At last!. Review on Kabul Express

I've kept away from Hindi movies most of the times, just because of one reason. More often than not I have been made to regret the fact that I was supposed to be sitting at home and reading something worthwhile. But having read the Afghan by Forsyth (no good) and The Kite runner by Hossaini (one of the best) I had this irresistible craving to watch the land they described to be once more fertile than Kashmir...

The plot

Suhel Khan (John Abraham) and Jai Kapoor (Arshad Warsi) are to struggling reporters who land in the Post 9-11Afghan looking for that elusive Taliban exclusive interview. The start of the movie, where Kabir Khan intertwined the present and the past expelled any doubt that was there in my mind. Here is one guy who knows how to make a movie...

The starting moments are pretty touching, with real videos from Afghan, the deserted state of the country and the death and destruction. Kabir Khan could have dwelt a little more into the same, and made a lasting impression on the hearts of the viewers, but he chose not to, probably to keep the movie short and sweet.

Suhel and Jai go around in circles, trying to meet a Taliban, but luck deserts them in each endeavor. But finally a huge chunk of luck falls into their laps and almost crush their nuts when a Pakistani member of Taliban - Imran Khan Afridi- [Salman Shahid] turns up in their car and asks their Afghan driver Khyber [Hanif Hum Ghum] to take him to the Pakistan border. An american photographer Jessica Beckham [ a gorgeous Linda Arsenio]joins the fray as she also gets pulled into the soup.

The group plays almost a replay of the movie Road [Ram Gopal Verma, Vivek Oberoi, Antara Mali, Manoj Vajpayee] plot, with the cat and mouse and inside the car moments, but not even once do you feel that it is a repeat of road. The movie talks about where they go, what they see and who the real Imran Khan Afridi is.

The Inner Plot

The inner plot is even more stronger than the main plot. About the duty bound Pakistani soldiers who threw away their family, lives and fight for what they were ordered to, only to be disowned by their politicians when things got too rough. The helplessness of the Pakistani soldiers who were bound by duty to fire into the flesh of their own brothers, and watch them breath their last...The pride of the Afghani which is etched deep into his heart, and remains there whatever be the circumstance...

The Cast

John Abraham is plain 'Good'. After all it isnt his movie. Arshad Warsi's comic genius is well utilized,but in the end it is not his movie either. Nor is it Linda Arsenio's though she keeps the viewer charmed with her beauty and acting capabilities. Hanif Hum Ghum is brilliant and he has done justice to the fire in the heart of a proud Afghani...The movie belongs to Salman Shahid from the moment he storms into the screen with his intense eyes searching for something, till the names appear on the screen. Period.

The Script

The dialogues, especially those of Arshad Warsi is witty, with a strange touch of sarcasm in it. It is definitely not written for the sake of comedy- it rather brings out something even deeper. Some samples-

Imran when asked his name- "Imran Khan Afridi"

Jai - "Aap cricket khelte hain?"

Imran - "Tumhare desh me jiska bhi nam Sachin hain, woh ballebaz hain kya?"

Jai - "Ye taliban log aurat ka izzat hi nahin karta" (Sees Jessica walk by) "Aila kya maal hain!"

The cinematography

Rocks. Period

The music

Rocks again.

Watch it; if you have a bit of taste for non soaps, you will definitely like it....