Latest news with #Kites
Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
When Hrithik Roshan fondly recalled meeting Michael Jackson during Kites shoot: ‘It took me time to absorb'
Chance encounters are highly valued and special. That's why Hrithik Roshan vividly remembers his meeting with the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, in 2008 during the shoot of his film Kites. 'I was in my makeup room. Two bodyguards entered the room. Behind them, a frail-looking, thin person walked in with long hair and white skin. I looked at the reflection in the mirror. I am wondering…this guy looks like Michael Jackson…and he comes to me and says, 'Hi, I am Michael, nice to meet you'.' In a conversation with actor-writer Farhan Akhtar on his talk show Oye, it's Friday, Hrithik added, 'He shook my hand. He went. I went back to my makeup. Suddenly, after two minutes, I realise what I am doing. What am I doing here if Michael Jackson is in the next room?' 'It took me time to absorb the fact. When it hit me…I caught up and we took some pictures and all. Big fan of his dance…' expressed Hrithik. During the same conversation, Hrithik told Farhan that the late artiste was on a recce of the same bungalow for a shoot with his team. Taking a cue from this interesting incident, let's explore how chance encounters often become cherished lifelong memories. It's not just about admiration or fame. It's about emotional resonance. 'These moments remind us that the stories, teachings, or songs that once held us through our darkest nights were always anchored in real, breathing human beings. And when we meet them, the distance collapses. Something shifts. We feel seen,' said Delnna Rrajesh, psychotherapist, healer, and life coach. The emotional intensity stands as the central element, said Sheena Sood, psychologist and counsellor, P. D. Hinduja Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Mahim. 'The sudden rush of joy and awe and excitement creates a strong emotional impression that floods our minds at once. Such neuropsychological events activate the reward system in the brain, which triggers dopamine release to create enduring vivid memories,' said Sood. According to Delnna, such moments live on and can 'become permanent imprints in our memory'. 'Not because it was long or photographed, but because it was real. It was felt deeply,' reflected Delnna. The unplanned nature of these meetings intensifies emotional responses and strengthens memory retention, shared Sood. 'The uniqueness and unpredictability of these events make them truly special,' said Sood. Years later, you may not recall every word that was said. 'But you will remember how you felt. Safe. Inspired. Connected. Alive,' concluded Delnna.
Mint
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
‘Metro In Dino' review: Overstuffed, uneven, but not without its charms
You'd think Anurag Basu would want to steer as clear of Jagga Jasoos as possible. Yet, the opening of Metro In Dino runs towards that wildly ambitious and notoriously unsuccessful 2017 film with open arms. It's a true-blue musical sequence: multiple stories, conversational vocals, passing nimbly from character to character. In a film suffused with romantic gestures, this might be the ultimate one. At a time when Hindi directors are trying to make the least musical musicals possible, Basu wants to give viewers the 100-proof version. Basu's career can be divided into two neat halves: the turbulent love stories from Saaya (2003) to Kites (2010), and then, Barfi (2012) onwards, the embrace of colour and whimsy. Metro In Dino takes its structure from a key first-half work, 2007's Life In a Metro, but it's rendered in his later lush style. It's loving, playful, affecting, overstuffed—all the things that come with watching a Anurag Basu film. There are four stories, though these multiply and mutate and overlap until it's all one big ball of ache and longing. Klutzy, underconfident Chumki (Sara Ali Khan) accidentally crosses paths with breezy playboy Parth (Aditya Roy Kapur); though she's engaged and clearly not his type, they find themselves drawn to one another. Kajol (Konkona Sen Sharma) and Monty's (Pankaj Tripathi) marriage has lost its shine, a problem exacerbated when she discovers his fake profile on a dating app. Akash (Ali Fazal) has quit his job to make it as a musician in Mumbai, leaving his wife, Shruti (Fatima Sana Shaikh), increasingly miserable. And Shivani (Neena Gupta) embarks on a small act of rebellion, travelling against the wishes of husband to a college reunion where she'll meet her former love, Parimal (Anupam Kher). And there are cross-stitches: Kajol and Chumki are sisters, Shivani is their mother, Parth is Akash and Shruti's best friend. Basu weaves in and out of these stories, sometimes with the help of a sutradhar rock band fronted by the film's composer, Pritam (the same device was used in Life In a Metro). With additional strands involving Shivani's husband, Kajol and Monty's daughter, Shruti's coworker and Chumki's fiancée, it's not hard to imagine how convoluted it all becomes. Basu