This thread will be used for movies review and previews; please note that anyone could do a review, not necessarily the starter of this thread: So I look foward to any of you guys to chip in with your views and comments:

Thanks for the suggestion Petal:

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This message has been edited. Last edited by: asj,

KABUL EXPRESS:

'Kabul Express': Movie preview
Source: IndiaFM

Kabul Express is set in post 9/11 (November 2001) Afghanistan where the American bombing has destroyed the most hated Taliban regime and the Taliban soldiers are trying to escape to Pakistan to avoid the wrath of the Afghans.

Against this turbulent backdrop, Suhel Khan (John Abraham) and Jai Kapoor (Arshad Warsi) two Indian television reporters have entered Afghanistan with the aim to somehow get a rare and exclusive interview with a member of the Taliban.

Helping them in their pursuit of a Talibani is their Afghan guide, translator and driver, Khyber (Hanif Hum Ghum) in his Toyota Jeep called Kabul Express.

The three of them have their share of adventure as they go from being blindfolded and taken to secret hideouts in the mountains to interview Taliban prisoners to nearly getting trampled by horses while shooting a game of Buzkashi (Rugby played on horses with a dead lamb).

They are saved from being trampled by an American photojournalist, Jessica (Linda Arsenio).

Yet, despite all their attempts the Taliban remains elusive. Also, unknown to them, they the hunters are being hunted down themselves...


One cold winter morning in Kabul, they get kidnapped at gunpoint by a Taliban fugitive, Imran (Salman Shahid).

Imran, a Pakistani army soldier who was part of the Taliban knows that as journalists, Jai and Suhel’s movements in the country will not be questioned. Posing as their local guide,Imran hopes to reach the safety of his country.

Imran knows that the Taliban were the most hated regime in the history of Afghanistan and if caught by the Afghans, he would be tortured and killed.

From here on begins the two-day journey from Kabul to the volatile Afghan-Pakistan border.

Jai and Suhel’s mission becomes a nightmare as they are taken hostage aboard the Kabul Express and made to drive across the most dangerous country in the world.

Jessica sees their car driving away from Kabul and mistakenly thinks that they are onto a big story.

She begins to chase them. Before she knows it Jessica gets stuck in a bizarre situation and inadvertently, also gets taken hostage by Imran.

Along the long treacherous route they get stopped by dangerous mercenary armed bandits, see an angry mob kill prisoners with their bare hands, and in a hilarious situation they even get chased by a suicidal donkey!

Political and ideological boundaries not withstanding, all five of them are forced to act as a team in life threatening situations. As the film unfolds, a special relationship develops between an Afghan, a Pakistani, two Indians and an American.

By the end of the journey Jai, Suhel and Jessica actually help Imran reach the border of Pakistan – his country that he is very proud and patriotic about.

But the turbulent political situation at that time has a surprise in store for all of them.



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'Kabul Express'An Interesting Thriller
By Nikhil Kumar

Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com

‘Kabul Express’ is an engaging thriller by documentary filmmaker Kabir Khan. The movie tells an interesting and thought-provoking tale against the backdrop of a country ravaged by war.

Without falling prey to the stereotypes of commercial cinema, Kabir Khan attempts to bring the hard-hitting realities of Afghanistan to light. The story is set in the time when the Taliban were being wiped out by the Americans and the Afghans after the 9/11 attacks.

The movie does have a slightly anti-Pak flavour and it also goes into America bashing. But these seem to have been incorporated to bring the truth to light. The ruins of Afghanistan are testimony to 22 years of incessant wars that destroyed the country since the Soviet invasion. The Taliban hunted by the Afghans and betrayed by Pakistan mirrors the shift in the policies of the nation that once supported them.

In this complex setting, Kabir Khan tells the story of five individuals and what transpires in a period of two days. Cameraman Jai (Arshad Warsi) and journalist Suhel (John Abraham) enter Afghanistan to cover the war and get an interview with a Talibani. With the help of their local guide and driver Khyber (Hanif Hum Ghum), the two set out in Toyota Jeep called Kabul Express in search of their big story.

After a series of adventures and close brushes with death, the trio meets an American photojournalist Jessica (Linda Arsenio).

The quartet is then kidnapped by an escaping Pakistani soldier Imran (Salman Shahid) who had been operating for Taliban before the US attack. Now he is on the run to get back to his country.

As the five set out on their perilous journey to the Afghan-Pakistan border, the hostility between them gives way to trust. They debate and discuss the situation in the region. Eventually, Jai, Suhel, Khyber and Jessica help Imran reach his country. But there is a surprise in store for everyone.

‘Kabul Express’ has a raw and rugged feel that verily complements the film’s story and setting. The movie has several nail-biting moments, all of which are peppered by impeccable humour by Arshad Warsi.

