'Kites' special edition for the West

Kolkata, 12 March: Hrithik Roshan starrer Kites will be the first Indian film to release in two separate versions—a desi version and the other for the western audience. Currently the film is being edited by Brett Ratner, the director of Hollywood blockbuster Rush Hour, to make it crisper and suitable for the West.

The film has “the potential to cross over to American audiences” Ratner was quoted by a New York Times report on Thursday. According to the report, after viewing the first edit of Kites, Ratner offered to re-edit the film and the film’s producer Rakesh Roshan readily agreed. Both the versions will be released simultaneously.

Hacking off a song, a must for Indian audiences, and a few other elements, Ratner condensed the 118-minute long film to just 90 minutes. Also, American voices dubbed the dialogues of all characters excluding Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Mori.

Though the annual worldwide audience for Bollywood films has exceeded three billion, the United States hasn’t been very attracted to movies churned out by the industry. However, things changed after Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire set cash registers ringing. Now, Hollywood studios are wading into Bollywood waters. Ratner himself has expressed interest to direct a Bollywood type film set in India with a predominant Hollywood cast.


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