From The Forgotten Army to Bajrangi Bhaijaan

Indian film director Kabir Khan is a storyteller who started out as a journalist, made documentaries, then transitioned into an acclaimed director of Bollywood mainstream cinema.

Known globally for his ability to fuse political narratives with humanistic stories, Khan is in Kathmandu this week for Film Southasia the documentary film festival where he won his first award in 1999. Twenty-five years later, he is back as chief guest and keynote speaker at Film Southasia this week. 

That Grand Jury Award was for one of his earliest works, The Forgotten Army, a compelling narrative about the Indian National Army’s fight for independence from Britain during World War II.

“It was the first award I ever got, it really got me into serious film-making,” Khan told Nepali Times. At the time he used to work as a film director with the Indian journalist Saeed Naqvi travelling all over the world.

One visit was to Afghanistan in 2001, where an encounter with a Pakistani guerrilla fighting for the Taliban influenced his debut feature film, Kabul Express. 

Khan views his time as a documentary filmmaker as the basis, shaping his  approach to cinema: “Documentaries teach you that what you hear on the news is not always gospel, it’s someone’s perspective.” 

This realisation influenced his cinematic language, focusing on the gaps between the evening news lineup, and the real-life stories that should have been.

Entering Bollywood to make The Forgotten Army, Kabul Express, New York and the blockbuster Ek Tha Tiger was a deliberate move to get deeper into the politics of everything at a time when Indian cinema in general avoided politics.

“When I started, politics was taboo in mainstream cinema,” he explains. “But coming from a documentary background, I couldn’t separate stories from their inherent politics.” 

Each of his movies carried a strong political undertone, ingrained in real-world observations. Whether crafting documentaries or mainstream dramas, Kabir Khan remains, at his core, a storyteller. 

His films are inspired by personal experiences and perspectives, and continue to bridge divides in present day India, spark conversations, and celebrate the human spirit. 

“At the end of the day, storytelling is about honesty, staying true to your own voice. If you can connect with your own story, chances are the audience will too,” he says, “I don’t consciously add politics to my films, it’s part of my worldview, my gaze on life.”

Khan's films are known for a balance between humanistic narratives and larger socio-political contexts. The director says he does not intentionally look to balance them but the two are inseparable in storytelling.

The approach isn’t about consciously creating characters and then fitting politics into them; rather, it’s about letting the story and characters evolve naturally. 

"A lot of it is instinct," says Khan. "I feel this is the right thing to say and hope people agree with me. It’s not about over analysing or over-constructing, it’s about going with the flow." 

This was evident in Bajrangi Bhaijaan, where the film defied expectations, not only politically but also in the character of Bollywood action superstar Salman Khan. 

The movie looked into Indian-Pakistani relations through a story steeped in love and innocence. Despite its release while tensions were running high between the two countries in 2015, the film resonated with audiences on both sides of the border, becoming one of Bollywood’s highest-grossing films. 

“The fact that people embraced it showed they connected with its message of love and understanding,” Khan says.

Asked about his most fulfilling project, Khan cites his sports biopic 83, based on India’s historic 1983 Cricket World Cup victory where Kapil Dev scored a record 175 not out.

“It’s not just a cricket story,” he explains. “It’s about a country coming of age, gaining recognition on the global stage.”

Khan worked like an investigative journalist to dig up  lesser-known facts about the players, fans and viewers, and the result was not just a sports movie but one that celebrated both individual determination and collective triumph.

Khan is deeply embedded in South Asian stories, and follows the evolving global perception of the region’s narratives. While the diaspora has amplified regional voices, he says Bollywood’s international reach remains limited.

“Cinema is a reflection of its audience, and as our stories gain more visibility, so does our culture,” says Khan, who sees his role as a cultural ambassador for the region.

“I never think about catering to an audience. As an artist, you have to make the film you want to watch,” he asserts.“I don’t shy away from expressing my views on subjects and issues in my films. If your work doesn’t reflect your ideals, what’s the point?” 

Post-Covid lockdowns, people have been streaming movies at home rather than going to cinemas, leading to declining theatre footfalls.

While Khan acknowledges the challenges this poses for traditional cinema, he remains hopeful because “the collective experience of watching a film in a theatre is irreplaceable, filmmakers must offer spectacles that demand the big-screen experience”.

The content of Kabir Khan’s work is also ever-evolving because film-making is a dynamic medium, each film is a reaction and portrayal of the time in which it is made. 

He says, “I’m not the same person who made New York or Ek Tha Tiger. With every film, my worldview and approach change.”

Kabir Khan’s new film Chandu Champion about Paralympic boxing gold medalist Murlikant Petkar, reflects his love for real-life stories, a trait he traces back to his documentary days. 

He says, “the film’s message is one of resilience and perseverance. It's a story of the triumph of the human spirit.”

How about Nepal as a location for his next film? Khan says he would not just come to Nepal to shoot a song in the stunning landscape here because the connection between the story and location is inseparable.

Kabul Express could only have been shot in Afghanistan, New York could only work in New York, and Bajrangi Bhaijaan needed the two sides of Kashmir.

Says Khan: ”If I ever find a story that needs to be set in Nepal and can truly bring out its character, I would love to shoot here.”

Film Southasia

Yalamaya Kendra, Patan Dhoka

21-24 November

Tickets Rs50 per film