Courtesy:
IndiaFM
Friday,
July
28,
2006
A
documentary
film-maker
turned
commercial
film-maker's
films
are
always
something
to
look
forward
to.
And
when
you
have
Yashraj
backing
your
movie,
it
is
nothing
short
of
a
fine
setup.
You
might
have
seen
the
promising
promos
of
Kabul
Express.
First
and
foremost
give
us
a
background
about
yourself?
Well,
I'm
a
documentary
film-maker.
Some
of
my
documentaries
include
Taliban
-
Years
and
Beyond,
Titanic
Sinks
in
Kabul,
Forgotten
Army
which
was
based
on
the
Azad
Hind
Fauj
and
shot
in
Burma
and
2
Assassins
and
an
Accident
based
on
Indira
Gandhi
and
Rajiv
Gandhi.
Some
of
my
films
have
won
national
and
international
awards.
Kabul
Express
is
my
first
commercial
film.
Tell
us
about
the
documentary
you
made
about
Taliban?
The
documentary
is
being
aired
on
Discovery
channel
right
now
after
being
aired
on
a
lot
of
international
channels
before.
It
basically
speaks
about
5
years
of
the
Taliban
rule.
What
happens
after
they
begin
their
regime
and
what
changes.
Weren't
you
apprehensive
about
shooting
in
Afghanistan?
There
were
dangers
involved.
But
Afghanistan
is
a
place
with
so
many
exciting
stories
that
makes
it
worth
the
risk.
But
you
should
be
very
careful
and
know
where
to
draw
the
line.
Over-stepping
it
can
be
very
dangerous.
We
received
a
few
death
threats
from
the
Taliban
and
then
we
got
security
from
the
Afghan
government.
Tell
us
about
the
threats?
The
Taliban
is
still
active
at
the
borders
and
are
now
just
a
bunch
of
terrorists.
How
were
the
physical
attributes
over
there?
It
has
tough
terrains
and
is
mountainous.
We
shot
at
-15
degree
Celsius
and
it
was
cold
and
had
icy
winds.
After
25
years
of
war,
the
infrastructure
is
almost
completely
destroyed.
What
is
the
genre
of
the
movie?
It
is
very
difficult
to
put
it
in
a
genre.
By
face,
I
would
call
it
a
road
thriller.
At
a
deeper
level,
there
are
emotions
involved
and
also
talks
about
artificial
and
political
boundaries
created
by
humans.
What
made
you
start
a
film
such
as
Kabul
Express?
It
is
a
fascinating
place.
Whoever
goes
there
cannot
come
back
untouched.
Despite
poverty
and
war,
the
people
are
full
of
life
and
very
hospitable.
This
really
intrigued
me.
It
only
seemed
logical
that
I
start
my
first
film
here
as
I
understand
the
place
well.
Often
we
see
producers
go
to
U.S.,
Malaysia,
etc.
and
shoot
out
there
which
has
no
bearing
with
the
film
whatsoever.
For
me
Kabul
is
not
just
a
location
but
is
a
character
in
my
film.
Is
it
based
on
real
life?
People
say
that
the
characters
of
John
Abraham
and
Arshad
Warsi
are
based
on
me
and
my
friend
Rajan
Kapoor.
Their
characters
may
be
a
little
inspired
from
our
lives
but
we
basically
wanted
to
focus
on
John's
and
Arshad's
off-screen
image.
What
can
you
tell
us
about
the
film?
It
is
an
anti-war
film
set
against
the
backdrop
of
war.
Basically
it
speaks
about
the
bonding
of
natural
enemies
created
by
society.
We
come
down
to
the
point
that
all
human
beings
are
equal.
With
such
an
unconventional
theme,
what
made
Yashraj
take
over
the
film?
Aditya
Chopra
loved
the
film.
It
is
not
a
film
which
has
6
songs
and
5
dances.
Cinema
over
the
years
has
grown.
