Kabir Khan recalls a haunting incident from the time he interviewed a Taliban member in Afghanistan: 'You think we are gone, we will be back’

Kabir Khan made his directorial debut in Bollywood with 'Kabul Express' in 2006. Starring John Abraham and Arshad Warsi, the film was extensively shot in Afghanistan. It revolved around two Indian journalists who were sent to the country to create a report of the life of the people following the US-led invasion after September 2001. In an interview with a leading daily, the filmmaker recently expressed his worry about the present state of Afghanistan after the Taliban took over the country. He noted, 'All of this is bizarre that after 20 years an organisation like the Taliban can come back.' He also recalled a spine-chilling incident during the shoot of a documentary in the country. He recalled, '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.' The filmmaker further noted that the change in power will have an adverse impact on the film industry of Afghanistan. Elaborating on it, he said, 'A lot of small-scale films were being made. I don’t know whether they will be allowed to continue or whether anybody will have the courage to try and continue. Because everybody knows their opinions on cinema and music. I doubt that the film industry will be allowed to survive. The Taliban ideology will not allow them to continue.' At the same time, Kabir is also worried that filmmakers will stop shooting their projects in the country. 'That has also been one of the saddest things because when we went to shoot Kabul Express, they were so excited about films being shot there, hoping more films will follow. That also didn’t happen because of security concerns', he said.