I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The thing that intrigued me while viewing this was that I'm seeing a movie showcasing a journey made by 5 people from different cultures all in one car. An American, An Afgan, A Pakistani and 2 Indians; now how often is that seen in Hindi films? I'm not trying to say the film sends a message of humanity but I do feel that it provides entertainment in innovative ways.I saw that in Kabir Khan's New York as well. Taht's why his Ek Tha Tiger disappointed me a whole lot. Back to Kabul Express, if you haven't seen this treat to the eyes, go for it. I'll elaborate after the summary.It is November 2001, post the deadly 9/11 attacks. Jai and Sohail are journalists from India and have traveled to Kabul to interview the few remaining Taliban activists in Afganistan. In midst of reaching these terrorists - they meet a Pakistani army officer trying to escape to his home, an American reporter and an Afgan driver. What happens next is Kabul Express.Thoroughly crisp, well edited and engaging is how I define Kabul Express. I do want to add that the film educates the viewer about the beautiful country of Afganistan.There are times when the film keeps the viewer in intensity and then there also enjoyable moments between Arshad and the Pakistani actor. Not to forget the Coke-Pepsi scene.One moment that made me smile was a subtle scene that said a thousand things. The scene when the actors are listening to a famous 1960's Hindi song by Rafi saab is worth mentioning. It makes you think how music can bring so many together. Lovely scene.The background score is great. No useless songs, thank God for that.The writing is crisp and dialogue is fresh. Screenplay is engaging.Every performance is top-notch. John Abraham is first rate. Arshad Warsi is a scene stealer. Salman Shahid is brilliant. The Afgan actor is also terrific. The American actress is competent.Overall, an entertainer that educates and sends a small, nice message.

& really awesome one !!! Bollywood doesn't really make lots of movies on theme other than family drama or love or comedy. The maximum deviation that you can find is a very few movies based on domestic terrorism movies. This one definitely stood out than the rest in that regard. A very simple story, yet strong enough to capture the audience till the end. light comedy yet depicting the horror of Afganistan during the Taliban regime, mostly through dialogs. Most of the shootings as per one John Abraham's comment as done in Afganistan, that could justify why there is no Bollywood Actress and hence no typical Hindi songs. Everyone's role is competitive and justifiable. The director could do a better job in showing (through video not narration) of the horrifying past. Most of the shooting appeared to involve very few people in/around a very small mountain range. But hey, this is the first Indian movie as such in this category, so no complain there either :)

Kabul Express is not a hideous failure. It's just not very good.Two Indian journalists head into war-torn Afghanistan to interview a Talib for an exclusive scoop back in India. Quickly they fall victim to the very thing they went to find, and end up on a nightmarish road trip in the custody their putative rebel, played very effectively by Salman Shahid. Along the way, sidekick Jai frequently berates hunk Suhel for "another fine mess he's got him into", starts a shooting war with his Talib captor about whether Kapil Dev or Imran Khan was the greatest all-rounder, and witness (and photograph) the death by beating of two runaway Taliban prisoners.Kabir Khan might have made two good films out this material. Instead he chose to combine the two, which just didn't work. The opening moments of the film promised a harrowing docu-drama (including what looked like a real life execution of a veiled woman). In the next scene we have our two heroes doing a Laurel and Hardy routine. This pattern was repeated (and certainly repeated on me) for the rest of the film.Juxtaposing violence and humour is no bad thing of course. But Khan lacked the inclination - or perhaps the experience - to make an effective black comedy. His film is at its most assured during its comic phases. Some of these touches are memorable (the cricket fight, the donkey etc). The film is at its worst when indulging in bizarre, cod-serious non-sequiturs on the futility of war, love or photojournalism – usually from the mouth of the appalling (in this film) Linda Arsenio. Possibly it's not her fault – her dialogue was also the worst in the film, but she didn't improve it.The film could have been redeemed by a powerful message, but Khan couldn't quite bring himself to show a Talib fighter as a real human. So what we got instead was a cheap shot at the Pakistani government. To me, this symbolised the whole film. It was a missed opportunity. It had all of the elements for a great black comedy, and all the elements for a serious study of war. But in the end it was just a mess.

At one hand you have constraints of a fictional approach towards story telling, to be packed with requisite drama and emotions required for a commercial product. On the other hand, you have a subject that requires a mature, realistic treatment showing harsh realities, political issues plus much more. Now when one has to strike a right balance between the two, quite often the film-maker stumbles, making it look like a half-baked product or half-hearted effort. But fortunately, and surprisingly, even if this coming from hard-core commercial pot-boiler banner Yashraj films, débutant writer-director Kabir Khan this time manages to strike a right balance between the two without going much overboard. The result-a sensitive, sensible, fresh path-breaking cinema, which not only covers issues both social as well as political related to a war but keeps the narrative interesting with subtle humor thrown in between. Here we have a fictional account of two TV journalists at War-ravaged Afghanistan in post-Taliban times, trying to get interview of a taliban soldier in hiding, interspersed with film-maker's real life experiences. Though one shortcoming is that most of the narrative comes across from the interaction between the five main characters but it is to the credit of taut screenplay and witty dialogs that breaks the monotony of the situation. Direction, Performances (Not just Arshad, John but other three foreigners too), Cinematography, Sound design, Background score, everything is apt, in place, and save it from becoming a routine documentary stuff. Even the emotional situations are handled with panache. Film has no songs and has a length of about 110 mins all of which complemented to the narrative. All in all, it is a welcome relief amidst all those escapist fantasies and is definitely one of the best films of this year. Well done!