Thought this might be of interest for some :

Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/10/04/arts/04kite.php

'The Kite Runner' is delayed to protect child stars

LOSANGELES: The studio distributing "The Kite Runner," a tale of childhood betrayal, sexual predation and ethnic tension in Afghanistan, is delaying the film's release to get its three schoolboy stars out of Kabul — perhaps permanently — in response to fears that they could be attacked for their enactment of a culturally inflammatory rape scene.

Executives at the distributor, Paramount Vantage, are contending with issues stemming from the rising lawlessness in Kabul in the year since the boys were cast.

The boys and their relatives are now accusing the filmmakers of mistreatment, and warnings have been relayed to the studio from Afghan and American officials and aid workers that the movie could aggravate simmering enmities between the politically dominant Pashtun and the long-oppressed Hazara.

In an effort to prevent not only a public-relations disaster but also possible violence, studio lawyers and marketing bosses have employed a stranger-than-fiction team of consultants. In August they sent a retired Central Intelligence Agency counterterrorism operative in the region to Kabul to assess the dangers facing the child actors. And on Sunday a Washington-based political adviser flew to the United Arab Emirates to arrange a safe haven for the boys and their relatives.

"If we're being overly cautious, that's O.K.," Karen Magid, a lawyer for Paramount, said. "We're in uncharted territory."

In interviews, more than a dozen people involved in the studio's response described grappling with vexing questions: testing the limits of corporate responsibility, wondering who was exploiting whom and pondering the price of on-screen authenticity.

"The Kite Runner," like the best-selling 2003 novel by Khaled Hosseini on which it is based, spans three decades of Afghan strife, from before the Soviet invasion through the rise of the Taliban. At its heart is a friendship between Amir, a wealthy Pashtun boy played by Zekiria Ebrahimi, and Hassan, the Hazara son of Amir's father's servant. In a pivotal scene Hassan is raped in an alley by a Pashtun bully. Later, Sohrab, a Hazara boy played by Ali Danish Bakhty Ari, is preyed on by a corrupt Taliban official.

Though the book is admired in Afghanistan by many in the elite, its narrative remains unfamiliar to the broader population, for whom oral storytelling and rumor communication carry far greater weight.

The Taliban destroyed nearly all movie theaters in Afghanistan, but pirated DVDs often arrive soon after a major film's release in the West. As a result, Paramount Vantage, the art-house and specialty label of Paramount Pictures, has pushed back the release of the $18 million movie by six weeks, to Dec. 14, when the young stars' school year will have ended.

In January in Afghanistan, DVDs of "Kabul Express" — an Indian film in which a character hurls insults at Hazara — led to protests, government denunciations and calls for the execution of the offending actor, who fled the country.

Perhaps not coincidentally, the "Kite Runner" actor who plays Hassan, Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada, 12, told reporters at that time that he feared for his life because his fellow Hazara might feel humiliated by his rape scene. His father said he himself was misled by the film's producers, insisting that they never told him of the scene until it was about to be shot and that they had promised to cut it.

Hangama Anwari, the child-rights commissioner for the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, said on Monday that she had urged Paramount's counterterrorism consultant to get Ahmad Khan out of the country, at least until after the movie is released. "They should not play around with the lives and security of people," she said of the filmmakers. "The Hazara people will take it as an insult."

The film's director, Marc Forster, whose credits include "Finding Neverland" (2004), another film starring child actors, said he saw "The Kite Runner" as "giving a voice and a face to people who've been voiceless and faceless for the last 30 years." Striving for authenticity, he said, he chose to make the film in Dari, an Afghan language, and his casting agent, Kate Dowd, held open calls in cities with sizable Afghan communities, including Fremont, California, Toronto and The Hague. But to no avail: Forster said he "just wasn't connecting with anybody."

Finally, when Dowd went to Kabul in May 2006, she discovered her stars. "There was such innocence to them, despite all they'd lived through," she said.

Forster emphasized that casting Afghan boys did not seem risky at the time; local filmmakers even encouraged him, he said: "You really felt it was safe there, a democratic process was happening, and stability, and a new beginning."