In fact, Warsi completely overshadows John Abraham in the film. The latter’s presence seems primarily to lend some star value to the movie. The same goes for Linda Arsenio too. If only Kabir Khan had developed John and Linda’s characters better and made them essential to the plot.

Salman Shahid gives an emphatic performance as a former Talibani on the run. Hanif Hum Ghum too is effective.

On the whole, ‘Kabul Express’ is a well-crafted and technically sound film. The only flaw is that Kabir Khan doesn’t give depth to some characters in the story. Otherwise, the movie entertains you and leaves you in a reflective mood.

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Some of the songs from Kabul Express:

Banjar:Shobha mudgal

Barjar:Sunidhi Chauhan

Banjar (Revisited Kay Kay)

Kabul Fiza

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User Movie Reviews

By Sameer Kulkarni, December 18, 2006 - 05:04 IST

Kabul Express: A thrilling journey! Most movie freaks, especially among the masses and the audience, averse to watching films based on the tragic realities, would unjustifiably ignore Kabul Express hitting the marquee since the track record of such films is not very encouraging and such films are generally so tragic that they suddenly change the track leading to a mere presentation of facts sounding more or less like documentaries. Bhopal Express is an example of this sort of film making that collapsed at the box office. Obviously, the attempt to convey the message miserably fails since commercial viability is not taken into consideration at the time of writing the screenplay. Kabul Express has overcome all these calculations. Watching Kabul Express is an experience in itself. Although first week collections would never be 100% due its theme, Kabul Express will pick up at the box office in the second and the third week as a result of word of mouth among the young audience and curiosity among multiplex viewers. Suhail and Jay are two Indian journalists who reach the war-torn Afghan land to interview the Taliban and get some boost to their respective careers in the field of news reporting. During their journey in the smashed land, they come across a Taliban who is trying to reach the Pakistan border in order to escape the torturous treatment extended by the angry Afghanis to the very few living barred Talibanis. He holds them, their Afghani assistant and an American journalist, hostages and threatens them to escort him up to the Pakistan border. Kabul Express is an analysis of human behavior in different situations. It investigates the mentality of the hurt Afghanis who have had their share of wars, violence, tyranny and fear. Now they want to lead a peaceful life. It sheds light on the rotten interests of Pakistan involved in the war and their various selfish foreign strategies designed to fuel violence and create warlike situations for some petty gains. It examines the involvement of the USA in the entire tragedy. It shows the present Afghanistan, broken, deprived of everything that a human being needs to lead a peaceful life and brutally damaged. It shows how an average Afghani has been subjected to numerous attacks, uncertainties, violence, bloodshed, instability and fear. It shows how extremists create mayhem and how innumerable innocent people pay the price for their hotheadedness and vested interests. It shows how still a father loves his daughter. It shows how a man can be grateful to the other. It opens up the humane side of the destructive fanatics. It shows how a religion cannot be a deterrent in being friendly to each other. Suhail and Jay are two characters that take the audience through the different experiences. They are the indirect storytellers. The duration of the movie is roughly 2 hours but the writer and the director have done full justice to the theme, so much so that audience hardly gets a second to think about any other thing while watching the movie. You might even forget to buy your dose of popcorn in the interval. Kabul Express is beautifully written. Kudos to the writer and the director! Arshad Warsi has again proved that he is an actor of great caliber. John Abraham is alright. Arshad steals the show. His expressions and timing are just inimitable. Salman Shahid, the Talibani, is superb. He has great sense of acting and he too steals his share of the show. His scenes when he longs to meet his daughter, sees his daughter from distance, keeps some currency notes on the ground and without talking a single word to her, heads towards the vehicle and thereafter with moist eyes, looks through the window glass of the vehicle and bids adieu to her…are simply superb. Salman Shahid makes an impact. He definitely is a seasoned actor and his expressions were priceless. The Afghani friend-cum-driver and the American journalist have performed well. The American journalist, Linda looks pretty and she should get some good roles to play. Cinematography is first rate. Background score gels well with the plot. All in all, Kabul Express is a nice blend of entertainment and thought provocation. It apprises the audience of the facts and the dark side of the human psyche. At the end, it underscores the meaning of being a human being. It highlights the importance of humanity and its need in today’s world. After all, anywhere in the world, a father still loves his daughter and a Good Samaritan still extends a helping hand to those in distress!! Kabul Express Producer – Aditya Chopra Production House – YR Films Director – Kabir Khan Cinematography – Anshuman Mahaley Cast – Arshad Warsi, John Abraham, Salman Shahid

User Movie Rating: 3.5
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REVIEWS OF BAABUL:

http://www.baabulthefilm.com/

Genre: Drama, Family
Director: Ravi Chopra
Producer: B.R.Chopra
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Salman Khan, Rani Mukherjee, John Abraham, Parmeet Sethi, Om Puri, Aman Verma, Rajpal Yadav, Smita Jaykar, Avtar Gill, Gargi Patel
Music: Aadesh Srivastava
Lyrics: Sameer

Opens Dec06/06:

BAABUL tackles the issue of widow re-marriage, an issue the late Raj Kapoor successfully raised in PREM ROG [Rishi Kapoor, Padmini Kolhapure]. But comparisons between PREM ROG and BAABUL wouldn't be right, except that both talk about the rehabilitation of a young widow.

