Don't cry for Afghanistan. Review on Kabul Express

The dirtiest, the most inhumane and the most revolting of all crimes that one human being can ever met out onto the other is the crime of Rape for it violates all principles of humanity, takes away from one his right over his own self and puts him down by agency of force to utter subjugation and humiliation at the hands of the other and makes him an unwilling slave to the whims and fancies of the oppressor…. A Rape is not only an insult to a human mind but the final humiliation to a human being – the total debasing of someone’s esteem and the plunder of one’s own identity.

If the Rape of a human can be so inhuman, what does one say or even comment on the rape of a mother…the rape of a motherland…. The rape of a country…. The rape of Afghanistan….

Enough has been said about Afghanistanand the war of terror… a lot has been written about the Taliban and the Northern Alliance… Much has been spoken about the Pakistani involvement, the American betrayal, the Indian silence and the Afghan brutality… but none has ever bothered to look at the factors that created the story…. The rape of a proud land and its innocent citizens has somehow been lost in the language of ‘collateral damage’ and ‘war on terror’

Kabul Express looks at the rape of the beautiful and pristine land of Afghanistan at the hands of a power game played by the powers of the world. It looks at the inhuman and systematic destruction of the land of the fiercely proud Afghans in the name of religion, power and clannish loyalties. It also looks at the devastation of a beautiful land by vested interests and tries to understand the war of terror from the observer’s point of view.

It looks at a lot of issues… some that have been hidden…some that have been spoken. Its brilliance stems from the fact that it refuses to take sides but at the same time does not cow down from calling a spade a spade. It fearlessly exposes the hypocrisy of America,the shifting allegiances of Pakistan and looks closely at the heart and soul of a much-battered Afghan psyche.

The highlight of the movie is the coming together of men from different nationalities – to save their own necks – and the resultant misanthropy, disgust and everything else.

Arshad Warsi once again proves why he is the Anthony Quinn of today’s Hindi film industry. Whatever maybe the role – comedy, serious,emotional – the actor has a knack of performing exactly as per instructions….Nothing more, nothing less… Just the perfect portrayal! In the role of a reporter –cameraman, Arshad is mind-blowing…. I think it’s time for the industry to appreciate his talent and give him the roles he deserves.

John Abraham has grown leaps and bounds from his initial days as an actor… In this movie, he plays the role of the silent war correspondent Suhail in his characteristic way of understatement. He is the perfect foil to Arshad’s Jai and is completely comfortable in his performance. His eyes have a beautiful mix of both vulnerability and strength and that shows in the scene wherein he meets the face of war in the shape of an innocent child.

Linda Arsenio as the American War Correspondent is well-cast in her role… She plays the role of the sarcastic American, out to get some important footage for domestic consumption to perfection.

Hanif Hum Ghum as the fiercely proud Afghan guide, Khyber is also brilliant in his portrayal of a man who hates the Taliban for what they have done to his country. This was a role that could have gone totally wrong but the actor maintains to keep himself and the movie on the right track.

But the man who makes the film absolutely a no-miss is the Pakistani actor, Salman Shahid who plays the role of a renegade Taliban soldier to perfection. It’s very difficult to perform the villain and still elicit a positive response from the audience. Salman manages to do the impossible… The scene wherein he meets his daughter but does not speak a word to her and the final scene where he faces the forces of his own country are scenes which need an entire arsenal of the best of actors… To the credit of the actor, the actor does not fail…

The cinematography is beautiful…. It’s one thing to shoot a beautiful canvas of a peaceful city and another to show the beauty of a war-ravaged country with all its innate emotions….. Kudos to Anshuman Mahaley! The dialogues and script is also taut and although not grandiose, still manages to hit home and hit hard

Kabir Khan in his directorial debut gives us an exceptionally well-crafted movie…. Not only does the movie have an amazingly strong screenplay, it also is brilliantly conceived, does not beat around the bush, is fearless in calling a spade by its own name, pulls all punches out and still is completely unbiased in its format and execution. This is a brilliant and gutsy movie… let’s hope the director remains true to his talent and does not become a one-film wonder as is the norm (sadly) in today’s times.

The movie is slow because it details the slow burn of life in the heavenly hills of Afghanistan.It’s stark for it shows the face of death in the land of the Khyber. It’s painful for it looks deep down into the conscience of every man and asks everyone one question….

Do we need a war to bring peace to this world?

God... your turn to answer please….