Deadlock over Hrithik-Barbara's steamy scene over

By Subhash K. Jha

The seeming deadlock over the release of the much-hyped Kites is now over.

Producer Rakesh Roshan and director Anurag Basu have agreed on how different the English and Hindi versions of the film would be.

While the supposed steamy scenes would be the same in both versions there would be separate voice-overs in Hindi and English, both done by Hrithik Roshan whose love story the film chronicles in a style that would recall David Lean's Brief Encounter and K Balachander's Ek Duuje Ke Liye.

Director Anurag Basu refutes the report that the steamy scenes in the two versions will be different in Hindi and English."We can't cheat Hindi audiences. The so-called steamy scenes will be the same in both versions. The visuals will remain unchanged in both. There won't be anything radically different in the two versions because Hrithik and Barbara Mori speak English-Hindi and Spanish, respectively in both English and Hindi."

So what would make the two versions different? "The narrative, the voice over. Hrithik Roshan will do the voice over. In the Hindi version Hrithik will do the voice over in Hindi and in English he'll do it English. That would be the basic difference between the two versions."

About being designated the director of the decade at IIFA Rakesh Roshan says, "I'm flattered. There were other truly deserving directors in the reckoning. I must've done something right."