In terms of genre, BAABUL tackles a purely Hindustani issue, like the recent VIVAH. But let's quickly add that Sooraj R. Barjatya and Ravi Chopra's storytelling techniques are as diverse as chalk and cheese. While Barjatya adopts a desi approach for just about everything, Chopra takes a desi theme and gives the film an urbane feel. But the commonality is that both Barjatya and Chopra cater to the same set of viewers: Families.

In terms of content, BAABUL has its share of uppers and downers. Fortunately, the highs outnumber the lows in BAABUL and what really takes the film to another level is its climax. It wouldn't be erroneous to state that the graph of the film takes a big jump in the last half-an-hour thanks to the apt culmination to the story. The penultimate reels are truly outstanding!

Also, any film that raises a pertinent issue ought to rest on a solid foundation -- its writing. While Achala Nagar's writing isn't tight, it isn't trite either. Agreed, the writing could've been far more convincing and cohesive, but you cannot deny that there are ample moments in the film that make you moist-eyed.

To sum up, BAABUL is a competent follow up to BAGHBAN. After attempting diverse genres from ZAMEER onwards, Ravi Chopra gets it right with BAGHBAN first and BAABUL now.

Balraj [Amitabh Bachchan] is a rich businessman with progressive modern outlook towards life. For him, family, culture and values are of utmost importance. Shobhna [Hema Malini], his wife, is more than his better half. Together, they dote on their only child Avinash [Salman Khan]. For Balraj, Avinash is more of a friend than just his son. After spending many years in the U.S., Avinash returns home to his parents. Their lives light up!

Avinash meets the pretty Millie [Rani Mukerji], a painter. They fall in love and get married. They are blessed with a lovely child named Ansh. Rajat [John Abraham], a young musician and Millie's friend, has feelings for Millie, but never reveals it to her. He is now happy for Millie and Avi. He decides to settle in Europe, pursuing his musical career.

Fate plays a cruel game and on Ansh's birthday, Avinash meets with a fatal accident. Life without Avinash is unbearable for Millie. Meanwhile, Balraj and Shobhna try to find the love of Avinash in Ansh.

Balraj cannot bear to see Millie's colorless life. He decides to find Rajat and asks him to marry Millie and help him bring the colors back into her life. But Balwant [Om Puri], Balraj's elder brother, objects to Balraj's plans. Even Shobhna is not with Balraj this time.

Will Balraj be able to fulfill his plans? Will he prove to be a father [Baabul] rather than being a father-in-law?

An issue-based film has to be tackled with kid gloves, with utmost care, efficiency and sensitivity. And Ravi Chopra does just that! Although there are several emotional moments in the film, at least three sequences strike a chord…

* Hema requesting Rani to wear colorful clothes, after Salman's demise.

* Salman and Rani's son feeling the presence of his father by sitting in the closet.

* Rani dancing with Salman's pullover amidst heavy rains.

Any shortcomings? Oh yes! The pace drops in the second hour. While the first half focuses on light moments, songs and romance, the emotional track in the post-interval portions unfolds at a lethargic pace. In fact, the film can easily do with a 15-minute trimming to spruce up the goings-on.

Aadesh's music stresses on melody and the score is quite pleasant. 'Come On Come On Chalo Jashn Manaye' is peppy, while 'Baawri Piya Ki' is soft and soothing. 'Bebasi' [rendered with feeling by Kunal Ganjawala] is melancholic. Barun Mukherji's cinematography is appropriate. The frames are vibrant with colors. Dialogues [Achala Nagar] deserve special mention. They are fantastic!

BAABUL rests on two actors mainly -- Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukerji -- and both emerge trumps. Bachchan is in top form yet again and proves for the nth time that he's the 'Big Boss' as far as histrionics are concerned. He is simply superb in the climax! Rani takes her character to a new level altogether. HUM TUM, VEER-ZAARA, BLACK, K.A.N.K. and now BAABUL, you can well imagine how impressive she is if one clubs her work in BAABUL with her earlier accomplishments.

