The entire world is currently witnessing a sad moment in History as the Taliban took over the beautiful country that Afghanistan used to be, before it became a land of war. As rescue operations are ongoing and all major countries are trying to help their people evacuate, it gives one a hollow feeling when you imagine what will happen to the ones who are left behind. Director Kabir Khan, whose directorial debut happened with Kabul Express, has a special place for the country in his heart. Not many people know but he had made a few documentaries and interviewed a lot of people there as a director.

Recalling one of the spine-chilling experiences, Kabir exclaimed that while he was interviewing a few Taliban members post the 9/11 disaster, the confidence they exuded shocked and surprised him. “It makes me remember one little incident from my documentary, where we were interviewing some of the Taliban members in 2001 post the 9/11 incident. And one senior Taliban member just looked straight into my camera, said, ‘You think we are gone, we will be back’. The confidence with which he said at that time sent chills down my spine. And now, when I remember that statement, it haunts me”, he mentioned in an interview.

© TOI

Kabir has also expressed concerns for the safety of women and is saddened that many of his friends back there have contacted him, but he’s unable to help. He also mentioned how the future of filmmaking is bleak and is now a dark mark post the Taliban rising to power. “In the first avatar of Taliban in 1996 -2001, forget films, they did not even allow photography. The only photographers that were allowed to operate were passport photographers”, he mentioned. 

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