Escape from Taliban

Escape from Taliban is a terrible movie with a terrible direction. The movie is based on a true story of an Indian female author named Sushmita Banerjee who escapes the wrath of her husband and in-laws who reside in Afghanistan during the nineties.

The only thing good about this film is Manisha Koirala. She emotes really well and is superb in almost every scenes of the film. However, I think her voice is dubbed by someone else.

Escape from Taliban also seems inspired by the Sally Field starrer 'Not Without my Daughter,' as few scenes are just a replication of this movie.

There are many implausibilities in the plot: I don't understand why do the Afghans in this movie converse in Hindi and Sushmita (Manisha Koirala) hails from Kolkata but converses in Hindi with her family. Wasn't she supposed to speak Bengali?

The music is really bad and unnecessary, especially in a film with a serious issue like that. Though one song that I really liked is 'Titli si ud chali' which aptly describes the state of Sushmita's mind as she is going back home with her daughter. However, this song's placement is all wrong. Who would even stop to sing when his or her life is on the edge?

Nawab Shah is strictly okay but appears wooden in most of the scenes and speaks his lines as if he is reading from a cue card. Prithviraj Zutsi as the only man who supports and sympathises with Sushmita is okay too. Aly Khan looks wooden as ever and doesn't appear menacing at all. The other supporting casts are nothing worth writing about.

My heartfelt condolences to Sushmita Banerjee's family. Sushmita got shot down by the Afghans last month. Seems like there was no chance of a second escape this time around for the poor woman.

This film would actually deserve five stars if it were a comedy, because it's a barrel of laughs. From the "Russian soldier" who looks like a Nepali, to the "Taliban commander" whose beard looks as though it's in danger of falling off every time he opens his mouth, to the "Afghan roads" with right hand drive Maruti Gypsy SUVs driving on the left side, it is unintendedly hilarious. Also, given that it was based on an (extremely badly written) Bengali book, "Kabuliwallar Bangali Bou" by Sushmita Banerjee, it's no surprise that it got a good media review from only one reviewer that I know of: the third rate Calcutta tabloid The Telegraph. Bengali parochialism at its best!

I know from one of Manish Koirala's (lead actress) quotes that she enjoyed doing this role. I think more Indian movies as such should be made in Bollywood. People can get lost in the songs of the movie if they are accustomed to the usual style of bollywood movies. But aside from the music, the plot is very good and manisha koirala's acting is more than satisfactory (her acting in "Agnisakshi" was the best). It is a good portrayal of how women were imprisoned by Taliban more than men in the whole population in Afghanistan. Very believable as opposed to the usual Bollywood plots and good character development. It is a must see in order to understand the relief that people (especially women) must have felt when Taliban was captured. It is also a good example of how God's name can be misused and religions sculpted to suit man's desires.

So this is not new.

Love jihad is real muslims mans always try to destroy bhartiya culture .

Don't whitewash Taliban. Don't white wash muslims They are idiot living in 200 years back .

F*#* Taliban.

"Escape from Taliban" is based on the true life story of Sushma Baneerjee, a Bengali lady, married to Afgan, who reaches Afganistan, just to witness the atrocities in the land. She has to face stern hardship including humiliation. beatings, and even life threatens from the Talibans, which leaves no other choice than flee from Afganistan. She can't directly contact her house in India or has a passport to cross the borders. The film revolves around her helplessness and her determination to escape from the Talibans. She's captured and faces further torments from her family and the Talibans.

Through out the film I was stunned by the story of atrocities and endurance ladies go through in Afghanistan. Perhaps very few movies have come along with such a riveting and bold true life story on the screen. Perhaps a bit weakly scripted and lacking commercial values, the film may appear slow at times; but at the same time, the film has a certain rawness in its presentation and looks realistic. The songs were unnecessary and were mediocre. The greatest strength of the film is Manisha Koirala's performance, for which the film remains compulsively watchable. Through her character, the film portrays a fearless lady who refuses for any intimidation. Besides, the film projects a realistic and fearful setting of Afgan lands during Taliban insurgency. Overall, such bold and hard hitting movies are rarely made in Bollywood but are sadly unnoticed. For me, it was one of the different and bold movies from Bollywood I've watched in years; and would like to recommend it to anyone who are fond of watching real life stories.

Rating: 2 stars out of 4