Conflict Resolution

However,there was one spy,whom everyone knew about but none wanted to talk about. “It is the story of this particular spy,interwoven with those of many such spies,that translated into Ek Tha Tiger,” says Kabir,talking of his latest venture. It isn’t surprising that Kabir’s third film is based on a story from a conflict zone,just like its predecessors Kabul Express (2006) and New York (2009).

With all his three movies produced by Yash Raj Films (YRF) — otherwise known for its love stories set in rolling mustard fields or the cool climes of Alps — Kabir has been instrumental in making the production house explore the life in conflict-torn areas. According to him,Aditya Chopra,vice-chairman of YRF,was aware of his research and work in conflict zones and hence,“it was easy to get a break”. While Kabul Express was loosely based on the experiences of his friend Rajan Kapoor and himself in Kabul,New York was a human interest story set against the research he was doing on the turbulent world of Islam post-9/11. “I’ve always seen myself writing against active political backdrops because my documentaries are my raw material,” he states.

He was in his early twenties when Kabir quit film school to travel with veteran journalist Saeed Naqvi. “I toured nearly 60 countries,mainly conflict zones. This included,Afghanistan,Baluchistan,Iraq,China,Tibet,Mongolia and Nepal. The experience somewhere conditioned the way I wrote scripts,” he says.

While working in these areas,Kabir realised that there was a “gap” between what was shown in the news and the ground reality. “All my stories try to bring these untold stories to the fore,” says the 41-year-old. He now wants to make these stories his USP. So more tales from the conflict zones will unspool.

Over the years,however,Bollywood influences have also crept into his work. “While I don’t refute the Bollywood influence,I also believe that my personal style is visible in a forceful manner now,” he says. He will continue to make mainstream films and cast big stars,with a certain amount of song and dance. “But then,I will use songs to take forward the narrative,” he adds.

His biggest challenge,however,comes with the Salman Khan-Katrina Kaif starrer Ek Tha Tiger. Here,he needs to strike a balance between his kind of films (read: realistic) with that of Salman’s,which are mostly over-the-top and irreverent. “I have kept the context real with a political thriller at the core. But my characters are larger than life,with heightened dramatic quotient. Now,the audience will play the true judge,” he says.