Geography

Rekha who was stunningly credibile as Hrithik Roshan's mother in Koi…Mil Gaya returns in the sequel as Hrithik's grandmother.

"She's the only link between the two films, the only character from Koi…Mil Gaya who recurs in Krissh," explains the softspoken Rakesh Roshan. "Audiences will love her in Krissh."

Though Rekha plays the grand-mom there's no overt aging involved. "No no, Rekha has just greyed her hair slightly, that's it. No more aging was required. After all Rekha played a young mother in Koi…Mil Gaya. So she's a young grandmother in Krissh."

Krissh carries forward the story from Koi…Mil Gaya. "My incentive to do Krissh came after I saw Lord Of The Rings. If they could do an elaborate fantasy- trilogy why couldn't I doa film that continues the story in Koi…Mil Gaya?"

In Krissh Hrithik plays the son of the character he played in Koi …Mil Gaya. "That's right. I was told sequels don't do well in India. It's not like that. Any well-made film runs. How does it matter to the audience if a film is related to something else?"

Made at an approximate budget of 45-50 crore rupees producer-director Rakesh Roshan has much at stake. The film is going to be released either on 23 or 30 June. "I'll take a call in a week. I'm waiting for all my special effects to come.

I don't think audiences have seen anything like this in Hindi films."

So far Indian cinema has lagged behind Hollywood in terms of spectacle. "That's because we never have budgets of 100 and 200 million dollars like King Kong and Superman. We can't play around with our visuals as much as them.

But given the financial constraints, we've achieved quite a lot in Krissh. If you liked the visual effects in Koi…Mil Gaya you'll find them far better in Krissh. I wish I had the budget to do more. I tailored my vision according to my budget."

Speaking of the whopping 45-50 crore budget the filmmaker says, "Whatever I've spent is visible on screen. I have't edited anything. I don't believe in over-shooting or bad planning. I make only one film every 2-3 years and I plan every detail in advance. Every location and its requirement is decided in advance. When I actually shoot I'm relaxed."

So how trendy is Krissh? "If you don't have a good story to tell all these visual effects will go for a toss. In that sense my formula hasn't