Delay on Kites as friction continues between Basu and Roshan
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Rakesh Roshan’s Kites isn’t about to take off any time soon. Its release has been pushed back to December or early next year. The friction between director Anurag Basu and producer Rakesh Roshan continues to simmer. The love-making scenes are not finding a cheerleader within the family either. Anurag Basu is terribly unhappy that the final edit of Kites will be devoid of the steamy scenes between the lead pair. Kites was being readied for a Diwali release, until several post-production issues made it impossible to keep the schedule.
Our source said, “There are three reasons for the delay. First, Anurag and Rakesh Roshan continue to disagree, though we thought the situation would improve after the shoot. There is speculation that there are three edited versions of Kites. Rakesh’s version is without Hrithik and Barbara’s love-making scenes. Rakesh thinks that the Hrithik-Barbara controversy has affected the peace at home and the love-making scenes would only fuel the controversy. Anurag is upset by Rakesh’s decision to chop off the passionate scenes.”
Also, the film’s background score is coming along at its own merry pace. Anurag and Rakesh, of course, continue to bicker over the same. And finally, Rakesh Roshan has been unable to find a suitable Hollywood distributor.
Our source added, “The Roshans want a worldwide release of both; the Hindi and the English version. A special trailer was also screened at Cannes when Anurag, Rakesh, Hrithik and Barbara were there for the festival. Although, Big Pictures have the worldwide rights, the film will reach many more countries through a Hollywood studio. The Roshans haven’t been able to finalise a deal in this regard till today.”
Rakesh Roshan denied that differences with Anurag were delaying the film. He said, “There is no truth to that. The film is still a work in progress. I have not decided the release date. Whenever the first copy comes out, I will take a call.”
SATYAMSHOT 
June 20, 2009 at 10:56 AM
MNIK is already out for this year as is in all probability Raavan. Now Kites looks suspect. That just leaves 3 idiots for this year discounting the Akshay releases. Looks like Aamir will have the biggest grosser once again this year!
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June 20, 2009 at 11:10 AM
I thought the release date was set for this but I did see an interview with HR from IIFA and he did mention that a release date had NOT been set.
Yeah, don’t think Ravana will make it this year considering last I read from Abhishek is that shooting will take place until Sept.
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June 20, 2009 at 4:59 PM
Well the delay of so many big films is not good for the industry though…
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June 20, 2009 at 11:11 AM
Kites has had so many issues, I wonder how much of it is gossip and how much is really true. My bet was always on 3 idiots to be the biggest grosser in India. MNIK will most probably be the overseas leader. These delays really leaves the year thin on major releases.
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June 20, 2009 at 3:29 PM
Yes I too had 3 Idiots as the biggest one with or without competition. Of course even 3 Idiots this year is a bit of a technicality since it’s releasing on Dec 25 yet again for Aamir! On the overseas one would have to bet on MNIK though with Ghajini doing a bit better than RNBDJ I wouldn’t be surprised at all if 3 Idiots managed to be the biggest. Still it takes a lot to upend SRK/Kajol/Johar in the overseas markets.
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June 20, 2009 at 5:13 PM
I thought 3 Idiots was also postponed to 2010? I’ll try to locate the source if I can.
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June 20, 2009 at 5:16 PM
don’t think so.. the most recent set of release dates also had it as dec 25.
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June 20, 2009 at 6:44 PM
Satyam except for US , Rab ne was ahead of ghajini in other overseas countries . it was nearly double of ghajini in UK and UAE.
