Dec 28, 2006 01:37 PM
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Having witnessed the fall of the Twin Towers in front of my own eyes and the horror that followed, I was interested to watch "Kabul Express" right from the time I heard it was in the making. 9/11 changed a lot of things and definitely changed the world forever. My hometown New York is such a cosmopolitan city but on that day a lot changed -not to mention attitudes. Everyone was scared of anyone wearing a turban or sporting a long beard and of course there was inherent support for a war - the war against Afghanistan...because thats the place where the "Bad Guys" came from.
I must say hats off to Kabir Khan for doing such a beautiful job. I believe this is the first movie of its kind to attempt to flow into mainstream hindi cinema. The movie gives us a glimpse of a country that has been devastated by years and years of war. Even though the rest of the world has moved along with computers and high tech gadgets in every home, Afghanistan is essentially in ruins not due to its own fault but due to other countries using their people for various reasons - either religious or political.
The movie essentially is a journey of two Indian journalists (John and Arshad) trying to get a scoop of a lifetime. They arrive in Afghanistan - their goal is to do an interview with at least one of the Talibans. As we all know, post 9.11, the Talibans were ousted and were either hiding in caves or were on the run.
In the beginning it was difficult for the two journalists to find any Taliban. Because of language issues and the fact that they are in unfamiliar territory, they are helped by a very patriotic Afghani who essentially drives them around and agrees to help them find a Talib.
They also come across an American journalist who has the same goal as they do. One day, their jeep "Kabul Express" is literally hijacked by a man who looks ruthless and threatens to kill them if they did not follow instructions. Turns out he is a Talib who is originally from Pakistan. This role has been played by Pakistani actor Salman Shahid. I must say his performance is one of the FINEST I have seen in a long time.
The movie then revolves around the story of these five people and how they deal with the situation and in the process get to know each other and realize that the ruthless Talib is not such a bad guy after all and as John says toward the ending, if it were some other place and time, they perhaps would be friends. Arshad Warsi has done pretty well and has gotten some of the good lines. John's character is more reserved. The actress Linda Arsenio is alright. She does her job.
Even though the plot is a serious, Kabir Khan has managed to incorporate some comedy and also given it an emotional touch. Cinematography is also excellent! The scene where they all sing to old hindi melodies is very touching.
The ending essentially is the crux of the film, reflecting upon the situation in that part of the world.
I commend Aditya Chopra for producing such a film. Even though a "Dhoom" can bring in more money, I think it will be nice to have the Yash Raj Banner produce some wonderful meaningful cinema like this.
I guess the masses who are not as familiar with the history or just want a rehash of the same dancing around trees kind of cinema may not find it appealing. But, for the rest of us I guess its a Treat. Way to go Kabir!! Looking forward to more goodies!
