Kabul Express (2006)

Director:

Kabir Khan

Writers:

Kabir Khan (written by)
Sandeep Srivastava (additional dialogue)

Release Date:

15 December 2006 (UK)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Two Indians, an American, one Afghan and a Pakistani on a journey together

Plot:

The attention of the world is focused, after the terrorist attacks in U.S.A. of 11Sep01, on Afghanistan...

Plot Keywords:

Pakistani | Taliban | Afghanistan | Journalist | Hostage

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

John Abraham	...	Suhel Khan
Arshad Warsi	...	Jai Kapoor
Salman Shahid	...	Imran 'Talib' Khan Afridi / Subedar Major Jan Mohammed
Hanif Hum Ghum	...	Khyber
Linda Arsenio	...	Jessica Beckham
Wali-o Qhab	...	Mujahidin at pick-up truck
Khader Arya	...	Mujahidin at pick-up truck
Haji Gul Asir	...	Mujahidin at pick-up truck
Abdul Basir Mujahid	...	Mujahidin at pick-up truck
Saeed Meeran Farhad	...	Mujahidin at pick-up truck
Raziq Zargar	...	Mujahidin at pick-up truck
Farooq Baraki	...	Mujahidin commander
Anjamuddin	...	Crippled boy
Hashmatullah Fanai	...	Kibabchi at kibabchani
Sunil Godse	...	Pakistani soldier

Runtime:

UK:104 min | Canada:106 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

India

Language:

Dari | English | Hindi

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

UK:15 | Ireland:15A | India:UA | Singapore:PG

Company:

Yash Raj Films

Trivia:

John Abraham reportedly feel ill during the shooting of this film in Afghanistan and was rushed to the same hospital (Nanvati Hospital, Mumbai) as Amitabh Bachchan and two were neighbors for a few days.

Quotes:

Imran Khan Afridi: My name is Imran Khan Afridi
Jai Kapoor: That's a pretty powerful name, "Imran Khan". You play cricket?
Imran Khan Afridi: Is every Indian named 'Sachin' a batsman?

Soundtrack:

Keh Raha Mera Dil

A journey in the heart of Afghanistan, and into the hearts of people

Kabul Express is the Journey of two rookie journalists from India (looking to interview the Taliban), with an American, an Afghani and a Pakistani in the wilderness of Afhghanistan post 9/11.

Kabir Khan presents Afghanistan the way he saw it in his travels: At once beautiful, and at once ravaged, raped and destroyed. A cynical reporter's vision of a nation whose fate was changed by external influences and internal conflict.

Khan examines the flaws and weaknesses in human nature, the greed of money and power, the fear of pain and death. He Also highlights the strengths that keep us from destroying ourselves: love, friendship and compassion towards our fellow humans.

While the story is constantly evolving, the motives of each character are quite clear. The dialog is pacey and casual. The use of language is superb: English, Hindi and Afghani are used efficiently without repetition.

While the subject matter is quite grim, the light-hearted dialog eases the tension. The movie also makes it's point without being preachy. The characters are ones that the audience can relate to, which helps the film. Kudos to Khan for a brilliant first attempt at direction.

The cinematography does full justice to the barren landscapes, the towering mountains, the destroyed cities and the troubled souls residing within.

The acting deserves special mention.

Arshad Warsi strikes a chord with the audience with his childishness and quips in the face of danger. He helps lighten the mood. While John Abraham has a long way to go as an actor, he is nothing really to complain about. He is learning the craft, and it shows.

Linda Arsenio does justice to her role as the practical American journalist and Hanif Hum Ghum as Khyber, is simply endearing. He is the typical Afghani who wants to live in peace and earn a decent living.

Salman Shahid takes the cake as the Talib you want to hate, but the one you love the most. His acting is superb and his character is the strongest in the film. It is full of internal and external conflicts and his eyes convey them all.

OVERALL:

The Good: The Direction, The Cinematography, the Dialogs, The Acting and most importantly, the points the film makes about human nature.

The bad: Editing is patchy sometimes (I saw it at the World Premiere at DIFF and the quip about Osama bin Laden had been Chopped off- and it was obvious!) but for the most part nothing to complain about.

The Ugly: the fainthearted may find some scenes of violence disturbing

Final Word: A MUST watch!