Hrithik Roshan and Mexican actress Barbara Mori in “Kites”.

When Brett Ratner got ready to show “Kites: The Remix” to producer Rakesh Roshan and star Hrithik Roshan, along with executives from Reliance Big Pictures, the film's distributors, he was very nervous.
The man who directed Anthony Hopkins in “Red Dragon” and Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in three “Rush Hour” movies, admits that he wasn't sure if the Roshans would like his version.
Among other things, the 130-minute long film had been cut down to 90 minutes. “I knew it had worked out well when I saw a big smile on Hrithik's face,” he says. “He (Hrithik) said, 'You did an amazing thing. I did not even miss the dancing'.”
“I have kept the style of the filmmakers,” Ratner adds. “But I did away with most of the dancing because it was making the film too long for international audiences. I also got the American score added, and improved on the sound. The film sounded too thin to me. Now, when you watch the remixed edition you will feel like you are watching a big Hollywood action film.”
He says he got into making the new version of “Kites” many months ago when Amit Khanna, chairman, Reliance Big Pictures, came to see him in Hollywood with Rakesh Roshan.
“They showed the film to me and asked what could be done to make it appeal to non-Indian audiences,” he recalls.
“Of the few Bollywood films I have seen including '3 Idiots' which I liked quite a bit, I found the length was too much of a problem,” he says.
“In Indian films, everything is large. They push the drama to melodrama, the comedy becomes broad comedy. It is not wrong. But it is a cultural thing. For an international audience, I wanted to turn 'Kites' into a more compact film.”
When he began working on the slimmer edition, Ratner whose “Rush Hour” films are known for their full-throttle action and comedy asked himself, how he would have handled the film if he were making it.
“People in the industry know very well that I am not a snob,” he says. “I do all kinds of films including TV and music videos, too. I consider myself a storyteller first. So it was important to me that the distractions from the story (in 'Kites') should be removed.”
He says Hollywood has the tradition of taking foreign films and adapt them for the American market.
“Before I did the first 'Rush Hour' (in 1998), Hollywood distributors had taken some of his Hong Kong films which were in Chinese and given them an American look -- with American soundtrack and voices. I am carrying on that tradition with 'Kites'.”
“Some people may not appreciate what I have done but I have a feeling this remix version could lead to making Bollywood experience omnipotent. This could be the first big step towards globalisation of Bollywood movies outside the Diaspora market. And then people will say, Brett Ratner did it, he started the process.”
“I consider my version the appetiser,” he says chuckling. “If you want the main course, see Anurag Basu's full version. It is very enjoyable in its own right.”
He says given the film's international cast -- with Barbara Mori who plays Hrithik's love interest being a big television star in Mexico and other countries in Latin America -- the market could be quite substantial in many parts of the world where Bollywood films don't get theatrical release.
“There is also the novelty factor,” he continues. “It is not like a Hollywood actor with a Spanish girl. But an Indian boy and a Spanish girl is surely an interesting combination.”
Brett Ratner has long been interested in foreign films. “At the Oscars, my favourite category is foreign language movies,” he says.
He has been working with Reliance to mount several projects. “I found them to be forthright, professional and respectful of what I want to do with them,” he says.

Compiled by Correspondent