(First published at Desicritics)
Kabir Khan's Kabul Express is the story of two Indian jouralists, Jai (Arshad Warsi) and Suhail (John Abraham), on a mission to interview the Taliban in Afghanistan's rugged deserts. Their chauffeur-cum-guide is the fiercely anti-Taliban Afghan, Khyber (Hanif Hum Ghum). Along the way, Jessica (Linda Aresenio), an American reporter latches on to them in search of a good story. The party is then hijacked by a Pakistani Pathan soldier (Salman Shahid), fighting disguised as a Talib, who forces them to take him to the border so he can escape to Pakistan. The film offers us vignettes of the region's politics through the goings on between these different characters.
Kabul Express was born of Khan's experiences filming documentaries in Afghanistan. The script is punctuated by some genuinely moving commentary on the absurdity and brutality of war. Take the scene, for example, when Suhail is doing his ritual push ups while a wide-eyed Afghani boy looks on, his back facing Suhail. Suhail playfully invites the boy to join him. When the child turns around, we see him holding crutches, having lost a leg to a landmine.
Kabir Khan's Kabul Express is the story of two Indian jouralists, Jai (Arshad Warsi) and Suhail (John Abraham), on a mission to interview the Taliban in Afghanistan's rugged deserts. Their chauffeur-cum-guide is the fiercely anti-Taliban Afghan, Khyber (Hanif Hum Ghum). Along the way, Jessica (Linda Aresenio), an American reporter latches on to them in search of a good story. The party is then hijacked by a Pakistani Pathan soldier (Salman Shahid), fighting disguised as a Talib, who forces them to take him to the border so he can escape to Pakistan. The film offers us vignettes of the region's politics through the goings on between these different characters.
Kabul Express was born of Khan's experiences filming documentaries in Afghanistan. The script is punctuated by some genuinely moving commentary on the absurdity and brutality of war. Take the scene, for example, when Suhail is doing his ritual push ups while a wide-eyed Afghani boy looks on, his back facing Suhail. Suhail playfully invites the boy to join him. When the child turns around, we see him holding crutches, having lost a leg to a landmine.
The comic exchanges between the characters over cricket (the Pakistani Pathan uses the pseudonym 'Imran Khan Afridi'!) and Bollywood - two facets that respectively divide and unite people of the region - offer us entertainment and a taste of identity politics. Khan succeeds in humanizing the warring parties, including the 'terrorist', making us refine some of our crude and simplistic stereotypes. Imran is the most author-backed character, with the track involving his daughter; his weary and defensive remarks, "I was just following my orders and doing my duty"; or his guilty twitches when Suhail mocks his militant version of Islam ("namaaz with a rifle by your side") and his warped sense of duty ("What sort of duty shames you in your own daughter's eyes?"). The scene where Imran is gunned down by soldiers of his own country beautifully captures his tragedy and the fickleness of politics (shades of Kubrick's Paths of Glory). How you wish the film had concluded with that scene instead of the wordy addendum.
Khan does not mince words in condemning shifty governments, and his fortitude is laudable. Unfortunately, the usually sharp commentary occasionally turns into filmy dialogue-such as Imran's mushy "we'll be friends in our next life" remark to Jai, or the narration at the end of the film. Also, the "Who started the war?" bitty between Khyber and Imran is straight out of Danis Tanovic's No Man's Land. And why does Jessica have so much make up on? Even Jai and Suhail sport spotless jackets and no signs of fatigue, while braving the dusty landscape for 48 non stop hours. The shot of Imran leering at Jessica's cleavage is, ironically, a cheap, distasteful stereotype in itself. All of this does somewhat dilute the film's impact.Salman Shahid brings a dignity and humanity to his character - no mean achievement if you're playing a terrorist. Hanif Hum Ghum too plays his part to perfection. Arshad Warsi's effortless dialogue delivery and his famous comic timing enthrall us as always. John Abraham is sincere, at best, and Linda Aresenio is somewhat better.
All said, Kabul Express is a brave, honest and intelligent comment on politics and war.
P.S. Do watch the making on the DVD; it has some informative, moving and funny stuff.
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