"Panaah" is yet to be Released

"Panaah", produced by an Afghan, directed by an Indian filmmaker and shot in India and BulgariaAfghanistan. with a large Indian crew.It has been directed by Mumbai-based Sundeep Mohnot. The movie is Sikander's first in Dari and Pashto, the two official languages of
"After Sep 11, the world understood the meaning of terrorism and that is the message of 'Panaah'," its producer Asad Sikander told IANS, referring to the 2001 terrorist attacks in the US, which had immediate consequences for Afghanistan, where a US-led international military operation still continues.

Although "Panaah" is yet to be released, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has already been given a private preview of it and, according to Sikander, his response has been very positive and encouraging.

Like many of his compatriots, Sikander abandoned AfghanistanBulgaria, where he now lives along with his wife and daughter, Diana, after whom he has named his film production company.

The actor studied martial arts and after having won a black belt, as well as several competitions in Bulgaria, Germany and the US, he became a professional trainer of the sport.

His childhood passion for films, especially Hindi films, however, brought him to Mumbai, the city of Indian cinema, to do a course in film production. A combination of martial arts and film studies opened to him the doors to action filmmaking and also made him come into contact with some of the biggest names in Indian films, such as Suneil Shetty.

Sikander made his foray into acting with the release of "Bullet - Ek Dhamaka" in India.

"Unlike 'Bullet...', working in India this time (for 'Panaah') was much easier and smoother," said Sikander, who has plans of releasing four more films, set in India and Afghanistan, next year.

The Afghan film industry was completely destroyed by 30 years of war in the country and Sikander hopes to bring a new kind of cinema to young Afghans.

during the start of the Soviet invasion in 1979. He moved to

"The situation is bad and people in Afghanistan are not making films because of (lack of) distribution, which is why we are keen to sell in India and want the support of the Indian film industry," he explained.