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!
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!