Blue skies, sable-hued deserts and powdery ruins of what used to be Kabul's most elegant structures. Kabir Khan's much-anticipated film, Kabul Express, opens with these haunting images of Afghanistan's brutalized capital.

Kabul Express is one of the several South Asian films featured at this year's Toronto International Film Festival (September 7 - 16). Khan's film, produced by Aditya Chopra and distributed by Yashraj Films, is the first international feature film to have been shot entirely in Kabul after the end of the Taliban. It was shot over a period of 45 days in the winter of 2005, and the cast and crew were repeatedly sent death threats by the Taliban to stop shooting. The Afghan government came to their aid and provided tight security - there were often armed guards on set - thus enabling the film to be completed.

The film is inspired by Khan's own experiences in Afghanistan as a documentary film-maker. His personal experiences and encounters with members of the Taliban were the starting points for his vision of this film. Kabul Express, a suspenseful departure from the usual Bollywood fare (the film has no songs and no romantic angle), is Khan's first feature film.

The film opens with Jai (Arshad Warsi) and Suhel (John Abraham) arriving in Kabul on their quest to meet and interview a member of the Taliban, or a Talib as they are individually known. They hire an SUV with an Afghani driver, Khyber (Hanif Hum Ghum) and are soon joined by a persistent American journalist, Jane (Linda Arsenio). They inadvertently find a Pakistani Talib, Imran Khan Afridi (Salman Shahid), who hijacks their vehicle. As the eclectic and volatile bunch travels to Afridi's destination of choice, the Pakistani border, the group's interactions reveal their own personalities and conflicts with each other. Suhel and Jai get their "scoop" as Afridi sheds light on his own history: once a member of Afghanistan's dictator-class, he's now hated by the Afghans and struggling to return to his home in Pakistan, a country who now has no place for the Taliban.

The film showcases Afghanistan and its culture, a hidden gem that has been clouded by the country's war-torn past. Khan shows us the melodic singing in a Sufi mosque and the violence and majesty of the Afghani hunting sport, Buzkashi. He succeeds in giving us a glimpse into this fascinating nation and its current state, glimpses not provided by the media's (i.e. CNN's) one-sided coverage. Khan's strength lies in his ability to reveal the realities of Kabul - his experience as a documentary film-maker shines brightly here.

However, the storytelling doesn't always match the film's other strengths. The characters remain undeveloped throughout the film and the dialogue fails to leap beyond the surface. Warsi and Abraham are talented actors who both possess a charismatic onscreen presence. Abraham makes a successful move away from his usual "bad boy" portrayals and proves that he can succeed in other roles. The characters piqued my interest but I found myself wanting to know more about their past lives, like why is Suhel so ambivalent about life, and what sadness lies behind Jai's constant comedic chatter? The supporting cast is similarly underdeveloped. We see a glimpse into Afridi's painful past, but his choice to enter the Taliban is left unexplained. Arsenio is a weak link in the film as Jane Beckham - her delivery of dialogue was stilted and devoid of any emotion or nuances.

With Kabul Express, Khan has given Kabul a voice and has opened the door for more films about Afghanistan and its stories. Khan's narrative abilities will require honing and cultivation, like the talents of many budding filmmakers. Aditya Chopra, the film's producer and son of Yash Chopra, has proven his eye for talent: Under the family banner, Yashraj Films, Chopra introduced such directors as Sanjay Gadhvi and Kunal Kohli. Gadhvi's second film Dhoom surpassed his first film, Meri Yaar Ki Shaadi, and Kohli followed his first film, Mujhse Dost Karogi with Hum Tum and most recently Fanaa - both films being superior to his debut. This trend implies that Khan too will evolve artistically as he gains experience.

Khan deserves praise for persisting and succeeding in the completion of this film. He made a bold move by going against the grain of the typical Bollywood formula, and has established himself as a risk-taker. Kudos to him for tackling a tough topic and giving us an alternative to the big news networks' stereotypical and biased portrayals of Afghanistan. Hopefully, Kabul Express will serve as a bridge-building tool between the countries represented in the film as it addresses not only cultural differences but the resounding similarities as well.