More here

yo cappy-my-buddy-ole-pal (missing for unknown reasons :P) and other folks!

i watched the movie yesterday in a special screening function . overall, i must say i liked it. while it's needless to iterate that the adaptation of pages of events from a novel into a couple-of-hours-long movie is not always justified in terms of inclusion of all the events and characters, picturization of some of the important events and some light moments as well are awe-inspiring. truly! performances, especially of the kids and Amir --the protagonist-- are also praiseworthy.

a couple of heart-wrenching sequences have been shot very well (you know when they will come if you have read the novel), while  few sequences, like when Amir meets with the antagonist to take Hassan's child from him, have been rushed a bit from being realistic. Rahman's characterization could have been better. he doesn't get much scope in the movie although it's an important character in the novel.

all in all, worth a watch.

my verdict:

 * * *  (3 star that is!)

. Have you read the book yet Looteji? Three star doesn't sound too good especially when the book did so well. I shall wait and watch!:-)

Haddock's back with a bang!!  Can't wait for the movie now especially with all the teaser brought about here.  BTW, welcome back.  I just hope allz been good in yo hood!  Laterzzz

This is one movie that i have been waiting for - eagerly !

The book was a real good read and i hope the movie does justice to it.

I'm looking forward to watch the movie..tara I always feel they can never make a better movie out of a good book..

Capt. saab, your ol' buddy Loots trying to get you out of your hidings..get here now !!

Before I watch the movie, I was given crash course history of Afganistan and the social structure. If I'm wrong at any point, please let me know.

Hazara are actually Tibeto-Burmese looking people like many in those "ISTAN" countries (turk invaded history). They're Sunni Muslim and are at the bottom of the social chain;throughout the history of Afganistan, they have been mistreated by the Pastuns and now the Taliban.

If I'm not wrong, this will be the starting point of better understanding the movie. I do not read. Reading sucks.

Let me know fellows.

flips Ji,
yes i finished reading the book only a few weeks back although i had been wanting to read it for a long time but then oh well time constraint and all and i am not so voracious reader either.

 the 3 stars was actually given relative to the excellence of the novel. i might have been a little too stringent on rating and stuffs, but that's me . compared to other adapted plots like those of da vinci code or lord of the rings, i think the plot of the kite runner was more suited for better adaptation into a movie and they have done a fine job.

of course, you don't go through all the different kinds of emotional rides while watching a 1.5-2 hrs movie of a masterpiece novel than when actually reading the novel itself no matter how good the adaptation is. tetti matra ho.

sn di,
true that! movie making and story writing are two different formats/forms of art. to be fair, i honestly feel that they should not be juxtaposed. no two forms of art deserves to be compared. but then when a story that was once the bestseller  is captured in celluloid in accordance to the vision of a handful of people, comparison is inevitable.

haha...and yeah sum-off's stories are worth an adaptation. i hope he writes a long enough story one day and then they might go about adapting it . short stories should not be risked of going thorough adaptation unless they are ready to be treated like 'saawariya' by the vigilant audience


Bob Marley,
you are almost completely right. yes, hazaras are of mongolian origin. they are believed to be the descendants of the armies and settlers of Genghiz Khan's mongolians. they are predominantly shia muslims not suni though...
there are many online references you can go through to brush up on the history of Afghanistan if you want to. there are not whole lot of things to be understood before going for the movie..

oh btw, since now i revived this old thread of captain, it is worthwhile to leave a line or two for him too, no?

captain,
wherever you are and be it on the purpose of vacation or otherwise, my all the best for all your future endeavors. . if it takes my admittance of my admiration for you in public to get you back to this place, then here i go: "i am missing you ole chap!"

now get your a$$ back

I LOVED the kite runner...it's one of favorite books! I enjoyed it immensely and I remember crying at the same time because it was so deep....I also remember that there were so many things that were there but unspoken of which made the book even more special and you just couldn't put it down. I don't want to give anything way to those who yet have to read the book but I def. recommend reading the book before hand. i can't wait to see the movie but i am sure it can't be as good as the book.. 

Loots,
I know it’s unfair to compare two art forms. However, if you are adapting a book or anything for that matter, you should strive to make it better. Hoina ra? Besides, movies have so many advantages over book, so I always expect more from it and in turn get disappointed.

Using my observation skills I have narrowed down Captain Haddock's possible location to 3 places.

