The Kite Runner

The Kite runner is the first book by Khaleid Hossieni a physician settled in the U.S.

Khaleid is an Afghan by birth and has written about his home country in both of his books the second one being the thousand splendid suns ,

though I have not read both the books I happened to see the movie the kite Runner yesterday and was moved and absorbed by it .

I would rate it as one of the best movies I had seen .

'The story begins of friends Amir and Hassan who spend a happy childhood in Afghangistan

kites soar in the sky just like thier joyous lives ,

happiness being cut off when evil in the form of Assef the bully ridicules Hassans lowly Hazara ( an emigrant central Asian race ) status to Aamirs aristocracy and mocks at thier friendship but Hassan is strong and will never wilt in his loyalty to his friend even at the cost of insult to his body and soul as Asef with his friends does the unthinkable during one inoppurtune moment .

Aamir wallows in guilt becuase though he witnessed the act hiding he does nothing to protect his friend becuse of his cowardice .

The friends drift apart after this more so by the machinations of Aamir as he could no more face Hassan due to his guilt

Aamirs father who loves Hassan as much as his son is dismayed .at the turn of events

In time the Russians invade the country Aamir and his father flee Afghangistan to Pakistan and later to San Fransico where they lead an existence hardly befitting thier aristocratic Afghan life ,

time passes and Aamir graduates and becomes a writer ,courts and finally marries an Afghan generals daughter

his father by now has succumbed to the ravages of lung cancer

Aamir publishes his first book ,

He hears from his fathers old friend Asim Khan who has always been his well wisher and confidante more than his father .

Khan is now in Pakistan and Aamir goes to meet him as requested ,

here he hears that Hassan his old friend was really his half brother begetted by his father as Hassans father and mother were servants in Aaamirs fathers house

Hassan had got married and had a son called Sohrab both Hassan and his wife were killed by the cruel Taliban who now ruled Afghangistan ,

A letter from Hassan written before he died is handed over to Aamir by Khan which asks Aamir his old friend to save Sohrab who was now living in an Afghan orphanage

Aamir immediately travels to Afghangistan incognito with the help of a driver and is shocked by the rape of his beloved country He is like a tourist in his own home

he finds out the orphanage but learns that Sohrab has been taken away by a cruel Taliban official who uses young boys for his perversions

He finds out that the high official is none other than the bully Asef the bete noir of his youth .

the rest of the story is how Aamir manages to release Sohrab from the clutches of Asef and his Taliban strangehold and brings him to the US with great difficulty to bring him up as his son as he has no children of his own

Sohrab takes long to come out of his shell opening up finally when when Aamir once takes him for kite flying

Aamir tells sohrab he would anything for him a thosand times over just like Hassan used to say to Aamir in his childhood .

The film has absorbing visuals depicting the beauty of the country and its seasons ,the rumbustiousness of its markets the colourfullness of its inhabitants ,the innocence of its young the sophisticated veneer of its aristocracy which all contrasts with the cruelty of its vandals .

The physical rape in the film is metaphorical to the rape of the country itself and finally the overcoming of guilt of the protaganist by his atonation ends the film

truly worthy of the book .

The Kite runner soars into the sky and takes you along for the ride

see it .