 500 screens overseas Friday.

The film has been distributed by Reliance BIG Pictures and produced by Hrithik's father Rakesh Roshan. Directed by Anurag Basu, it is a love story between an Indian man and a Mexican woman.

An international version of the movie titled "Kites-The Remix", edited by Hollywood director Brett Ratner is also releasing worldwide May 28.

Woody Allen wants to meet Deepika Padukone?

Deepika Padukone’s recent visit to the Cannes festival, her first major international appearance, caught the attention of none other than filmmaker Woody Allen. Buzz is that the lissome actress, who looked resplendent in a Rohit Bal saree, was being coveted by several Hollywood agents at Cannes. A friend of Deepika says, “Many Hollywood agents sent her messages, directly and indirectly, that they would like to be appointed by her if she was keen on Hollywood assignments.” It was one of these agents who texted her that Woody Allen would like to meet her. Deepika was obviously thrilled. But she couldn’t extend her stay due to prior work commitments in India. “She couldn’t have a meeting with any of these agents,” adds Deepika’s friend. Commenting on Deepika’s reaction to these offers, her friend adds, “It’s too early to say what will happen next. Deepika created quite a buzz at Cannes. If a concrete Hollywood offer comes along, well and good. She would definitely consider it.” Seems like Deepika’s attractive looks and stunning saree was too good a combination to be missed by the swish Hollywood set. The ongoing Cannes also saw the lovely actress keeping a promise she had made to herself as a starry-eyed teenager. Deepika had told a section of the media, “Long ago when I had started modeling, I had promised myself that whenever I attend an international event, I’d wear a saree because I’d rather represent my country in the national costume than in western clothes. It felt good to be so Indian so far away from home.”

Looking at a decade of Hrithik Roshan

Say what you may about Hrithik Roshan's latest movie, Kites, the actor always seemed destined for stardom, right from his roles as a child artist in films like Aasha and Aap Ke Deewane in 1980 and Bhagwana Dada in 1986.

And though Bhagwan Dada starred Rakesh Roshan, Rajnikanth and Sridevi, people today still remember Hrithik as the little handicapped boy.

His actual debut as a hero came in 2000, with Kaho Na Pyaar Hai.

It's been a full decade since his emergence as a star, which had him heralded as the next great hero of Hindi cinema. But in the ten years that he has been in the film industry, Hrithik has starred in just 15 movies and made four special appearances.

Given the release of his long-awaited Kites, rediff.com decided to take a look at Hrithik's work over the last ten years.

Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000)

Rakesh Roshan saw to it that his son's immense talent was showcased in his very first movie.

Hrithik played a double role: one, an aspiring singer named Rohit and the other a successful singer named Raj.

Kaho Na... Payar Hai was directed by Rakesh Roshan, while Hrithik's uncle Rajesh Roshan composed the music.

It starred newcomer Amisha Patel and Anupam Kher in main roles.

The film was a big hit and became the top grossing film of 2000. It made Hrithik an overnight Bollywood star

Ban, protests greet Kites in Karnataka

The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce, which imposed a ban on Kites in the state, have demanded an apology from the Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Big Pictures for not abiding by its norms.

Kites was released in 46 theatres against the KFCC's rules which permit a non-Kannada movie to be released only in 21 theatres in the state.

Members of the Kannada film fraternity are demanding that Kites be taken off movie screens in the southern state since two Kannada films, Shankar IPS and Nooru Janmaku do not have movie halls to play in.

The KFCC says the distributors of Kites approached the Chamber and requested that the film be released in 24 halls which was agreed to. However, the distributors released the film in 46 theatres which prompted the Chamber to ban the movie.

The Chamber now wants Reliance Big Pictures to abide by its norms and tender a public apology if things have to be smooth for Hrithik's new film.

Bold and beautiful

Hrithik & Barbara for Kites

Kites' leading lady Barbara Mori on her Bollywood experience, the Roshans and more

As the much-hyped film Kites featuring Hrithik Roshan and Mexican actor Barbara Mori hits the screens today, Barbara gets candid about why the film is special to her, her relationship with Hrithik and how she managed with the Hindi dialogue.

Have you heard of Bollywood before?

I had never heard of Bollywood till Rakesh Roshan approached me for Kites. I didn't know that it was such a big film industry. We in Mexico haven't seen any Indian films.

What was it like working in Bollywood?