embraces the mess, gathering up revelations and decisions into a rolling series of montages. These are moving in and of themselves, but there are so many such emotional peaks that the film can't build properly towards a resolution. It exhausts itself emotionally, then starts over again, and again. On the Goldilocks scale, I found Shivani-Parimal too cold and both Kajol-Monty and Chumki-Parth too hot (Sen Sharma and Tripathi become more appealing as their story becomes more farcical). Akash-Shruti, though, are just right, honest and messy in a lifelike way. Akash, lonely and unhappy, starts to wonder about his wife's fidelity—a suspicion misdirected but not unfounded. And though she supports his decision to follow his dream, Shruti doesn't hesitate to throw his father's failure as a musician, and his own, in his face. Shaikh and Fazal are great together—he's so adept at playing jealous—and their scenes have an emotional force missing in the other storylines. There's a lovely, sharp moment where Akash pays twisted tribute to his father: 'Unknown singer, average life, unremarkable death.' This is the fate that all the characters in Metro In Dino are trying to escape. What looks like selfish, needy floundering is actually a desperate attempt to gain some control, live the sort of life that doesn't feel like a perpetual compromise. Two absences hang over Metro In Dino, turn it melancholy. KK, who sang the stormy Alvida and soaring O Meri Jaan in the earlier film, is no more. Also sadly departed is Irrfan, whose cheery Monty is perhaps the most beloved of Life In A Metro's characters. It's no coincidence that Sen Sharma—who played opposite Irrfan in the 2007 film—is the only returning member of the cast, and that Tripathi's Monty is in a similar comic vein. Despite their frustrations, Basu's films offer unique pleasures. Unlike so many directors in Hindi cinema today, he actually seems to want to make scenes look and sound interesting. He can do it with music, whether it's traditional playback montage or Hollywood musical style. He can do it visually, like the Christopher Doyle-esque shudder during Chumki and Parth's first meeting. Sometimes he allows the setting to do the work—a bar game, a canoe for two. Sometimes he just runs with a simple idea. When Akash is contemplating leaving his comfortable life for an uncertain future as a musician, I idly thought what an Imtiaz Ali decision this was. In the very next scene, who else does Akash run into but… Imtiaz Ali. There are other directors who'll do a job, do it efficiently. But filmgoing is more fun when Basu's playing in his sandbox.
Mint
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Metro In Dino movie box office prediction: How much will Anurag Basu's Bollywood comeback earn on release date?
With Metro In Dino, Anurag Basu is making a comeback to Bollywood after five years. In fact, this is his return to theatrical releases after eight years. His last film, Ludo, was a direct-to-OTT release on Netflix. Metro In Dino will be released on July 4. It was earlier planned for November 29, 2024. The film shares emotional stories of four modern-day couples, based in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Bengaluru. These stories connect later in the film. The film was shot in Kolkata and Delhi, with some scenes in Himachal Pradesh. Konkona Sen Sharma returns from the original Life in a Metro. Other lead actors include Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Roy Kapur, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sara Ali Khan, Ali Fazal, Anupam Kher and Neena Gupta. Tripathi, Aditya and Fatima also featured in Ludo. Metro In Dino is expected to earn around ₹ 10–12 crore on its first day, according to Koimoi. The movie will possibly beat Anurag Basu's earlier record set by Kites in 2010. The Hrithik Roshan starrer opened at ₹ 10.40 crore. The Metro In Dino trailer was released on June 4, with positive reviews. So far, it has gained 27 million views and more than 20,000 comments. 'I want this one to work. Tired of politics, war... just give us some light moments and love on screen,' reacted one viewer. Another viewer wrote, 'A proper Bollywood movie. Keeping my fingers crossed for this one. Please heal this industry.' Metro In Dino cost ₹ 100 crore to make and promote, according to Pinkvilla. To be more specific, ₹ 85 crore was spent on production and ₹ 15 crore on advertising. It was originally planned at ₹ 65 crore but went ₹ 20 crore over budget, the publication added. Director Anurag Basu is also the co-producer and has charged a small fee. Even before release, the film has already earned ₹ 70 crore through non-theatrical sources. The Bollywood musical has earned ₹ 40 crore from Netflix and ₹ 15 crore from music rights. It is expected to fetch ₹ 15 crore from satellite rights, Pinkvilla added. Typically, a movie needs to earn double its budget to recover its full cost and break even. This means the film still needs to earn ₹ 130 crore from global theatre collections. Even if the film does decently at the box office, that should not be a tough task.
