The movie cast unknown schoolboys from Kabul in the lead roles and that decision has led to controversy as the boys' families recently claimed they feared reprisals because of the material - the story highlights ethnic conflict in Afghanistan and features a brutal scene in which a boy is raped. The release date was delayed in the US so that the young actors and their families could be relocated to the United Arab Emirates. Q
Did you anticipate this degree of controversy over the subject matter?
KH
I don't think anyone believed that the families would say their lives were in danger. If anyone had thought that would be the case, they would never have gone to Kabul to cast the actors and I would have advised them not to go to Kabul.
Q
Had you received adverse reactions to the book on the same grounds?
KH
I have received some criticism. In the Afghan community, the reaction to my novel has been overwhelmingly positive - I've received thousands of letters from fellow Afghans who loved the book - but a smaller number of letters from people who are critical. Not because they feel misrepresented but because I'm talking about things that they would rather keep within the family. They feel that revealing these truths will paint a negative picture of Afghanistan.
Q
Because of the ethnic conflict or the rape scene?
KH
The ethnic conflict is a big one. Every person who has criticised it acknowledges the veracity of it but questions the wisdom of actually voicing it, which to me doesn't make sense because I always thought the whole point of writing books and making films was to talk about the things that shape people's lives. I'm not going to shy away from things because it may upset a few people. The rape scene is shot very suggestively, it's not graphic in any sense. Nevertheless, for that actor and his father, his family, it was problematic and they felt that the scene could lead to problems down the road. I hope that's not the case, but for me, the whole experience has been very upsetting.
Q
You returned to Kabul for the first time in 2003 and went again this year with the UN refugee agency. Has the country changed for the worse?
KH
It has changed; I felt a lot safer in 2003. This time in Kabul, I definitely felt an apprehension in people now that they didn't have in 2003. It's really the suicide bombing. That has had a profound effect on people's psyches, because it's a very terrifying and powerful weapon; it can strike at any time and any place. Being in public places was definitely nerve-racking. So actually having those kids out of there is a blessing in a way because Kabul has become such a dangerous place.
Q
Are you able to feel optimistic about the future of Afghanistan? Do you think one day you would take your own children?
KH
My optimism is very sober. Afghanistan has moved forward in some ways but has regressed in others. But the one thing I heard universally when I spoke to people there is that Afghanistan cannot afford to be abandoned, cannot afford for the international community to weaken its commitment to the country. I'd love to take my wife with me - she hasn't been back since the mid-Seventies - but as a parent, no, I couldn't take my children with everything that's going on in Kabul at the moment.
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