‘The Kite Runner’ soars onto the Bengaluru stage: Experience the epic tale of friendship and betrayal live

Pain, friendship, betrayal, guilt and redemption are all the emotions explored in the popular novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. This story about the worst and best of human nature is universal yet simple. While the scale of the story has been witnessed by readers, it is exciting to see that now, Bengaluru will bear witness to a theatrical adaptation of the book.

American playwright Matthew Spangler’s adaptation of the classic has been the backbone of Arena Theatre Production (ATP) 's upcoming staging. Directed by ATP founder Tahera S, this play features local and even international talents portraying various characters.

“We’re very excited because Matthew Spangler has agreed to come to watch a show and we’ll also be having a talk after the shows,” she informs us merrily. Talking about envisioning the characters for her production, Tahera reflects that they’ve spent an ample amount of time in pre-production, especially the casting.

She calls the story of The Kite Runner, “a proper Hindi cinema.” For those witnessing the story for the first time, we ask Tahera, how will Khaled Hosseini’s celebrated work translate to retaining the same impact. “It’s a fantastic story — it’s very human and a very important story to be told. I’ve tried to bring out and add all the elements as much as possible to bring out the best. We also try to add movement in the play as it keeps segueing between scenes, We also tried to add live music and have worked on the costumes as much as possible to bring the authenticity as much as we can,” she explains.

But what makes this a wonderful story to adapt for the stage? “When I read the book, I remember how moved I was. I couldn’t stop crying. But the gravity of what it means is something I want to sell and show the audience,” Tahera concludes.

Catch the full interview on the Indulge Podcast on Spotify & YouTube. INR 499 onwards. April 5, 3 pm &7 pm. At Good Shepherd Auditorium, Richmond Town.

Mail id: pranav.shriram@newindianexpress.com

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