New Indian Express
20-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
'Vayanapettis' to bolster reading culture in city
Bibliophiles in the city have much to rejoice! The Cochin Corporation, in association with Kites, an NGO, has started a new initiative, 'Vayanapetti', which will see over 100 'book banks' opened in various corners in the city. The first of them opened at Panampilly Nagar's Koithara Park last week. The initiative aims to inculcate the habit of reading in youngsters and to make the spaces that these Vayanapettis occupy more people-friendly. 'Now, anyone who comes to the park during the opening hours can take any book they like, sit in the park, read, and discuss it with fellow readers,' says V A Sreejith, the standing committee chairman (education) of the Corporation. The books must be returned to the Vayanapetti when they leave, he points out. 'However, should anyone want to take the book with them, they can leave another book in its place,' Sreejith adds. Following positive responses from the public, the Cochin Corporation and Kites have identified 30 more spaces to install Vayanapettis. 'The locations in consideration are Changampuzha Park, Subhash Bose Park, Rajendra Maidan, General Hospital, Vasco Da Gama Square in Fort Kochi,' says Ajmal Chakkarapadam, the CEO of Kites India. Plans are also afoot to constitute reading groups. 'We want to create a reading culture. For this, communities and platforms to discuss books are vital,' Sreejith says. There are also plans to introduce sessions with writers. Residents can also 'set up Vayanapettis in their neighbourhood or donate books by contacting Kites,' Ajmal adds. Kites is also developing a mobile app by way of which readers can borrow and donate books. The Cochin Corporation, in its 2024-25 budget, had allocated Rs 20 lakh to bolster reading culture in the city.
NDTV
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Sunaina Roshan On Co-Producing Hrithik Roshan's Krrish 4: "I Don't Want To Get Back To It"
New Delhi: This year marked 25 years of Hrithik Roshan at the movies, it seemed like a good time to expand his horizons in the business. Earlier in March, Rakesh Roshan surprised fans when he announced that after directing Koi Mil Gaya, Krrish, and Krrish 3, he is all set to pass on the torch to Hrithik Roshan now, who will be directing Krrish 4. The film will reportedly see previous cast members Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Rekha, and Preity Zinta return, while new members Nora Fatehi and Naseeruddin Shah will also join the new cast. In a recent conversation with News18, Hrithik's sister Sunaina Roshan also expressed her joy for her brother's directorial debut. She said, "I'm not a part of the film but I'm very excited about Krrish 4 because it's going to be my brother's directorial debut. He told me and my mom about it just one day before the announcement came out in the press. I remember crying and crying." She added, "I cried, thinking that he's now taking my father's legacy of direction ahead. My dad was also in tears. It was so overwhelming for me that my kid brother is now turning into a director. I know that he'll do a fabulous job at it." The conversations then veered to whether Sunaina will be joining the crew as a producer, as she has previously produced a few films under her father, filmmaker Rakesh Roshan's banner. Reacting to the same, Sunaina Roshan said, "I don't want to get back to producing films. When I was working with Dad, I did so because I had nothing to do at home and I wanted to get busy. Now that I know what I've to do, I'm not going back to that office. I don't even visit the sets of the films my brother is working on. But I used to be on the sets of Kites all the time because that was my first film as a co-producer. I find visiting a film set very boring (laughs)." Furthermore, she elaborated how she was very particular on her dad's film sets, and that she should not be treated differently. She emphasized how she has maintained that mindset throughout her career. Sunaina said, "I was a co-producer and an assistant director to my dad on Krrish. I loved that experience. I had a lot of fun on the sets because I'm a very people person. When I worked with Dad, I always used to tell my colleagues to treat me as a peer and not as Rakesh Roshan's daughter and that I was there to work much like all of them. And I've maintained that throughout my working career with Dad. I eventually stopped co-producing because Dad stopped making movies. My last film was Kaabil."
