By:
Praveen
Lance
Fernandes,
IndiaFM
Monday,
July
31,
2006
Give
an
Indian,
the
word
Afghanistan
and
probably
'Osama
Bin
Laden'
or
the
'Taliban'
might
strike
him.
Give
an
Afghani
the
word
India
and
only
one
word
will
strike
him
-
Bollywood.
Bollywood
has
long
been
a
core
in
Afghanistan
thanks
to
the
similarities
between
the
cultures
and
the
fact
that
most
people
out
there
understand
Hindi
and
Urdu.
People
there
adore
Indian
cinema
and
its
stars
as
well,
especially
Shah
Rukh
Khan
and
Aamir
Khan.
Did
you
know
that
Afghanistan
also
has
a
film
industry
that
was
suppressed
when
the
Taliban
came
into
power?
Their
first
film
was
shot
in
1951
titled
Love
and
Friendship
which
soon
became
very
popular.
However,
the
next
film
Like
an
Eagle
came
only
after
2
decades.
Experts
believe
that
the
Afghan
film
industry
got
a
new
lease
of
life
after
1978,
when
it
emerged
also
on
the
international
scene.
Following
1978,
a
dozen
of
full-length
color
feature
films,
tens
of
tele-films
and
hundreds
of
documentaries
and
short
films
have
been
produced
by
Afghan
filmmakers
and
screened
throughout
the
country.
Actually,
the
Taliban
changed
a
lot
of
things
once
their
regime
began.
Bollywood
films
were
completely
banned
and
India
lost
out
on
a
huge
market.
It
was
only
after
the
fall
of
the
Taliban
did
Indian
movies
made
a
comeback
there.
Vikram
Bhatt's
Elaan
was
among
the
first
films
to
be
screened
at
Kabul's
Bakhtar
cinema
shortly
after
the
Northern
Alliance
forces
took
control
of
Kabul.
Experts
say
that
with
the
re-opening
of
the
Afghan
market,
overseas
revenue
could
increase
by
over
10%
if
the
market
is
taken
up
on
a
larger
scale.
Also
more
recently
Afghanistan
has
opened
doors
for
outdoor
shooting
as
well.
Kabir
Khan's
Kabul
Express
is
the
first
film
to
be
shot
in
Afghanistan
after
the
fall
of
the
Taliban.
The
John
Abraham-Arshad
Warsi
starrer
is
all
set
to
release
in
October
and
the
place
is
very
close
to
the
director's
heart
who
says,
"For
me
Kabul
is
not
just
a
location
but
is
a
character
in
my
film".
However,
before
the
establishment
of
the
Taliban
came
into
being,
there
were
a
few
Indian
film
shot
out
there.
Feroz
Khan's
Dharmatma
(1975)
was
the
first
Indian
film
to
be
shot
in
Afghanistan.
Dharmatma's
story
emerges
from
a
strong
conflict
between
father
and
son
which
keeps
them
miles
apart
in
their
approach
towards
life.
It
takes
the
son
away
to
the
rugged
land
of
Afghanistan.
Beautifully
presented
by
Feroz
Khan,
a
lot
of
stunning
locations
were
captured
right
from
the
striking
valley
of
Bamiyan
to
the
lakes
of
Bande-Amir.
Feroz
Khan
just
loves
the
country.
In
fact,
in
his
last
home-production
Janasheen
(2003),
he
played
the
role
of
an
Afghani
fugitive.
During
the
time
of
the
Taliban
regime,
he
had
said
in
an
interview,
"I
love
Afghanistan
and
its
mountains.
I
would
like
to
go
back
there."
Khuda
Gawah
(1992),
directed
by
Mukul
Anand
and
starring
Amitabh
Bachchan,
Sridevi
and
Danny
Denzongpa
was
Amitabh's
last
film
before
he
retired
(for
the
first
time).
The
film
was
extensively
shot
in
Afghanistan
and
parts
of
Nepal.
The
setting
and
the
characters
were
fully
Afghani
as
well.
Amitabh
donned
the
role
of
an
Afghani
warrior
Baadshah
Khan
while
Sridevi
was
his
beloved
Benazir.
The
song
'Tu
Na
Jana
Mere
Baadshah'
is
one
memorable
song
from
the
film.
Incidentally,
Mukul
Anand
also
shot
portions
of
his
film
Dus
there
as
well
but
due
to
his
untimely
death,
the
movie
never
got
completed.
And
what
about
films
based
on
Afghanistan
but
not
actually
shot
there.
One
recent
movie
which
comes
to
mind
is
the
Manisha
Koirala
starrer
Escape
from
Taliban.
The
film
was
shot
in
Ladakh
and
was
based
on
the
bestseller
Kabuliwallah's
Bengali
Wife.
It
sank
without
a
trace
mainly
due
to
lack
of
star-value,
unaggressive
promotions
and
mainly
lackluster
content.
There
was
an
Afghani
by
the
name
of
Hashmat
Khan
who
started
out
as
an
actor
with
films
like
Sach
(1989)
and
the
Ramsay
film
Bandh
Darwaza
(1990).
He
is
now
producing,
directing
and
acting
in
a
film
called
Spring
of
Hope.
"The
security
has
really
improved
in
the
country.
We
got
good
response
from
the
Ministry
of
Defense
and
the
Interior
Ministry.
We
shot
at
Kabul,
Istalif,
Salang
Valley,
the
University
there
and
also
the
central
jail." said
Hashmat.
So
who
do
you
think
probably
strikes
as
the
most
popular
Indian
actor
who
donned
the
role
of
an
Afghani?
Amitabh
Bachchan
in
Khuda
Gawah
or
Feroz
Khan
in
Janasheen?
Well,
the
awards
definitely
should
go
to
Balraj
Sahni
for
his
portrayal
of
the
rugged
looking
but
children
loving
Pathan
in
the
Bimal
Roy
production
Kabuliwala
(1961).
The
film's
biggest
strength
is
the
evocative
story
and
the
heartfelt
performances
by
Sahni.
His
act
is
immersed
with
tenderness
while
his
laughter
is
robust
and
his
walk
imperial.
A
class
act
from
the
late
actor.
Incidentally
the
film
which
was
originally
adapted
from
Rabindranath
Tagore's
writings
was
made
in
Malyalam
and
Bengali
as
well.
And
last
but
not
the
least,
we
move
onto
Buzkashi.
What's
that
you
might
ask?
Buzkashi
is
the
national
sport
of
Afghanistan.
The
goal
of
a
Buzkashi
player
is
to
grab
the
carcass
of
a
calf
and
then
get
it
clear
of
the
other
players,
or
pitch
it
across
a
goal
line.
This
sport
was
seen
in
a
number
of
movies.
International
films
include
The
Horsemen
(1971)
and
Rambo
III
(1988).
Back
in
India,
the
scene
was
shot
as
the
opening
sequence
of
Khuda
Gawah
when
Amitabh
loses
a
game
of
Buzkashi
to
Sridevi
and
ends
up
falling
in
love
with
her.
The
soon
to
be
released
Kabul
Express
will
also
feature
this
sport.
Director
Kabir
Khan
says,
"I
have
used
genuine
Buzkashi
from
the
Panjsher
valley."
A
country
restricted
due
to
25
years
of
war
is
slowly
trying
to
find
a
place
for
itself
in
the
world
map.
Movies
like
Kabul
Express
will
definitely
bring
this
country
back
into
the
limelight
-
only
this
time
positively.