'Kite Runner' Stars May Risk Lives for Film

Oct. 4, 2007 — -- "After watching the rape scene, what will happen to me and my family? I can't even think of it."

Those are the concerns of Ahmad Jan Mahmidzada, father of Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada, a 12-year-old Afghan boy who stars in "The Kite Runner."

His sentiments couldn't be further from those of the typical stage parent.

Most moms and dads facing the release of their child's first major movie bounce off the walls with anticipation, knowing the success of the film could make or break their kid's career.

But the stars of "The Kite Runner" and their families are on edge for entirely different reasons. Beyond putting them in the public eye, the movie could ruin their lives.

Executives at Paramount Vantage, the studio distributing the film about two boys growing up in war-torn Afghanistan, have postponed the movie's release to deal with safety issues involving their three young, male actors, The New York Times reported Thursday. The boys and their families are concerned that a controversial rape scene could rouse violence in increasingly unruly Afghanistan, putting them all in danger.

According to the Times, Paramount Vantage has gone beyond the boundaries of most studios, hiring consultants to ensure the safety of their stars and prevent media criticism of "The Kite Runner," which is based on Khaled Hosseini's 2003 best-selling novel of the same name. They are planning to move the boys and their families to a safe haven in the United Arab Emirates in the coming weeks, potentially taking them out of Afghanistan forever.

Calls made to Paramount Vantage for comment were not immediately returned.

Weeks ago, when ABCNEWS.com first spoke with Mahmidzada, he said he was worried about the rape scene because it could incite his own people, the minority Hazara Shia community, to kill him. He was also nervous about being associated with anything that could upset the Hazara community, the predominantly Shia Muslim group that accounts for 3.2 million people in Afghanistan.

But when ABCNEWS.com spoke with Mahmidzada Thursday, he was more relaxed. He credited Paramount Vantage for taking care of his family and added that they would be leaving Afghanistan in about a week. He could not elaborate further.

"At this time, I can't tell you more because I have been told by the movie company to not talk to the media without their permission," Mahmidzada said.

Asked about how they think people will react to "The Kite Runner," some Afghans predicted the rape scene could spark violence, especially between the Hazaras and the politically dominant Pashtun community.

"Afghanistan has suffered a lot from the civil war between different tribes," said Kabul taxi driver Gul Ahmad. "Now that at least we are on the path of development, this kind movie could take us back to the same bad ethnic experiences that we had in the past."

For now, the date of the movie's release remains in the air. Mahmidzada just hopes his family is out of the country when it hits theaters.

Aleem Agha and Sheila Marikar contributed to this report.