The experience is different from the films I have done in Mexico. It is my first English movie, my first Hindi film, my first action movie and also, my first big budget movie. In that way, Kites is special to me.

What made you agree to do Kites?

When I heard the story of Kites from Anurag Basu and Rakesh Roshan in Los Angeles, it got me interested. I liked the whole idea of two people falling in love despite the fact that they couldn't understand each other's language. The credit also goes to Anurag Basu for being a good narrator.

How was your experience with the Roshans?

They are great and treat me really well. They always make me feel at home. Rakesh, Hrithik and Suzanne have been really kind to me.

Have you watched any Indian films?

No, I have not seen any Indian films other than Hrithik's Jodha Akbar, Lakshay and Koi Mil Gaya. I didn't know who Hrithik was till I watched these movies.

What do you have to say about the stories linking you up with Hrithik?

Well, Hrithik and I had a hearty laugh at them. They used to bother me in the beginning, but I guess this industry comes with such a parcel. (laughs)

Which was your most difficult scene in the movie?

The one where we had to shoot underwater. We had to go down with oxygen masks and act. I dislike seaside and water.

How did you manage with the Hindi dialogue?

Anurag would talk in Hindi and I would have to stop him as I wouldn't understand the language. Hrithik would come to my rescue and translate it. He has been an immense support.

What next after Kites?

Well, I will go back to Mexico and do another film. Then I am producing and acting in a play. I've been offered another Bollywood film, about which I can't disclose anything as of now.

Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan skip IIFA

Will they or won't they? The questions have been making the rounds for the longest period, but no answers were forthcoming either from Abhishek or Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. But now it is confirmed that the Junior Bachchans are going to give this year's IIFA event a miss.

Amitabh Bachchan is the brand ambassador of the International Indian Film Academy Awards. And as has been the tradition, the event has been attended by the Bachchan family including Jaya Bachchan, Abhishek and Aishwarya.

In the last few years, many of the big names have been giving it a miss for various reasons. While reports suggested that a fallout in the Shah Rukh Khan - Bachchan relationship may be the reason for the former skipping the event, the marriage of Ash to Abhishek has seen Salman missing the show. But this year, both these actors have been roped in for the various activities at IIFA.

While Shah Rukh Khan was to captain of the celebrity led Indian side for the charity cricket match that will be played against the Sri Lankan cricketers, Salman Khan is the brand ambassador of the charity event of IIFA.

However, there is a very clear reason why Ash and Abhishek both will not be able to attend this year's IIFA at Colombo. According to Ash's official spokesperson, "Ash had confirmed her presence at the finals of the French Open Tennis Championships in advance. Her watch brand is the official time keeper of the Roland Garros event and as such, Ash is required to make an appearance."

And as for Abhishek, he will be shooting for Abhinay Deo's Game in Istanbul. Abhishek has been traveling for some time now. After a short schedule in Greece for the same film, AB flew to Cannes for the annual film festival and is now headed for Istanbul.

Although there will be speculations about the absence of the junior Bachchan pair, given the fact that Shah Rukh and Salman Khan will be present, there is nothing but official commitments that are keeping the duo from this event.

Kites highlights: Love has no language, no boundaries

Film buffs have a good reason to smile because the much-hyped film Kites is finally hitting the theatres tomorrow, May 21. This mega-budget venture produced by by Rakesh Roshan and Sharan Kapoor worth Rs.150 crore, and it is releasing in over 2,300 screens worldwide, which is a record for an Indian film. With Hrithik Roshan and Mexican actress Barbara Mori playing the lead roles, you have a lot to look forward to.

Kits is about a man in search of the love of his life. A street smart guy is wounded and left to die in the desert but his quest for his love keeps him alive. He is in love with a woman, who is engaged to another man. Yes, they are in love despite all the differences – linguistic and cultural. Love has no language, no boundaries.

The highlight of the film is certainly the chemistry between the lead pair Hrithik and Barbara. It was even rumoured that their rapport almost cost Hrithik’s marriage. And the photo that has the duo kissing topless came as a big shocker. Some of their hot sequences might be censored for the Indian audience but the film will surely have enough of their spice.

One of the highlights of the film Hrithik’s singing debut. Believe it or not, he sang the title song of the film. And he has received lots of accolades for it. Welcome the new playback singer!

