Review: Afghan Star (2010)

[Mark R. Leeper]

                          AFGHAN STAR
                (a film review by Mark R. Leeper)

     CAPSULE: Just as Americans have their television
     program "American Idol"" since 2005 Afghanistan
     has had its own popular music program "Afghan
     Star".  It is the same and not the same.  The
     difference is that religious fanatics like the
     Taliban can at any time decide singing a song is
     a capital crime.  This is a country torn apart by
     those who want to bring in modern international
     ways and those who want to seal off the country
     with a fundamentalist fascism.  This documentary
     follows four contestants on "Afghan Star" and what
     they experience risking their lives for a singing
     competition and for freedom.  Havana Marking directs.
     AFGHAN STAR will be shown on HBO on March 18, 2010.
     Rating: high +2 (-4 to +4) or 8/10

It is hard to imagine an image more incongruous than "American
Idol" together with the strife-ridden country of Afghanistan.  Yet
Afghanistan does have television and they have their own program
inspired by "American Idol" (itself inspired by an early television
program, "The Ted Mack Amateur Hour").  In 2005 the Tolo Television
network premiered the TV show "Afghan Star".  On the face of it
that might not seem like such a courageous action, but everything
that happens in Afghanistan is overshadowed by the extremism of
Islamic fundamentalists who freely murder to enforce obedience to
their fanatical interpretation of Sharia law.  A television show is
particularly dangerous.  In 1996 it became a crime to listen to
music, to dance, or to watch television.  These restrictions were
removed in 2004, but the three actions are still dangerous.  The
Taliban tentatively allows the singing, but any sign of dancing
can--and in the course this documentary does--lead to more serious
repercussions.  Countering the fundamentalists is the overwhelming
attraction of Music.

Popular music is a very strong force in the emerging Afghanistan.
There are some people obsessively loyal to songs.  Where else in
the world would you find people explaining that music brings
happiness and that it is worth fighting for?  Mobs of people try to
get to be the audience for the program's broadcasts.  In addition,
the viewing audience votes for who should win.  For many in
Afghanistan this is their first experience with democracy, the
first time they ever could vote for anything.  Some Afghanis are
also being surprised to find that they are actually supporting
people from other ethnic groups.  People make the point that the
lessons learned with the program could bring deep changes--social
and political--to the country.  They say they want to take the
country "from the gun to the song."

Marking's cameras follow four contestants.  Rafi is a handsome
nineteen-year-old who says his goal is to help his people to awaken
and find a little joy in life.  Setara is two years older.  She
wants to adopt Western and Indian ways.  Hameed trained to be a
singer of Afghan classical music but easily made the transition to
popular.  He is from the persecuted Hazara minority and hopes that
his popularity will help his people.  Finally there is Lima.  She
had taken secret music lessons, which in itself could have had her
killed by the Taliban.  Now she also likes Western ways, but is a
little more cautious than Setara.

The film is both optimistic and depressing.  Afghanistan is in a
state of constant change, and the viewer can only hope that it will
be change for the better.  This film is about a real war with real
deaths that is going on in Afghanistan and one of the battlefields
of that war is a pop music contest on television.  I rate AFGHAN
STAR a high +2 on the -4 to +4 scale or 8/10.  This film is in
Pashtu, Dari, and some English, and it is entirely subtitled in
English.

Film Credits: <http://us.imdb.com/title/tt1334510/>

What others are saying:
<http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/afghan_star/>


					Mark R. Leeper
					mleeper at optonline.net
					Copyright 2010 Mark R. Leeper