This is an awesome movie for all those who would like to understand how the end of Cold War had very unexpected repurcussions in South Asia. Its a true story based on a US Congressman who started pumping in millions of dollars in training and arming the Afghan Mujahideens to fight the Russians, routing the money through Pakistan. Soon, the Mujahideens were no longer only Afghans, people joined from many countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan etc. This movie is an eye opener and corroborates with the problems India has been having since the end of Cold War. After the Russians withdrew from Afghanistan, thousands of Mujahideens were left with lot of weapons and no enemy to fight. They were directed to fight India and this was about the same time we started having problems in J & K. They also directed their ire on US and thus began Jihad, a religious war which has nothing to do with Islam but a lot to do with politics, power and money.
I must say, the vulgarity and nudity in the movie is unwarranted and only serves to distract. That apart, Tom Hanks (one of my favourites) has done a brilliant job of playing the US Congressman.
I must say, the vulgarity and nudity in the movie is unwarranted and only serves to distract. That apart, Tom Hanks (one of my favourites) has done a brilliant job of playing the US Congressman.
2 comments:
And Osama Bin Laden was one such Mujahaddin who was originally financed and supported by the USA to fight the Russians in Afghanistan.
Oh, yes, although the movie does not implicitly mention the birth of Taliban in Afghanistan, after the end of Cold War; it clearly implies where the roots lay on the birth of Taliban, Al Qaeda, LeT, and their ilk.
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