Debutante director Kabir Khan talks about KABUL EXPRESS, Taliban, John and lots more to Vickey Lalwani

How did Yash Raj Films sign you?
That's a good question. I have made documentary films till now, so that's something what everybody wants to know. Well, I had a ready script, which reached Aditya Chopra through some common friends. He liked the script and I got a call. The rest, as they say, is history.

Who did the casting?
Arshad is a close friend, and I had him in mind when I was writing the script of KABUL EXPRESS. I had met up with John before Adi came into the picture. John had agreed to do the film even then. Adi had no problem. He agreed to go with my vision.

What is the film about?
The film is loosely based on the experiences that I and my friend Rajan Kapoor (who is the executive producer of KABUL EXPRESS) had in Afghanistan during the making of a documentary film in 2001 when Taliban was collapsing.

John panicked during his stay in Afghanistan?
Anybody in his place would have panicked. We were facing death threats and there were many such threats coming and John was the most hi-profile target.

But why would they want to target John?
Any terrorist organization obviously looks for the most hi-profile target. If Taliban bump me off, they wouldn't make as big headlines as they would if they bump John off. John's name was always being highlighted by Taliban as the person they wanted to target.

Did you take precautions then?
We called a stop on shooting for five to six days. Thereafter, we had adequate security- 60 armed commandos 24 X 7.

What are your expectations from the film?
I'm awaiting everyone's reactions. I am sure that many would want to watch it because of late the Taliban has increased its violence in Afghanistan even more.

Why don't John and Arshad Warsi have any romantic angle in the film?
Doesn't we all find it forced when characters have a romantic track thrown in when the rest of the film deals with some other issue? We have tried to remain true to the script... but there's an American actress called Linda.

How has the response at the various film festivals been?
Oh, it's been fantastic... rather overwhelming. We have been to Torontoa, Pusan and London, where we had a fantastic response. Then, a day before the release, we'll be showcasing it in Dubai film festival. The film releases on December 15. Then we have invitations from at least seven more festivals, which we will do after the film is released. In Indian cinema, regional and arty films are selected in festivals. This is the first time that a film from the mainstream cinema with mainstream actors has been chosen for world's top festivals.

So far so good and the film's release is merely a month away. But what's next on the anvil after that?
I have a 3-film contract with Yash Raj Films. I have two stories in mind. I need to decide which one I should begin with.