I walked into Kandahar with several preconceived notions about the film.
The premise alone seemed ripe for another problematic Hollywood depiction of war. A CIA operative named Tom Harris (Gerard Butler) is stuck in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover.
Several armed groups, including the Taliban, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence as well as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are pursuing him for his role in destroying an Iranian nuclear facility.
With his translator, Muhammad (Navid Negahban), Harris tries to get to an extraction point in the Afghan city of Kandahar.
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Besides the premise, the free-hand cross-cultural casting also raised some suspicions. Negahban, an Iranian-US actor famous for his roles in Aladdin and Tehran, plays an Afghan translator who was returning to his homeland for the first time in years. Ali Fazal, an Indian actor with an extensive Bollywood filmography, takes up the role of an ISI officer.
Of course, the craft of acting shouldn’t be limited to an actor’s own culture and experience. But Hollywood has a poor track record of depicting people from the other side of the globe with any sense of accuracy or empathy. Misgivings were warranted.
With this in mind, I was expecting the film to sustain the glorification of militarism, of which Hollywood has long been guilty. I could see it all even before the title screen appeared: western forces would mow through armed and turbaned caricatures of Afghans. Butler would emerge from danger with an orchestral aplomb. The plight of the local population living under tyrannical Taliban laws would be dehumanised. There would be lustful depictions of violence. The film would ignore geopolitical intricacies. Kandahar, I thought, would be another dramatised, cookie-cutter commercial for the cult of the US military, no different to The Hurt Locker or American Sniper.
If this was all the case, it would also mean that the first big-budget Hollywood film to shoot in Saudi Arabia’s AlUla would use apathetic tropes about the region. The same, regurgitated tropes that have long misrepresented the Arab and Islamic worlds.
I was wrong, partly.
Kandahar, if anything, seems to reckon with the way Hollywood has glorified war and US involvement in foreign affairs.
Perhaps because my expectations were so low, Kandahar surprised me.
It seemed an honest attempt by director Ric Roman Waugh and scriptwriter Mitchell LaFortune to give a layered portrayal to the film’s multicultural characters. They also go to some lengths to show how none of the operatives involved in the deadly cat-and-mouse chase really want to be in the game of espionage. The characters are not caricatures, but instead are riddled with contradictions. Islam was not merely depicted as a warmongering creed and the film tries to portray the spiritual and peaceful aspects of the religion as well as making note of how it is misrepresented by extremists.
That said, the first half of the film adheres to Hollywood's tropes. There are scenes of Iranian soldiers beating a civilian for painting a US symbol. Travis Fimmel plays a CIA operative in Dubai who seems, at first, to have converted to Islam for cover. Red-flag phrases, such as “American dream” and “the free world”, are uttered.
But then, as more characters appear and the plot unfolds, the film confronts Hollywood’s misguided portrayals of war.
The face of this confrontation is Muhammad. Negahban offers a layered performance as the Afghan translator, who travels from Baltimore to his home country with the help of the CIA to assist Harris in his mission. Muhammad, however, has his own motives for returning, giving the character depth and audience appeal.
Fazal is also captivating in his role as Kahil, a skilled operative who acts as a middle man between the ISI and the Taliban. The character, although embedded in an environment of religious fundamentalism, seems keener on living decadently. Yet, there is a self-awareness that Fazal brings to the role that elevates the character.
Even the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officer, Farzad, is depicted thoughtfully. While the character is mercilessly dedicated to his job, Iranian-Swedish actor Bahador Foladi offers a subtle, guilt-racked portrayal.
As for Butler, he slips effortlessly into his role as Harris, the MI6 officer on loan to the CIA. The actor had previously worked with Waugh on Angel Has Fallen and Greenland. While he doesn’t bring anything that we haven’t seen before, for fans of the Scottish actor’s oeuvre, Kandahar is an easy recommendation.
Another star in the film is AlUla. The otherworldly landscapes of the Saudi desert serve as brilliant backdrops to high-octane car chases and helicopter battles. Sure, it’s not really the desert in Afghanistan, but the wide-shot scenes of the area are bewitching enough to suspend disbelief.
All that is not to say Kandahar is a great movie. The trajectory it follows is expected, and even though the considerations the film takes for its characters are a pleasant relief, there is little in the plot that surprises. Furthermore, while the film has several battle scenes crafted to exhilarate, it also shows how swiftly and unpoetically death comes in war. It alludes to how Afghans have suffered in the wake of the Taliban takeover, how families were torn apart and how many went missing. It shows the destructive breadth of US involvement in foreign affairs. It shows how, in geopolitical affairs, only immediate interests matter.
Some have described Kandahar as a watered-down version Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant, which similarly was released this month and tells the story of an Afghan interpreter and a US sergeant trying to get to safety. The comparison may be deserved. I haven’t seen The Covenant, but if you’re looking for a thrilling popcorn action film that doesn’t make a mess of its subjects, you could do a lot worse than Kandahar.
West Indies v India - Third ODI
India 251-4 (50 overs)
Dhoni (78*), Rahane (72), Jadhav (40)
Cummins (2-56), Bishoo (1-38)
West Indies 158 (38.1 overs)
Mohammed (40), Powell (30), Hope (24)
Ashwin (3-28), Yadav (3-41), Pandya (2-32)
India won by 93 runs
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Titan Sports Academy:
Programmes: Judo, wrestling, kick-boxing, muay thai, taekwondo and various summer camps
Location: Inside Abu Dhabi City Golf Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Telephone: 971 50 220 0326
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
HAEMOGLOBIN DISORDERS EXPLAINED
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Bah
Born: 1972
Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992
Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old
Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Rooney's club record
At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17
At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253
Honeymoonish
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Ad Astra
Director: James Gray
Stars: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones
Five out of five stars
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