Review: ‘Afghan Star’

AFGHAN STAR boasts one of the most powerful, if not heart-breaking opening of any film this year. Cut from black, we’re thrown head first into an up close and personal encounter with a young Afghan boy singing passionately in his native tongue. The heart-breaking part is to see the boy, clearly disabled and disfigured, but the condition of his body and of his environment do not deter him from singing as if everything his life depended on it.

This is opening scene simply but beautifully sets the tone for AFGHAN STAR, a documentary about how hopeful contestants of an Afghan television program called POP IDOL put their lives on the line for a chance to appear on the show. The film is a story of extremes. We’re introduced to the rugged, mountainous landscape of Afghanistan, initially seeing the vast peaks covered in snow, an image we don’t normally associate with the region, but we also don’t normally associate the effect of AMERICAN IDOL’s pop culture influence reaching this far outside of our comfortable lives of modern convenience and luxury.

AFGHAN STAR follows the four finalists of one season, Rafi, Lema, Hameed and Setara, as they compete against each other for the fame of being called the Afghan Star and the prize of $5,000. The film takes us inside the lives of these four contestants, both related to their preparation for the competition as well as speaking with the people around them who support their endeavor. One fascinating element of Afghan Star is that the contestants actually have campaigns run by friends and family, “getting the vote out” so to speak, encouraging people to vote for their contestant, very much like politicians campaign for voters to choose them in elections.

There’s a scene in AFGHAN STAR where it is revealed that a fan of one of the contestants, whom he’s never met, is so loyal and supportive that he has offered to sell his car for $6000 if anyone is interested so that he can purchase another $6000 worth of SIM cards to influence the voting. This fan had already purchased several thousand unique SIM cards for the very same reason. It’s scenes like this that truly paint the picture of how so many Afghans wish for the program to be successful in pulling all the people and different tribes of Afghanistan together in peace to move forward and rebuild their country.

The Afghan Star program is nearly identical to that of it’s American Idol predecessor, except not as fancy and not in English. There’s a panel of judges who cast their votes at the end of each performer and they even share a similarly up front and vocal commentary of the artist’s with Simon Cowell and crew. Yes, even on Afghan Star, the first round of hopefuls are unbelievably bad. On the other hand, the contestants are often seeking more than just fame, as interviews with the many singers waiting in line shows a common interest in swapping weapons and violence with music and peace.

AFGHAN STAR points out that the Afghan people have suffered three decades of invasions, civil war and oppression under Taliban rule. Since 1996, music and dance were considered disrespectful, sacrilegious and criminal by those in power. In 2004, the ban on song and dance was lifted and opened the door to opportunities such as the Afghan Star television show. People from across the county flock to auditions, hoping for a chance to compete and possibly become one of the nation’s newest pop stars.

This relatively new experience for the Afghan people holds a more politically and socially relevant significance as well. The lifting of the ban on music and dance was sparked by the implementation of democratic elections. The people of Afghanistan can vote on their favorite contestants, allowing all people, rich, poor, young and old to take part in this new concept of having an individual voice that together can achieve a common purpose. The correlation between the people’s new found freedom and their eagerness to participate openly is profound.

On the flip side, certain tensions are sparked between the more progressive-thinking, younger Afghans and the more traditional, conservative elders over the influence Afghan Star has over the people and whether it’s in accordance with Sharia Law and the Islamic faith. In particular, one of the finalists named Setara is voted out and chooses to reveal her hair and dance during her final performance. This sparks political and religious debate, as well as death threats against her for doing what some Afghans feel are immoral things, but Setara remains strong and refused to apologize or see herself as a bad person.

The film was directed by Havana Marking (THE CRIPPENDALES) and appears to have recently been picked up to air on HBO with their ongoing documentary film series. The movie isn’t stylish or overwhelmingly well-shot, but that’s not what important with a documentary. What is important is that the film captures the people, their lives and their emotions and effectively conveys that to the audience in a way that we feel something, rather than simply being entertained. AFGHAN STAR does this perfectly well in my book and makes for a cinematic experience that exposes us to a style of music we’re generally not very familiar, but is influenced by the pop culture we’re all familiar with.