‘It’s hard to imagine what kind of fear they must be feeling’
I have worked there for years on documentaries and films and I have many friends in Afghanistan. Some have moved over the years, but others are still there. They have reached out to us in desperation, saying, ‘Can you help us?’. Ever since they reached out to me, my heart is breaking because I have not been able to do anything from here. NS Indian Embassy There it is closed in Kabul. Even though I know some people in the Ministry of External Affairs, nobody can do anything, because the embassy is closed, the airspace is closed, it is becoming a depressing situation and we are just sitting and watching the news and trying to imagine. doing what they are doing. will have to pass through. It’s hard to imagine what kind of fear they must be feeling. These are the people who are in the film industry, they are the actors, and they are going to be the target of Taliban. The last time the Taliban was in power, films were banned, photography was banned. After the Taliban left, Afghan citizens were making a lot of films. one of my dearest friends Siddiqui Barmar This beautiful film made by nameosama‘, which was also nominated for an Oscar Best Foreign Language Film category. He would come to India and meet us and his cinema would be back on track. They used to talk about taking some technology from here and collaborating with us. But now, with the Taliban coming back, I don’t know what is going to happen to the film industry. I don’t think they will be allowed to live.
‘They helped us avoid the Taliban’s death threats. They are asking for help now and I am helpless.
During my 1996 visit to Afghanistan, before the Taliban came to power, I was shooting documentaries and the Taliban used to fire on the city every day, rockets were fired and they landed everywhere. It was dangerous and at that time we left Kabul and came back. Two months later the Taliban captured Kabul. We couldn’t go back for five years.
Only after 9/11 did we go back and document what life was like in Afghanistan during the Taliban years. We made a film on the destruction of the environment due to 25 years of war. Thanks to these experiences, we made a lot of friends there.
We had a good network and these are the same people who helped me set up Kabul Express. etc (manufacturer Aditya Chopra) told me that it is very difficult to make a film in Afghanistan. He asked, ‘Do you know the people?’ And as it turned out, these guys fully supported me and helped me set up my first film.
And when we received death threats from the Taliban during filming, they again helped us, gave us security, including the government and the local people. Because of that I was able to finish my film there and these are the same people who are asking for help today and I am helpless.
‘Afghanistan under Taliban was a laboratory for oppression of women’
Women in particular should be afraid because they targeted women during the Taliban regime from 1996 to 2001. They barred them from working, it was a country that was always at war and there were widows who were not allowed to leave home or work. They had become beggars but were not allowed to beg. If they come out on the streets, they will be beaten up, girls will be stopped from studying. It was almost like a laboratory for the oppression of women. They were not allowed to leave the house unless they were accompanied by a father, brother or husband. There are women I know who suffer from skin diseases because they never had the sun on their skin for five.
They used to darken the windows saying that men should not look at women. If a woman’s shoes make noise while walking, she is asked with a cane, ‘Why are you drawing attention to yourself?’
All little girls were barred from receiving education and it took 20 years for girls to go back to school. I’ve heard that 9 million of them are studying now. I don’t know what future they are going to face. I watch interviews on the network and I can understand their fears because they have no idea what the future holds.
Some Taliban statements say they are not going to commit any vengeful killings. Everyone will be given an automatic apology, against the expectation that they will live up to what they say.
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