May 1st, 2008 at 1:13 pm
For You, A Thousand Times Over
I have wanted to get a book, the Kite Runner earlier before it was being adapted into a movie. I kept lurking in the book stores and somehow didn’t manage to buy the book till the movie hit our shores.
I have read some books made into movies – before or after. Forrest Gump, Bridget Jones’ Diary, Bridget Jones’s Diary – the Edge of Reasons, the Firm, Just Cause, just to name a few. I find both books and movies were equally fascinating even with slight variations.
I managed to catch the Kite Runner in the cinema last week. It was a choice between the movie Kite Runner or the Forbidden Kingdom. Even though I like epic movies riddled with male testerones , giant battle fields, lots of blood and killing; the idea of having Jet Li and Jackie Chan conversing in English in the same movie is just too much to bear. So, it was an easy choice, I chose to watch the Kite Runner.
I was glad that I watched the Kite Runner. It was conceived in the charming and rustic old Afghanistan backdrop. The colours were rich and intoxicating. You could actually smell the lamb kebabs selling along the alleys and see the pretty, colorful kites flying in the sky. Never in your mind would you think Afghanistan was once a prosperous and happy country.
This movie changed my perception of Afghanistan and Islam in general. I am sure the moment we think of Afghanistan, an image of Osama bin Laden would be plastered in our minds. We chose to brush it off and label it as a lost cause country. We chose to turn a blind eye on the plight of the people of Afghanistan. Even though I abhor wars; I feel tackling the terrorists is a prevalent ongoing agenda for the world in general. I don’t know who to believe anymore. I don’t like to read about wars because it makes me sad.
Catching this movie opened my eyes on the things I chose to remain oblivious all these years. It was heart wrenching filled with human emotions which you don’t think exists. It showed the destitution in wars and confirmed sometimes, war is necessary. It showed that there true friends do exists; friends who would die for you to protect your honour.
It also showed a strong relationship between a father and son. The struggle of a father’s expectation of a son and a son eagerly trying his best to please his father, disappointed when he finds even though his father’s blood ran in him, that was all he inherited from his dad and nothing more.
The conversations moved me to tears; such beautifully crafted lines upon lines. It made us realize that, there are things we couldn’t change, but when opportunity knocks at your door, it is the only way to make good again.
I finally bought the book on Sunday and finished reading it by Tuesday night. I had to endure three nights of sleeplessness and going to work with swollen eyes. The movie is worth to watch, the book – I would read it a thousand times over.