Kites, directed by Anurag Basu, also features Kangana Ranaut in a special guest appearance. If you don’t speak Hindi, you have its English version. Even if you don’t speak Hindi and English, you have its Spanish version. The choice is yours.

Anurag Basu's first New York visit, courtesy Kites

During the first day of the shooting of the movie Kites, the writer and director Anurag Basu explained a scene to Barbara Mori , the Mexican TV and movie star. She listened to him for a few minutes, and then politely requested him to repeat it in English.

"Guess what? I was speaking to her in English all the time," the self-effacing Basu says, laughing loudly and his hands flying wildly. "I knew then she was not getting my English,."

So he practiced using his hands to drive a point or two.

His wife has been asking him for months why he is making so many gestures, he continues as he chats with a few journalists at a press conference for the film in New York. "She thinks I am into sign language."

Basu was apparently having no trouble with his English when he went buying street food in New York which he was visiting for the first time. The hotel suite he has been staying in New York would easily cost $350 but for about $8 he has been enjoying delightful street food at almost every meal.

"I wonder if there is any city where you get street food from so many countries," he muses as he chats with a reporter after the round table conference. He is amazed at the variety: Arab chicken, Turkish kebabs, the freshest falafel sold by Israeli and Palestinian vendors, biryanis, and empanadas inspired by Argentinean cuisine.

"There are many times I long for simple but tasty food," he adds. Like in his films, he says he wants to see a core of honesty in any preparation.

The honesty factor was very important to him he says as he segued from Life in Metro into Kites. The former hardly cost $1 million while the latter has reportedly cost about $15 million.

"I told myself that I should not be carried away by the opulence," he says. "Just because I had a lot of money at my disposal did not mean that I was going to blow it up."

His films including Gangster have characters that are complex. There are shades of white, black and grey in them.

He assures that Kites is not just a big budget escapist film. It has its own complexities, he asserts.

The project started with producer Rakesh Roshan asking Basu, after seeing the latter's Gangster, if he has any project for his son Hritik Roshan.

As he was chatting with Roshan, Basu asked him what films he was working on. Roshan had begun working on the script for Kites. It suddenly struck Roshan that Basu could direct the film.

But Basu said he could not take up the offer. For he was used to making low budget films. Rakesh Roshan who had given him a 15 minutes narration about Kites asked Basu not to close his mind. Could he come and see Roshan after a few days?

Over a week passed, there was no sign of Basu, Roshan recollects. He thought the film maker had got fold feet. Nearly a month later, he turned up, though. He began the narration; he was telling the same story Roshan had told him but he was taking more time.

"In fact, he took 45 minutes," Roshan says chuckling. "He had worked on what I had told him, added plotlines and plot twists to it. He had created his own story and screenplay."

Roshan felt very assured that his project was in right hands.

Shooting the film in New Mexico, Arizona and India called for intricate and thorough planning.

Basu says language problem with Mori was not just the problem he had with his stars. Hrithik had injured his knee before the shooting started.

Yet he insisted on doing many of the difficult stunts by himself, Basu says. After every scene was shot, Basu would ask about the knee. Hrithik must have thought Basu was the kindest director on earth. "But little did he know I would not remember, after the shooting was over anything about his knee,' Basu says with a hearty chuckle.

Even before the shooting was completed, Roshans and Basu felt that the film had the potential of reaching a wider and non-South Asian audience. The idea of an international and shorter edition started taking shape.

Basu confesses initially he did not react favourably when he heard that Brett Ratner, one of Hollywood's best-known producers and directors, had been requested to prepare the international version.

"I could not believe how anyone could cut a minute from my film but he cut 30 minutes and he did a great job," Basu adds.

What does Basu think of his own version?

"My previous films including Murder looked better on paper," he asserts. "In the case of Kites the film looks better than what was on the paper."

Within minutes of the press conference, Basu walked out of the Four Season's hotel and wandered into Borders bookstore.

He hardly leaves a town or city without visiting a bookstore, he confesses but he also admits he finds big bookshops too neat. "I like the old fashioned bookshops,' he adds.

A journalist tells him of a big bookshop in New York which boasts of its 8-mile long books. And yet it has an old fashioned look and a bit of musty smell. Basu had of course heard of Strand, he says. He was expecting a cousin from Boston to visit him that evening. "I would like to spend couple of hours there,' he continues.

Are there any good street food stands around the Strand, he wants to know.