1. Guantanamo bay: Due to his bold statements he has angered the powers that be and he is being held in Guantanamo bay in isolation and a victim of waterboarding technique which is still deemed not to be torture. Has anyone tried to waterboard the politicians who deny that it is torture? Then perhaps the sun will shine in their pot bellies. If this is the case it will take him approximately 2.5 years to get back to sajha. We need to have an online donation portal and online petition to get him back.

2. Nepal: He's on an extended leave from work in the US and has embarked on a wife finding mission in Nepal. He has probably met with at least 5 girls, 2 of whom he ditched right away. He is unsure of one of them because she has a big mole on her cheek. Out of the other two, one is not his caste but he's got a huge crush on her but he's not ready to revolt with his grandmother because she's out of caste. He'll probably end up marrying the last one whose identity is classified. If this is the case, it will take him approximately 2 months to get back to sajha once he is married and done with the honeymoon period. His female admirers are holding their breath for his return.

3. McDonalds: He's lost his job and is now flipping burgers at MacDonalds. He loves interacting with people and he loves the relaxed atmosphere of a mindless job. He argues that it's not as mindless as he had thought since there is a subtle art of flipping burgers. Flip flop till you can't stop he says. If this is the case he'll be back in sajha during christmas when the joint closes.

sn di,
movies can have many advantages over books, but they have their own limitations as well, one of the major being time restriction. i don't think a movie will ever be able to cover all the intricate details of the places/events to full justice due to its time restriction.

having said that, the visual pleasure which you get from movies is very difficult to be translated into novels. like in this very particular movie, the kite runner, the scene where kids fly kites, fight with each other and cut the other kites have been picturized very well whereas the details about the aesthetic value of the house of Amir in Afghanistan has not been well covered....

time and budget play big roles i believe...

ratobhaley,
nice observations there hahaha...
i think most of the people who say: "i have quit sajha" are only behind the curtains watching all possible events at the centerstage. hahaha...not that it applies to all ni pheri

A little group running after "The Kite Runner" here huh?
Looteji, cannot say much about the Lord of the Rings, but Da Vinci Code was facinating, at least for me (though it ended up being a controversy).

If  "The Kite Runner" has introduced Khaled's to the literary world, then "A Thousand Splendid Suns" has brought him to the limelight, the book being one of the most coveted fictions of the year. What a year for him!

Happy reading and watching!

Loots, that's true. But I still prefer book over movie anytime.

Flips, k cha?

Ratobhale, LOL..I'll go for second option. Good one there..

Hey flip flop how is the 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' ...from your - short post i gather it to be much better than the Kiterunner. Of course the issues might be different.

Like someone said in the earlier post how one cannot compare two art forms - I agree with that.

I feel movies restrict ones imagination whereas books allow you to wander wild and free. No wonder movies translated from books can sometimes turn out to be a disappointment. The imagination is your own terrain and no two people's imagination are alike hence the disparity.

But yes when your mind's eye visualised something and you get experience that in a theater ; it can be pretty gratifying ; for instance the Da Vinci totally worked for me - both the book and the movie. Simply loved the movie

 

Well how was the movie?

I enjoyed the kite flying scenes but i felt the movie lacked in emotions.

The kid who played as Hasan was totally adorable and i loved the childishTête-à-tête between Hasan and Amir.

Would love to hear your tuppence

Watch the movie online. go to google: wright free online movie: Kite Runner. select

one of the option from the google window and enjoy the movie.

I read the novel twice watched the movie twice.. worth reading the novel and watching

the movie.

 

I actually already downloaded the movie myself via Joox.net . ( Yes , DVD quality - there are several occasions during the movie where the message " this movie is only for award ..." meaning, the copy was issued and probably provided to the judges.

I'm not quite sure if the movie is still there ( I am legend is still there though , downloaded it yesterday ).


As for the movie, fantastic movie! The tree...the rape scene..everything is picture perfect... Disappointed that it didnt win the Golden Globe..hopefully it will win the oscars.

How about American Gangster it is also a good movie. i watched this movie on theater, liked it very much.

Corrupt police of New York. Americama paani yasto hune raichha hai. Based on a true story re.

Russel Crowko acting chai herna layekko chha j hosh movie ma.