Khudagwah Amitabh Bachchan's film about the Mujahideen's war in Afghanistan
May 1 - May 2
The film stars Amitabh Bachchan and Sri Devi in the lead roles
It's been 5 years. Afghanistan was embroiled in a civil war after the withdrawal of Soviet troops.
The daughter of then-Afghan President Najibullah had asked her father to stop fighting the Mujahideen for a day. Her hope was that when a rising star of Indian cinema came to Afghanistan, there would be no war so that he could walk around Kabul in peace and be seen by the common people.
The Indian star's name was Amitabh Bachchan and he had come to Afghanistan to shoot his film Khudagwah. The film was released on May 8 and most of the scenes were recorded in Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif.
The most popular Indian film in Afghanistan
The film Khudagwaha which was made almost 3 years ago today is considered as one of the most popular films of India and its story is also interesting.
Filmmaker Manoj Desai told the BBC there was a civil war in Afghanistan at the time.
5 tanks would be in the front and a caravan of 5 tanks would be in the rear to secure the film's action scenes. But Amitabh Bachchan was so popular in Afghanistan that there was no need for safety measures."
This meant that the victims of the civil war in a country had joined hands with the then government, Mujahideen and other groups.
At that time, Amitabh Bachchan had a good friendship with the Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi.
Manoj Desai says that thanks to Rajiv Gandhi, Dr. Najib's government in Afghanistan was paying close attention to the working group on the film.
Writer Rashid Qadai wrote in his book "The Influence of Bollywood Movie Stars on Indian Politics": He played a key role in recording the film "Khudagwah" in Afghanistan and asked the President of Afghanistan to guarantee his safety.
On Afghanistan, Amitabh Bachchan also said that President Dr. Najib was a lover of Indian films and served us in a royal way.
We did not rent the hotel at that time. A family vacated their house for us and moved into a small house on their own. Our working group was entertained by a local leader. There were many helicopters. The beauty of Afghanistan's mountains was amazing.
Amitabh Bachchan added: "When we arrived, the local leader gave us a warm welcome and took us inside; we were given countless gifts in Kabul. That night, President Dr. Najib Kaka also sang a song for us.
Some Afghan friends had told me that when Amitabh Bachchan recited this dialogue of the film in his own style, he would shout: "Hello to the city of India, my name is Badshah Khan. My love is my religion, my love is my faith. A Kabul pathan has come to the Indian city to ask for the charity of his love.
Thirty years after the release of Khudagwah, Afghanistan has gone through a lot of ups and downs, but has returned to the way it was before, with the Taliban banning television serials.
Indian films are still very popular in Afghanistan.
In "Before God", Feroz Khan had filmed his film Darmatma with Deena and Himamalani in Afghanistan.
Feroz Khan said in an interview: "I came to Afghanistan to see the recording of the movie.At that time Zahir Shah was king. He let us. When we got there to record the movie, there was a coup against him." But the new government of Afghanistan also respected us a lot and did not face any problem.
Sher Khan's character is also popular in Afghanistan
During the five years of the Taliban's rule, there was a time when films and photography were banned in Afghanistan.
You can see in a video clip widely shared on social media how Feroz Khan and Himamal are welcomed in Afghanistan.
Earlier in the year, Kabuliwala had brought the film closer to Kabul and Delhi.
During the five years of the Taliban's rule, there was a time when films and photography were banned in Afghanistan.
Years later, filmmaker Kabir Khan shot or recorded his film Kabul Express in Kabul, which was screened at 9.
When Kabir Khan came to Afghanistan to record his film, the Taliban were not in power but he was still scared.
Things were slowly getting better, and women were entering the film industry. ”But now, once again, the Taliban are in power in Afghanistan and the film industry is in danger.
In "Before God", Feroz Khan had filmed his film Darmatma with Deena and Himamalani in Afghanistan.
Now the assumption that films like Darmatma and Khudakoh were once recorded in Afghanistan seems like a dream.
Four years later, Afghan President Najibullah was hanged in the same place where the scenes of Habibullah's character were recorded in the movie Khuda Gawah.
God bless the movie is 30 years old and Amitabh Bachchan's fans are still very much in Afghanistan. The film is part of a multi-generational family in Afghanistan.