Racy foreign films prompt cable ban in Afghanistan

Prasant Satapathy, an Indian TV producer working in Kabul, says Bollywood's influence has been a catalyst for change in the Afghan society. Movies such as "Tera Naam" (Your Name), the 2003 Bollywood hit, for example, flopped in India but was a success in Kabul. The movie became so popular here that it inspired everything from hairstyles to fashion trends, sharpening cultural differences among generations.

Beyond fashion, Bollywood films model lifestyles of a more open culture. Most films feature women who have careers and generally enjoy more status in society than Afghan women. Main characters are often well-educated. And the portrayals of Hindus as decent, religious people may help broaden Afghan tolerance of other faiths.

"We can't say all Bollywood is bad," Mr. Jahidi says. "They might have scenes in them that are against our Islamic culture, but there are stories that analyze family problems, social problems. This is good.... The small scenes should be censored."

However, Supreme Court officials say a murder at Kabul University earlier this month is proof that gang violence portrayed in some Bollywood movies has permeated the youth culture here. A third-year medical student fatally stabbed a freshmen allegedly because he was angry that the freshman had grown his hair out like him.

"What happened was imitating Bollywood movies," says Mr. Mozhdah. "The boy said you shouldn't have hair like me. After the incident at the university, we said that what happened was because of the cable. Now we have ... proof of that corruption."

University professors say student gangs are cropping up. And Health officials lay partial blame on Bollywood films for a spike in teen delinquency during the last year, as more young girls are fleeing their families with boyfriends to avoid arranged marriages.

Mawlawi Abdul Qudus, the leader of a Kabul mosque, says that while the number of youths coming to the mosque has stayed the same, he's concerned about how Westerners - and their leisure-time habits - in Kabul have influenced youths. Explicit movies, he thinks, could lead to more illicit relationships.

"In Afghanistan, the rule of government is according to Islam," he says. "These kinds of illegal movies are persuading the youth. This is not good for Islamic society."

Youths in Kabul, however, decry efforts to end one of the few social outlets in the city, as cinemas are full of hashish smokers and thugs harass couples in parks. The cable ban feels like a double standard when shops are full of racy DVDs and satellite stations are packed with blue channels.

"During the night, we had the possibility of watching BBC and CNN. We had the possibility of understanding what's going on around the world," says Ahmadulla Amarkhil, a student at Kabul University. "Islam never prevents us from being cultured or sophisticated. Islam invites people to see this and to learn."

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