They stop in a small cafe selling kebabs, where they meet American journalist Jessica Beckham, who is working for Reuters and reporting on the US side of the Afghan war.

However, shortly after leaving Ishtar, they are caught by Taliban official Imran Khan, who has hitched a ride at the back of the taxi in disguise as an Afghan woman.

Once leaving Kandahar, they travel through a farm and manage to capture a bullfight on film before stopping off at a stream coming closer to the Pakistan border.

When Imran discovers the break-in, he takes Suhel, Khyber, and Jessica hostage and forces them to continue the journey to the Pakistan border.

The insurgents also sent death threats to the film crew; the Afghan government protected the shootings by providing armed commandos and vehicles.

"[7] Khalid Mohamed of Hindustan Times gave the film 2 out of 5, writing "Frankly, you expected far more spleen and substance from this fact-inspired adventure thriller.

"[10] Robert Koehler of Variety wrote "Treating the ongoing struggles in Afghanistan with crude indecision and larky silliness, 'Kabul Express' at once lamely revives buddy road pics and trivializes global politics.

Commercially shrewd casting of hunky Bollywood action star John Abraham will position pic well for international play.

"[11] Anil Sinanan of Time Out wrote "Opening with sombre footage of the planes crashing into the Twin Towers, Khan switches to a generally light-hearted approach, with predictable jokes such as female journalist Jessica Beckham being asked if she plays football.

Only the cinematography of a stunningly beautiful landscape ravaged by war comes close to making this unroadworthy vehicle a mildly memorable journey.

Hazaras are described in the film by an Afghan member of the crew and the "Pakistani Talib" as "worse than the Taliban", "bandits", "dangerous", and "savages" which led to the public outcry by the community.