Rediff.com, September 13, 2006

Toronto has become a like a second home to John Abraham. Last year he spent over a week in the Canadian city promoting Deepa Mehta's Water at the Toronto International Film Festival. And he came this year to promote Kabul Express, a comedy of errors and looking beyond the stereotypes of an enemy.

Abraham, who played an idealistic lawyer in Water, now plays an Indian reporter in Afghanistan in the new film. The Taliban is on the run, but reporters are looking to interview members of the dreaded Afghan group. The story spanning two days links five people: two journalists from India including a photographer, an Afghan who hates the Taliban, a Taliban on the run and an American woman reporter.

Abraham spoke to rediff.com in between his visits to the gym. He ordered a four-egg omelet, insisting that he will have only the whites. Among many things, he also spoke about what it meant to be working with first time director Kabir Khan (Kabul Express) and how he deals with people who are convinced he cannot be a serious actor.

What attracted you to Kabul Express?
Like I have said before, working in this film was going through intense labour pain knowing fully well that the child is going to be adorable. We worked under some of the harshest weather conditions and yet we never really complained. The script Kabir Khan gave me is one of the best scripts I have had in my short movie career.

What was special about it?
It shows great maturity in looking at the human condition and asks many interesting questions about friendship, loyalties and changing nature of relationships. The story of the film is larger than all the actors, and I love to be in a film that puts the story and the script above the actors. I also took up the film for another reason. I was getting a chance to see Afghanistan.

I have always been fascinated by that country and this film gave me a rare opportunity to not only see the country but also experience it.

During the shoot of the film (in 2005), the insurgency against the American-backed government must have been going on, isn't it?
There were suicide bombings in Kabul and many insurgent acts. I asked my driver where the suicide bombers came from. He said: Either the right or the left or the front or the back. Allah can ask for you from whichever direction he chooses.

Weren't you scared?
We all were. I also fell ill during the final days of the shoot and had been flown to Mumbai. Kabir asked me if I wanted the shooting postponed. I did not want because with the insurgency on the increase and the winter knocking around, I thought we may not be able to come back and make the film.