Bollywood's Kites flies globally: Remix by Brett Ratner, Mexican star Barbara Mori

Bollywood films have increasingly made attempts to reach broader markets in recent years, by taking such steps as casting Hollywood stars and coproducing features with foreign studios. Another example of this international outlook is the much-anticipated Kites, which is truly going for a global audience in its casting, content, and its distribution strategy.

Not only does the tale of star-crossed lovers pair Indian superstar Hrithik Roshan and Uruguyan-born Mexican actress Bárbara Mori, and feature dialogue in Hindi, English, and Spanish, but it's also set for release on May 21 in 30 countries on 2300 screens. That includes over 200 screens in Canada and the United States. (Visit our site on Thursday for a review of the film.)

But that's not all.

A second version will be released a week later in another 30 markets on May 28. The original 130-minute film, directed by Anurag Basu (and produced by Rakesh Roshan), has been edited down to a 90-minute version geared towards the English-language market and a younger demographic. Kites: The Remix was edited by Brett Ratner, director of X-Men: The Last Stand and the Rush Hour series.

While Hollywood stars have appeared in small roles in Bollywood films (like like Sylvester Stallone and Denise Richards in Kambakkht Ishq, and Western pop stars like Kylie Minogue (Blue) and Snoop Dogg (Singh is Kinng) have provided musical performances, Mori is one of the few foreigners (who isn't of South Asian heritage) to be cast in a lead role in a Bollywood film. (Incidentally, Mori does have some Japanese heritage.)

Other examples include British actresses Alice Patten (Rang De Basanti) and Rachel Shelley (Lagaan), and Brazilian model Giselli Monteiro (Love Aaj Kal).

As the latest effort by a Bollywood production to appeal to tap into foreign markets, Mori's Bollywood debut will help to attract attention from Latin America. Last year's chopsocky-masala fusion Chandni Chowk to China included Chinese actors such as Gordon Liu and Roger Yuan.