KITE RUNNER

Circa 2003 -- Godfather was being shown on HBO. I always wanted to see this movie and jumped at the opportunity to catch this movie on a Sunday night in the comfort of the home. But a very good friend C asked me to read the book first. I still remember the words "If you really want to cherish the movie, read the book first". The rest is history - the one of best books I have ever read and one of the best movies I have ever seen.


Fast forward to today -- With nothing fun to do, I was contemplating which movie to catch and found the Kite Runner. I could not wait for lunch and immediately started it. And what an experience it was.


The ONCE beautiful and prosperous country of Afghanistan, the friendship between 2 boys built on subtle things like story telling and kite flying, the tragic circumstances of their separation, the sad present of today's Afghanistan -- depicted so simply yet so impactfully. Wow.


Though the movie has a happy ending, there were a few moments which have left me stunned... 
1 - Amir dedicating the book to his uncle for all the encouragement for his story writing talent as a kid. The statement -- This book is dedicated to Rahim Khan who enjoyed my stories even before I learnt how to write stories -- is so touching.
2 - The beautiful country that was Afghanistan and the ruins that it is today. Heart wrenching.
3 - The very apt line -- this country is not kind towards invaders.
4 - Last but not the least, the last dialog of the movie -- For you, a thousand times over -- just to see the kid smile.


That got me thinking, and reminded me of the Godfather episode narrated above. What if I had read the book first? Would the book be more memorable than the movie? Would the paperback paint a more vivid and colorful image than the HD DVD?