The subject matter of Kandahar doesn’t scream originality. Set in Afghanistan’s treacherous terrain, this rather predictable film finds its feet when exploring character nuances. Gerard Butler plays an Iran-based CIA operative Tom Harris, whose cover gets blown after a security breach in an Iranian nuclear plant. This forces him to work with Mohammad Doud (Navid Negahban), an Afghan translator, who has to help him reach the Kandahar extraction point.
The plot has the recipe for guns, chases and double-crossing. But amid all the clichéd tropes, Kandahar shines the brightest when it goes for the introspective lens. Tom and Mohammad (‘Mo’) have a heart-to-heart after barely surviving a helicopter attack. The men trade stories about their families: Tom’s teenage daughter is set to graduate in a few days, while Mo’s son was a war casualty. The latter, who now lives in Baltimore, US, has returned to ascertain the whereabouts of his sister-in-law. In a rare instance of vulnerability, Tom tells his new friend that “we” are nothing without “people like you”.
“Those who risk their lives for us, only to be told how to be and act, in the end,” he says. Though former military intelligence personnel Mitchell LaFortune’s writing doesn’t hit high notes consistently, this is a scene that lingers long after the film. It speaks of the importance of America (and the West) needing to hold itself accountable for the destruction in different countries, and the film isn’t afraid to take a moral stand.
It is also bold enough to touch other themes that most mainstream English films tiptoe around. Take, for instance, the scene where Mo and Tom get picked up by an Afghani warlord. Tom manages to revive old connections with the chieftain. It turns out, however, that Mo’s son was killed by this very faction. In the unsettling minutes that follow, he lets out a flurry of backlash against Tom, one that is directed at American decision-makers. It’s likeable that the film chooses to walk the path of conscience instead of just action and entertainment.
Also making an impression is our very own Ali Fazal as Kahil Nasir, a jazzy, bike-riding Pakistani ISI agent, although he could have done with better dialogues. But, Mo is, without a doubt, the highlight of the film. While Butler impresses in fits and starts, it is Negahban’s portrayal of the all-too-human translator that tugs at the heartstrings, and for him alone, this film is worth a watch.
