Afghan war-based movies to understand the country's ongoing crisis better

With the Taliban taking over Afganistan, many people have found themselves at crossroads, when it comes to understanding the history and real context behind the Taliban takeover in the country.

Here are some movies set against the Afghan war, that will help you understand the country's ongoing crisis.

Osama
'Osama' is a heartbreaking movie based on the raw experiences and first-hand account of Afghan civilians.
The film captures the plight of the common man in a war-torn nation , living under the rule of an oppressive leader. Living in a country where women are prohibited from leaving the house without the company of a man, a mother and daughter come up with a plan to disguise her daughter as a boy called Osama to support her. The whys and hows of their journey will keep you engaged.
Directed by Siddiq Barmak, the movie is also among the first to be shot in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

Kandahar
Directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Iranian film 'Kandahar' is set in Afghanistan during the rule of the Taliban. It is partly inspired by true events along with a fictionalised account of a successful Afghan-Canadian who receives a letter from her sister who was left behind, when the family escaped the country. The woman embarks on a perilous journey through war-torn Afghan wastelands to find her sister.

Escape From Taliban
2003 film 'Escape From Taliban' has been directed by Ujjal Chattopadhyaya. The film is an adaptation of the book, 'A Kabuliwala's Bengali Wife' penned by Sushmita Banerjee, who fled Afghanistan in 1995 after six years of living with her businessman husband.
The movie depicts how the Taliban-Afghanistan war led to her death at the hands of militants, because she refused to abide by their rules on converting to Islam.

Kabul Express
'Kabul Express' shows Indian reporter Suhel played by John Abraham and his cameraman, Jai played by Arshad Warsi, who travel across Afghanistan to interview Taliban fighters facing an imminent U.S. invasion in the wake of the 9/11 attacks . The two are shocked at the ruins that years of Taliban rule left behind. An American photojournalist, Jessica and a gruff Taliban guide join their Land Rover trek but are later taken hostage by Pakistani soldiers.

Zero Dark Thirty
Oscar-winning film 'Zero Dark Thirty' starring Jessica Chastain is based on the story of a CIA operative and analyst Maya, who along with her team, runs a decade-long search in locating terrorist Osama Bin Laden responsible for the 9/11 attacks. It also throws light on the methods of torture used by the US forces to get to the ‘truth.’ In May 2011, US Navy SEALs launched a nighttime strike in a compound in Pakistan's Abottabad, which led to eventual capture and killing of Osama bin Laden, the world's most wanted man. This film is possibly the most realistic portrayal of a dark chapter in history, than ended with Laden's death.