>the movie i saw didnt have any scene of laurel and hardy routine by john and arshad killing a woman in veil?
The first scene has either documentary footage or simulated footage of a veiled woman being executed by shooting in a football stadium (this happened, so it may or may not be actual footage). The second scene had John and Arshad arriving by Helicopter with the comedy relief one essentially saying “another fine mess you’ve got me in to. I felt this juxtaposition to be clumsy/in extreme poor taste.
are u mental ??? lunatic?
I don’t suppose my denying this will change your opinion.
> also the impression i got from the film, was that afghanis are brave and good folks, who were oppressed by the russians and the talibans
But there aren’t many Afghans in the film, and the ones who you do see are either exploitative, militia, bandits, lynch mobs or a bit simple. Which noble Afghans are you talking about? Sure, there are lots of well framed pictures of burnt out buildings, but no real characters. If this film had been made by Americans or Europeans it would have created uproar.
> also pakistani PEOPLE have been shown to be normal good people who love their country, nothing wrong in that
Nothing. But with respect we only see two types of Pakistani in the film, the first is the Talib and the second are the soldiers. These are not “normal” Pakistanis. Meanwhile, the government is portrayed as filthy backstabbing scum. Pretending sympathy for the people while criticising their leaders is a typical propaganda device: “lions led by donkeys” is not a saying invented in the UK, for example. The whole premise for the film, as it unravels, is an attack on the Pakistani government, which would be fine if (a) it actually had a choice (b) the film hadn’t come from a country known to be opposed to the regime and (c) had some sense of its relative importance in the hierarchy of wrongdoing in the conflict. None of these tests are met. It’s just a cheap shot designed to appeal to the Indian audience’s prejudice against Pakistan. Hardly the stuff of classic modern cinema.
> but we indians TRY, we havent given up yet...
Sure, whatever, yawn…
> also terrorism doesnt help much.
What, you mean like that guy who killed Mahatma Gandhi – oh, no wait, he was a Hindu, wasn’t he…
But look, I’m not saying that India is bad or that Indians are bad. I’m not saying that the west is good or that Pervez Musharraf is necessarily a fine upstanding citizen. I’m just saying that Kabul Express is a terribly simplistic load of old cobblers that could have been a serious study of the conflict, could have been a decent black comedy but ended up just taking cheap pot shots a country unfortunate enough to have a land border with a state which has been variously fought over by British, Soviets, Americans and Mujahideen. India, in the same position, would have done exactly the same. Britain would have done exactly the same. Therefore, Kabul Express’ analysis of the conflict is worthless rabble rousing bunk designed for the amusement of its domestic audience. At best patronising, at worst insulting.
I push better art out of my ar s e.
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