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/trade/overseas_boxoffice/245.html
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June 20, 2009 at 7:43 PM
That’s true but the US is about 50% of the overseas market and this is a very big deal. An Aamir movie with so much action doing better than a Yashraj/SRK love story would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. Remember that the ‘overseas’ label is no longer very useful. we have to look at individual markets and really the principal ones are the US and UK, both of which are increasingly not very aligned. JA was stunning in the US, made a little less than OSO eventually but in the UK it was just good without being spectacular. Guru did way better in the US than in the UK. There are many such examples. The SRK overseas hegemony is really a thing of the past at this point. This is not to say that he still isn’t up there but he doesn’t necessarily define the terms. Again CDI didn’t do better than TZP in the US. Also remember one has to account for genre. Aamir had two 2m grossers in the US in ’06 in Fanaa and RDB. That’s pretty impressive for that year. If you move SRK away from Johar or a huge crowd puller like OSO he isn’t getting those numbers. Once upon a time the others couldn’t even gross as much as a Baadshah. Today RNBDJ isn’t matching Ghajini in the US. It’s a huge sea change. Don didn’t really do better (after accounting for screens it actually did worse) than LRM or Guru or the two Aamir films I mentioned. D2 was significantly ahead. Again a whole variety of genres here. The MNIK deal is still probably unbeatable because SRK-Kajol is still a potent deal not to mention Johar. In the US the story will also have specific topical interest. But let’s look across genres for SRK and he is no longer unchallenged in any sense. JA doing that much in the US is much more creditable than OSO doing the same. I am being fair here. JA cannot be taken as typical for Hrithik by any means. Much as D2 had a lot else going for it also. But if Hrithik can post some really big numbers for Kites overseas he would have to be accepted on his own terms. He for example underperforms with his Krrish films. Now it’s true that certain genres don’t have as much appeal overseas but then those are the films an actor chooses and those are therefore the breaks! I think actually there’s a fair case to be made even overseas that Aamir has the most impressive record — RDB, Fanaa, TZP, Ghajini. I don’t see him as being behind anyone once genre is factored in. what one can still say though is that if every star plays on his strongest turf SRK could probably beat the competition. So for example OSO beats everything else. MNIK might possibly do this. but times are changing very rapidly. It is quite inaccurate to think that SRK is where he was even some years ago.
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June 20, 2009 at 11:04 PM
good point on overseas market Satyam . but one cannot avoid UAE now when it can add 8-10 crores for a film .
it seems of the overseas market Srks hold is weakest on US and Hrithik is catching here fast .
btw check this link . it says 3 idiots , london dreams and blue dont have any buyers as they r demanding above 100 crores .
http://www.glamsham.com/movies/scoops/09/jun/20-aamir-akki-n-salman-not-hot-anymore-060907.asp
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June 20, 2009 at 11:09 PM
Thanks for that link Dragon.. I frankly have some doubts about this story the way it’s been written. For one if Aamir after Ghajini and if Hirani after two Munnabhais cannot get buyers as a team I don’t know what project could! In any case Salman is hardly in Aamir’s league. As for Blue this film frankly looks like a turkey. Don’t think Akshay had an problem with KI or would with De Dhana Dhan. If you ask me this is just sensationalist stuff. Could the market be a bit jittery in light of everything that’s happened recently? Sure! But it could hardly be specific to Aamir or Akshay! Who in the world would put 3 Idiots in a league with London Dreams and Blue? Unless the trade is filled with idiots too!
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June 20, 2009 at 11:12 PM
Supposedly the asking price on 3 Idiots and Blue is 100 crores a piece. I think not!
Let’s assume that no one is willing to pay 100 crores for 3 Idiots. So that makes Aamir ‘not hot’? Which is what the title suggests!
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June 20, 2009 at 11:13 PM
I don’t think SRK’s hold is weaker in the US necessarily. It’s just that others have caught up or the market here is willing to give other subjects and stars a shot too.
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June 20, 2009 at 11:15 PM
i guess blue and london dreams r mentioned because of just their prize . Blue from all stories till now looks like having highest budget ever so them asking for 100 crores is not surprising . london dreams was reported as 50-60 crores budget too .
with Blue and London dreams it is compulsory to sell it for high prize due to high budget with 3 Idiots they r asking high prize only due to Aamir .
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June 20, 2009 at 11:18 PM
that’s a fair point.. all I’m suggesting is that this piece has been rather mischievously written.. it’s misleading to say the least..
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June 22, 2009 at 8:05 AM
The film is releasing in Dec according to this:
http://ibnlive.in.com/printpage.php?id=95408§ion_id=8
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June 22, 2009 at 12:35 PM
if they are going to Dec they should be careful with 3 Idiots on Dec 25.
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June 22, 2009 at 8:17 AM
Mori interview:
http://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/2009/jun/220609-Barbara-Mori-Hrithik-Roshan-Kites-Mexico-Jose-Maria-Torre.htm
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June 23, 2009 at 1:33 AM
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2009/06/23/13012/index.html
Major films like KITES, RANN, JAIL, ALL THE BEST, YAHOO, HOOK YA CROOK, QURBAN, VEER, ROCKET SINGH, 3 IDIOTS, MY NAME IS KHAN and any such films are free to release any time December 1 onwards, without any restrictions.
i doubt if kites , 3 idiots would release this year.
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June 24, 2009 at 6:44 PM
Since you put the Salman one up I thought maybe your visitors would like to view the Hrithik interview on the same show…
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