Hema Malini looks gorgeous and acts her part with amazing grace. Salman is natural and provides ample light moments. He's cute when courting Rani. John is perfect, although the dashing guy is looking pale and tired at times. What happened, John? Om Puri is loud, but that's the demand of the character. BAABUL stars a host of characters and those who stand out in brief roles are Sarika [tremendous], Sharat Saxena [very good] and Smita Jaykar [competent]. Rajpal Yadav doesn't get much scope. Aman Verma and Parmeet Sethi are forced characters.

On the whole, BAABUL makes a statement in a convincing manner. The film rests on three aces -- emotions, performances and execution -- which will attract the family audiences in large numbers. At the box-office, the strong theme has all it takes to make its target audience [families] cry with joy and its distributors laugh all the way to the bank!

Baabul Review 12/10/06:

“Baabul”; Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Rani Mukherjee, Salman Khan, John Abraham, Om Puri, Sarika; Director: Ravi Chopra; Rating: * 1/2

When you have everything going for you, including a top star-cast and a powerful socially relevant theme, it isn’t easy to mess things up. But “Baabul” does exactly that.

Just why or how director Ravi Chopra manages to make a monumental mess out of a potentially explosive drama is a matter worthy of an inquiry commission.

Years ago Raj Kapoor had cast Padmini Kolhapure as a carefree girl who’s transformed into a weeping widow in “Prem Rog”. She finally marries her beloved from the past amidst a tumult of societal protest.

Writer Achala Nagar adopts the same framework but she forgets that times have changed and widow remarriage isn’t quite the burning issue it used to be two decades ago, especially in the case of modern families like the one shown in this film.

The first half of the film, where Avinash (Salman Khan) marries Mili (Rani Mukerji), is replete with loud celebratory songs. The choreography, artwork and cinematography are more suited to the social dramas of the 1960s than a contemporary work.

It’s shocking to see how clumsily Ravi Chopra handles the familial inter-relationships and how much of his inspiration comes from tried-and-tested cinema.

The buddy-buddy bonding between dad Amitabh Bachchan and son Khan has been done in films as diverse as Vipul Shah’s “Waqt” and Karan Johar’s “Kabhi Alvidaa Na Kehna”, not to forget Yash Chopra’s “Kabhi Kabhie” in a much earlier decade.

It’s in the second-half when Bachchan goes husband-hunting for his widowed daughter-in-law that the director gets a grip on the main drama. It may not be too late to salvage the widow’s wrecked domesticity but it’s certainly too late to save the film from its catastrophic conventional drama.

“Baabul” is filled with superfluous scenes of family bonding, seen mainly through clumsily choreographed songs. The characters are too busy posing and preening to get under the skin of the roles.

Bachchan and Rani, however, make a genuine effort to light a spark in the dark. There are flashes of genuine drama between the two after Avinash’s death but moments of tragic resonance are often frittered away in pursuit of glamour.

Ravi Chopra’s previous film “Baghban”, about old age and negligence, worked mainly because of the superb chemistry between the lead pair - Bachchan and Hema Malini.

In “Baabul”, one feels Bachchan and Hema Malini are being forced to fake the couple’s camaraderie. Their singing and dancing fails to recreate their “Baghban” magic.

As for Nagar’s dialogues - it’s been a while since we heard anyone in a mainstream Hindi film scream, “Ruko … yeh shaadi nahin ho sakti!”. That’s what poor Om Puri, playing Bachchan’s super-conservative brother, is reduced to doing.

Puri should consider himself to be lucky. At least he gets to speak. Some of the supporting cast, including Sarika who plays a silently suffering widow, barely get to open their mouth in this otherwise over-talkative film.

Salman and John, as the two men in the leading lady’s life, are cocky and self-conscious respectively. The clothes they wear, the songs they sing and the dialogues they mouth could probably be held responsible.

The onus of sustaining the drama falls entirely on Bachchan and Rani. The latter’s growth as an actor since Sanjay Bhansali’s “Black” has been steady and remarkable. Rani proves that she is far ahead of her contemporaries despite the film’s basic flaws. If you must watch the film, watch it for Rani!

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Baabul

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Rani Mukerji, John Abraham, Hema Malini.
Director: Ravi Chopra.
Great bond between Amitabh and Salman.

Too slow, often over-emotional.

Number of weeks: New.
BO Verdict: Poor opening.

If to like to cry, then this is one for you:

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Baabul - Keh Raha Hai,

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Baabul - Come On Come On

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Damn! I'm not in the mood to cry and I have Baabul to watch this weekend

I saw Omkara yesterday, don't care for it too much. Not my kind of movie. Saif Ali did an excellent role as the bad guy.

Baabul - Gaa Re Mann,

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Baabul - Baawari Piya Ki

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Baabul - Bebasi Dard Ka Aalam

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Seems like Youtube carry the entire movie in ten minutes interval: Only problem, no subtitles: