Kites and Rajneeti are seen by the film trade as the two most crucial releases in the remaining part of the first-half of 2010.The two films’ producers Rakesh Roshan and Prakash Jha are currently the two closest friends in the film industry, so much so that Jha decided to shift the release of Raajneeti from May 28 to June 4 on Rakesh Roshan’s advice.
Rakesh Roshan’s Kites (directed by Anurag Basu) is being released on 21 May.
Explains Prakash, “Both Rakeshji and I felt there should be clear gap of two weeks between Kites and Raajneeti. Earlier I was to come just a week after.
But in the case of a big film llike Kites the multiplex theatres don’t know till Wednesday if they would like to change films on Friday. I wanted to avoid the scheduling confusion.
I sat down with Rakeshji and we decided it was better that I postpone by a week because there’s no big release after Raajneeti until Mani Ratnam’s Raavan. ”
Adds Rakesh Roshan, “I think more filmmakers need to work in close consultation to avoid films overlapping and cutting into one another’s market. Prakash Jha and I have been discussing each other release. And we mutually decided he should release a fortnight after my film. ”
What happens to the release of Raajneeti if Kites gets postponed again?
Rakesh Roshan discounts that possibility. “We can’t postpone the 21 May release because the English version is being released simultaneously. ”
What if Kites becomes a big hit? Would that affect Raajneeti’s opening?
“No way!” says Prakash Jha. “Kites is a love story. Raajneeti is a political drama. ”
One point of similarity between the two films is that the leading men of both films are paired opposite Caucasian heroines. Hrithik Roshan shares screen space with Barbara Mori while Ranbir Kapoor ignites the screen with Sarah Thomson.
While Rakesh Roshan insists there’s no sex in Kites, Prakash Jha says Ranbir and Sarah share torrid moments in Raajneeti.
Says Rakesh, “Ours is a clean family entertainer. It’s a love story with no sex in it. When have I ever produced films with torrid sex scenes?”