I walked into Kandahar with several preconceived notions about the film.
The premise alone seemed ripe for another problematic Hollywood depiction of war. A CIA operative named Tom Harris (Gerard Butler) is stuck in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover.
Several armed groups, including the Taliban, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence as well as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are pursuing him for his role in destroying an Iranian nuclear facility.
With his translator, Muhammad (Navid Negahban), Harris tries to get to an extraction point in the Afghan city of Kandahar.
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Besides the premise, the free-hand cross-cultural casting also raised some suspicions. Negahban, an Iranian-US actor famous for his roles in Aladdin and Tehran, plays an Afghan translator who was returning to his homeland for the first time in years. Ali Fazal, an Indian actor with an extensive Bollywood filmography, takes up the role of an ISI officer.
Of course, the craft of acting shouldn’t be limited to an actor’s own culture and experience. But Hollywood has a poor track record of depicting people from the other side of the globe with any sense of accuracy or empathy. Misgivings were warranted.
With this in mind, I was expecting the film to sustain the glorification of militarism, of which Hollywood has long been guilty. I could see it all even before the title screen appeared: western forces would mow through armed and turbaned caricatures of Afghans. Butler would emerge from danger with an orchestral aplomb. The plight of the local population living under tyrannical Taliban laws would be dehumanised. There would be lustful depictions of violence. The film would ignore geopolitical intricacies. Kandahar, I thought, would be another dramatised, cookie-cutter commercial for the cult of the US military, no different to The Hurt Locker or American Sniper.
If this was all the case, it would also mean that the first big-budget Hollywood film to shoot in Saudi Arabia’s AlUla would use apathetic tropes about the region. The same, regurgitated tropes that have long misrepresented the Arab and Islamic worlds.
I was wrong, partly.
Kandahar, if anything, seems to reckon with the way Hollywood has glorified war and US involvement in foreign affairs.
Perhaps because my expectations were so low, Kandahar surprised me.
It seemed an honest attempt by director Ric Roman Waugh and scriptwriter Mitchell LaFortune to give a layered portrayal to the film’s multicultural characters. They also go to some lengths to show how none of the operatives involved in the deadly cat-and-mouse chase really want to be in the game of espionage. The characters are not caricatures, but instead are riddled with contradictions. Islam was not merely depicted as a warmongering creed and the film tries to portray the spiritual and peaceful aspects of the religion as well as making note of how it is misrepresented by extremists.
That said, the first half of the film adheres to Hollywood's tropes. There are scenes of Iranian soldiers beating a civilian for painting a US symbol. Travis Fimmel plays a CIA operative in Dubai who seems, at first, to have converted to Islam for cover. Red-flag phrases, such as “American dream” and “the free world”, are uttered.
But then, as more characters appear and the plot unfolds, the film confronts Hollywood’s misguided portrayals of war.
The face of this confrontation is Muhammad. Negahban offers a layered performance as the Afghan translator, who travels from Baltimore to his home country with the help of the CIA to assist Harris in his mission. Muhammad, however, has his own motives for returning, giving the character depth and audience appeal.
Fazal is also captivating in his role as Kahil, a skilled operative who acts as a middle man between the ISI and the Taliban. The character, although embedded in an environment of religious fundamentalism, seems keener on living decadently. Yet, there is a self-awareness that Fazal brings to the role that elevates the character.
Even the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officer, Farzad, is depicted thoughtfully. While the character is mercilessly dedicated to his job, Iranian-Swedish actor Bahador Foladi offers a subtle, guilt-racked portrayal.
As for Butler, he slips effortlessly into his role as Harris, the MI6 officer on loan to the CIA. The actor had previously worked with Waugh on Angel Has Fallen and Greenland. While he doesn’t bring anything that we haven’t seen before, for fans of the Scottish actor’s oeuvre, Kandahar is an easy recommendation.
Another star in the film is AlUla. The otherworldly landscapes of the Saudi desert serve as brilliant backdrops to high-octane car chases and helicopter battles. Sure, it’s not really the desert in Afghanistan, but the wide-shot scenes of the area are bewitching enough to suspend disbelief.
All that is not to say Kandahar is a great movie. The trajectory it follows is expected, and even though the considerations the film takes for its characters are a pleasant relief, there is little in the plot that surprises. Furthermore, while the film has several battle scenes crafted to exhilarate, it also shows how swiftly and unpoetically death comes in war. It alludes to how Afghans have suffered in the wake of the Taliban takeover, how families were torn apart and how many went missing. It shows the destructive breadth of US involvement in foreign affairs. It shows how, in geopolitical affairs, only immediate interests matter.
Some have described Kandahar as a watered-down version Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant, which similarly was released this month and tells the story of an Afghan interpreter and a US sergeant trying to get to safety. The comparison may be deserved. I haven’t seen The Covenant, but if you’re looking for a thrilling popcorn action film that doesn’t make a mess of its subjects, you could do a lot worse than Kandahar.
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Company%20profile
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
SPEC SHEET
Display: 6.8" edge quad-HD dynamic Amoled 2X, Infinity-O, 3088 x 1440, 500ppi, HDR10 , 120Hz
Processor: 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1/Exynos 2200, 8-core
Memory: 8/12GB RAM
Storage: 128/256/512GB/1TB
Platform: Android 12
Main camera: quad 12MP ultra-wide f/2.2, 108MP wide f/1.8, 10MP telephoto f/4.9, 10MP telephoto 2.4; Space Zoom up to 100x, auto HDR, expert RAW
Video: 8K@24fps, 4K@60fps, full-HD@60fps, HD@30fps, super slo-mo@960fps
Front camera: 40MP f/2.2
Battery: 5000mAh, fast wireless charging 2.0 Wireless PowerShare
Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC
I/O: USB-C
SIM: single nano, or nano and SIM, nano and nano, eSIM/nano and nano
Colours: burgundy, green, phantom black, phantom white, graphite, sky blue, red
Price: Dh4,699 for 128GB, Dh5,099 for 256GB, Dh5,499 for 512GB; 1TB unavailable in the UAE
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
PAST 10 BRITISH GRAND PRIX WINNERS
2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2015 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2013 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)
2012 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2011 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
2010 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2008 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2007 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
India Test squad
Virat Kohli (c), Mayank Agarwal, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Shubman Gill
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
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