I’m a happier man today: Hrithik Roshan

For the last six months, Hrithik Roshan, who has been shooting for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish, has been viewing the world through the eyes of a dead man. And the experience has changed him too.

“I’m no longer insecure and little things in the media bother me anymore. I’m a happier man today,” asserts the actor, who in the film starts out as a magician, but following an accident becomes a paraplegic.

No talk
Moving a step further away from Kites, Roshan says he completely let himself go for Guzaarish and asserts that these are the kinds of films he wants to do now. “I want to be me without having to worry about whether the role will take me a rung up or bring me down. Either way, it’ll only help me find myself as an actor,” he points out.

So, was Bhansali, the taskmaster that he’s known to be, throwing tantrums and mobile phones at the drop of a hat? Roshan smiles, “I shot for the film for 100 days. For 90 days, I would go on the sets and we wouldn’t exchange a word all day. I would just sit in a corner and wait for him to say ‘Action,’ There were no discussions, no complaints, yet we connected on a spiritual plane. He knew what I wanted and took good care. I’m indebted to him for life.”

He adds that Bhansali has been much misunderstood by people with small minds who are always ready to judge others. “I could see the passion in him and the need to achieve the best. Both Kites and Guzaarish are going to be milestones in my career in terms of my evolution as an actor,” he says.

Kites symbolises Hrithik and Barbara's passion

Filmmaker Anurag Basu says the title of his upcoming movie Kites is a metaphor to describe the passion between the film's lead pair Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Mori.

"Kites is the metaphor of the film. Kites fly against the wind and not with it, stronger the wind blows, higher the kites fly," said Basu, the director of the film.

"Our protagonists in the movie too face obstacles, their love grows deeper with every increasing obstacle," he said.

Meanwhile, the films's producer Rakesh Roshan said that he coined the title while gazing at two kites flying in the sky which looked 'too intriguing and romantic'.

"The idea for Kites came to me when I was gazing at the sky and saw two kites flying. It looked very romantic. It was very intriguing. The way they came close, played, almost embraced each other and then drew apart. Unaware that someone else was pulling the strings and could cut them loose. I sat down and penned a story around this idea," Rakesh said.

Speaking about the film which releases this summer, Anurag said Kites goes beyond boundaries and cultures.

"It is a story of passion that defies every rule, of a relationship that takes two lovers on a thrilling journey filled with precious moments and unexpected betrayal," Basu said.

Kites has been made in two versions, hindi and english. Both will release on May 21 across over 60 countries.

The film also stars Kangana Ranaut, Kabir Bedi and Nick Brown. The stunt coordination has been done by hollywood's Spiro Razatos. The English version of Kites is presented and reworked by the well known hollywood -director Brett Ratner. It's called Kites: Remix.

Suhasini steps in for Mani at Cannes

Suhasini Mani Ratnam represented her husband at the press conference of Raavan in Cannes. Mani and his cameraman Santosh Sivan are doing the final cutting and grading of the film at Adlabs in Mumbai.

Speaking at the press meet Suhasini said that through Raavan, Mani Ratnam is trying to blend Hindi and regional (Tamil) cinema. Says Suhasini : “It’s the first time that a filmmaker has attempted to blend the two. Raavan has ten heads and ten conflicting thoughts, so there’s a bit of conflict and Raavan in all of us.”

The others who were present at the press meet included our Chiyaan Vikram, Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan, Reliance Big Pictures Amit Khanna and Prasoon Joshi.

Aishwarya Goes Traditional in Cannes

She made heads turn with her English ishtyle; looks and dressing wise. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan appeared as a true Indian lady wearing a saree at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival.

All these days the light eyed beauty had turned up at the international fest in western gowns; just because she had been abiding the rules of her brand L'Oreal, reports reveals. Year after year Aishwarya has been attending Cannes for L'Oreal and as per instructions she must wear international Western designer wear.

After attending two days in western outfits, Aishwarya showed her Indian side. Sources stated that this time since 'Villain' Red Carpet was also an occasion at Cannes, she had planned to wear an Indian dress for the event. Her saree is said to be designed by Sabyasachi.

Starring Aishwarya-Abhishek Bachchan-Vikram, ‘Villain’ is the most expected movie of the year. The film is a magnum opus of director Mani Ratnam and has Hindi, Tamil and Telugu versions.