The first feature film to be shot extensively in Kabul, Afghanistan, after the end of the Taliban's reign. The producers thought director Kabir Khan was mad to shoot a film in such a place. However, Khan, a former war correspondent, insisted on doing so on the grounds that Kabul was a major element and character in the film; that he himself had been to Afghanistan no less than ten times and came back in one piece every time; that he had a soft spot for the country, having shot his first film in it; and that he would be betraying all his Afghan friends who had helped him during his trips to their country not to shoot such a film in their own land.
The cast and crew were sent death threats by the Taliban to force them to stop shooting, but the Afghan government provided tight security to enable filming to be done safely. Some days, there would be more armed soldiers than cast and crew on location for a shoot.
For authenticity, real mujahedin were used in the film. One of them was supposed to play a bandit, but due to a mistake in communication he discovered this on his second (and final) day of shooting, and refused to portray a bandit. Since half the mujahedin's scenes had already been shot, the crew were in a crisis, until Afghan producer Azim Jaan convinced the mujahedin to go complete the shoot. However, the mujahedin took Jaan aside afterwards and told him, "I am seeing this film when it releases, and if I discover I'm portraying a bandit, I will track you down and shoot you." To this day Jaan begs Kabir Khan to remove the bandit's scenes from the film.
John Abraham asked an Afghan driver where suicide bombers came from. The driver replied, "Either from the right or the left or the front or the back... Allah can ask for you from whichever direction he chooses."
John Abraham reportedly feel ill during the shooting of this film in Afghanistan and was rushed to the same hospital (Nanvati Hospital, Mumbai) as Amitabh Bachchan and two were neighbors for a few days.