It
is
important
that
it
should
be
entertaining
but
at
the
same
time
can
be
realistic,
informative
and
thought
provoking.
Aditya
felt
that
this
film
would
not
just
cater
to
the
Indian
but
the
international
audience
as
well.
Yashraj
in
the
last
3
years
is
moving
away
from
their
trademark
films.
Do
you
agree
with
that?
Every
film-maker
has
his
own
style.
Initially,
only
Yash
Chopra
used
to
make
films
for
his
banner.
Now
there
are
about
5-6
film-makers
here
and
each
of
us
have
a
different
style.
A
Hum
Tum
is
different
from
a
Veer-Zaara
which
is
different
from
a
Kabul
Express.
Were
John
and
Arshad
your
first
choices?
Oh
Yes!
I
wanted
only
them
as
they
resembled
the
characters
in
the
film.
Both
of
them
were
excited
on
reading
the
script
and
agreed
to
do
it.
All
this
happened
before
Yashraj
came
into
the
picture.
They
both
play
the
role
of
journalists
in
the
film.
Apparently
John
became
ill
over
there.
Did
it
affect
the
shoot?
He
did
but
the
whole
incident
was
blown
out
of
proportion
by
the
media.
He
came
down
with
fever
only
towards
the
end
of
the
film.
He
however
shot
for
5
days
but
the
conditions
were
such
that
he
had
to
get
hospitalized.
It
was
a
grueling
40
day
shoot
and
I
guess
that
was
the
best
for
him.
Only
a
bit
of
patchwork
was
remaining.
Tell
us
about
the
other
principle
cast?
When
I
started
the
film,
I
insisted
that
every
actor
should
be
of
the
nationality
that
their
characters
are
of.
Hanif
Humghum
is
an
Afghani
who
is
a
driver
and
guide.
Linda
Arsenio
is
a
journalist
from
New
York
and
Salman
Shahid
is
a
Pakistani
who
again
plays
the
role
of
a
journalist.
Is
there
music
in
the
film?
Yes
there
is
definitely
music
in
the
film.
But
no
sing
songs
and
lip-syncing.
The
music
comes
during
the
portrayal
of
events.
Here
and
there
they
hum
a
song
naturally
but
no
one
sings
as
if
there
is
an
orchestra
behind
them.
Did
you
ever
take
your
wife
for
any
of
the
shoots?
Yes,
Mini
(Mathur)
was
there
for
the
shoot
but
not
entirely.
She
has
a
schedule
for
Indian
Idol
and
found
it
hard
to
adjust
her
dates.
Is
it
true
that
you
completed
the
film
in
Bhuj?
The
media
blew
this
thing
out
of
proportion
as
well.
We
completed
only
the
patchwork
of
the
film
like
shooting
tires,
fingernails,
etc.
All
this
happened
because
of
John's
illness.
But
a
person
who
has
seen
Afghanistan
can
say
that
it
cannot
be
replicated.
Almost
the
whole
film
was
shot
there
and
Bhuj
was
just
for
pieces
remaining
which
we
realized
we
could
have
done
in
Mumbai
as
well.
Are
there
any
more
real
life
characters
in
the
film?
Most
of
the
characters
in
the
film
are
inspired
from
the
people
I
know
and
whom
I
have
met.
Are
you
aware
of
the
Afghan
film
industry?
What
is
your
opinion
on
it?
I
have
worked
very
closely
with
the
Afghan
film
industry.
In
fact
I
have
about
20
Afghan
actors
in
the
film.
All
my
extras
are
Afghani.
My
friend
Siddiq
Barmak,
the
golden
globe
winning
Afghan
Director
of
the
film
Osama
helped
me
out
when
we
got
threats
and
he
made
us
get
security
from
the
Afghan
government.
Finally,
the
trailer
of
the
film
ends
with
Arshad
mentioning
Osama
Bin
Laden.
Is
his
character
involved
in
the
film?
You
will
have
to
watch
the
film
to
find
that
out.