Dec 17, 2006 07:38 PM
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(Updated Dec 20, 2006 05:39 PM)
Kabul Express, the movie, which had created curiosity since 7 months, has finally released and though it does not entertain fully it gives loads of satisfaction!
The story of the movie: The movie is set in November 2001, i.e. post 9/11 in Afghanistan. It was a period when American bombing had destroyed the Taliban reign and the Talibs were trying to espace Afghanistan, the place where they ruled for decades. Their ultimate aim was to reach Pakistan so as to avoid the wrath of the Afghans. In such a situation, Suhel Khan (John Abraham) and Jai Kapoor (Arshad Warsi), two Indian journalists, come to the war-trodden country to get a rare interview of a Talibani. Their guide was Khyber (Hanif Hum Ghum) who was also their driver, and who owned the Toyota Jeep called Kabul Express. One morning, a Talibani Imran Khan (Salman Shahid) take the trio as hostages and tell them to take him to the Pakistan-Afghan Border so that he can escape to Pakistan from there. On the other hand, Jessica (Linda Arsenio), a photojournalist from New York also ends up being one of Imran’s hostages. So will Imran be able to escape Afghanistan? Or will Imran get caught by the irate Afghans??
Those going for Kabul Express should know one important thing-This movie is not a masala entertainer type movie. It is a serious (not a documentary) movie showing about Afghanistan and life of Afghans post 9/11.
Kabul Express succeeds because of the director Kabir Khan. He has ample knowledge about Afghanistan and he does a great job by showing what Afghanistan is like-the true face of Afghanistan. He has also penned a superb story, which keeps the interest of the viewer alive. The movie is approximately 1 hr 55 mins but not for a second did I felt bored. The way the story unfolds is also interesting.
Also, Kabir Khan has handled the shocking portion very nicely. For instance the scene where the handicapped boy is shown and the scene where Buzkashi (a game similar to Rugby played on horses and also includes a dead lamb) is shown are neatly handled. The latter scene, where the dead lamb is shown lying in a miserable situation, is quite astonishing. Along with shocking scenes, Kabir Khan has also handled comic situations very nicely! And the speclality of humour in this movie is that they come suddenly! Wow, Mr Kabir!
John Abraham looks good and acts quite well but the problem is that he doesn’t get enough scope in this movie. But though, he speaks and acts in utmost confidence.
Arshad Warsi is the winner in the movie! He does quite a great job. It was he who provided all the comedy! He has neatly carried out the cigarette scene and the Kapil Dev sequence. Really, this is one of the best movie in Arshad’s carrier. Good work, Arshad, keep it up!!
Hanif Hum Ghum is excellent! What I liked most about Hanif is that he acts as his character demanded. His reaction, his talking style and his way of getting angry-everything was superb! Splendid! Salman Shahid was fantastic. He, too, portrays his character, in a very nice way. He got better in the second half and in the ending, his acting was amazing. Linda Arsenio does full justice to her role. She gets more scope in the second half and acts quite well. Others had also done a very good job.
Raghav Sachchar’s music is good. The promotional song ‘Kabul Fiza’ is a delight to hear but it is not included in the movie. Anshuman Mahaley’s cinematography was amazing and breathtaking. It seems he knew the landscape of Afghanistan quite well. Julius Packiam’s background score was quite haunting.
Some of the fantastic scenes of the movie:
The first scene of the movie
The scene where Khyber ties up Imran minutes before intermission
The Buzkashi scene
The Kapil Dev-Imran Khan sequence
The scene where Imran was doing ‘namaz’
The last 20 minutes of the movie
On the whole, Kabul Express is a wonderful movie. Though it a hatke movie and does not entertain fully, it is quite satisfying. It’s a must watch, especially for those who wants to know about Afghanistan (like me!). Just avoid Taran Adarsh’s review and go and watch it, Kabul Express is a delight to watch!
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