B'wood goes political with a vengeance

TORONTO: Kabul Express is something like a lesbian wedding. The film is a terribly brave and unlikely marriage of hardcore Bollywood and sub-continental politics — post-9/11 Afghanistan, to be precise.

So it discusses the politics of the Taliban and the see-sawing relations between India, Pakistan and Afghanistan — through hummed snatches of Bollywood songs, arguments about cricket, and lots of screentime devoted to John Abraham swishing his shampooed mane.

With Arshad Warsi providing comic relief in a reprise of the Jai-Veeru dosti number. You could say it is a macho version of Veer Zaara — about lerve between our peoples — and it even has generous helpings of Sholay. Now, that’s a smart McCombo, if you ask me.

The film had its world premiere at the Toronto film festival in this windswept, lakeside city, and will also be at the Pusan festival in Korea. It is about the adventures of two Indian TV journalists, Suhel Khan (John Abraham) and Jai Kapoor (Arshad Warsi), who land up in Afghanistan post-9/11 to get an interview with a Taliban.

It is a kind of road movie-thriller. Although tackling a serious political subject, the film employs a ha-ha tone throughout to keep the frontbenchers entertained — from the first frames, when a kidnapped blindfolded Warsi says, Bollywood-shtyle, “Doctor, main dekh nahin sakta.” But there are some genuinely funny bits, as when Warsi and the Taliban argue about whether Imran Khan or Kapil Dev is the best all-rounder.

The film has a constantly explanatory, Afghanistan-for-Dummies track, so the audience can follow the action even if they haven’t read the papers in years.

Abraham pays slightly more attention to his mane than the assorted ambushes at hand, but Warsi is always off-the-cuff delightful. And there is a wonderful moment when the ‘enemy’ hums an achingly tender old Dev Anand song.
Seemingly attempting a No Man’s Land, the film takes swipes at all — the Pakistani army, Afghan warlords, the Taliban and the aggressive media.

But later it shifts into a deeper emotional plane, colouring its characters with shades of grey. The Taliban is a father with a heart of gold, and the aggressive American  journalist is a good Samaritan too. But goodness and redemption don’t always win, making for a poignant climax.

It is beautifully shot by Amitabh Mahaley, thudding hooves during the buzkashi game and all.

There are some improbable twists and jarring flashbacks; characters disconcertingly stare at camera when speaking, and local Afghans speak fluent Hindi. Still, full marks to brilliant documentary director Kabir Khan for making his debut feature that looks beyond India and Partition, and opens mainstream eyes to a world beyond.

And full marks to Yashraj Films for backing it, even though it centres on politics, and horror of horrors, has no heroine, no love story and not even a proper song!

The chiffons lie in tatters as producer Aditya Chopra goes international with a vengeance.