Pakistani American Actor Faran Tahir Roped in for Broadway Adaptation of Khaled Hosseini’s ‘The Kite Runner’
- He will be seen as Baba, the father of the protagonist, Amir, who will be essayed by “The Blacklist,” fame Amir Arison.
Pakistani American actor Faran Tahir has been cast in the Broadway adaptation of Khaled Hosseini’s critically acclaimed novel “The Kite Runner.” He will be seen as Baba, the father of the protagonist, Amir, who will be essayed by “The Blacklist,” fame Amir Arison, Broadway News reported. Both Faran and Amir will make their Broadway debuts with the production.
Tahir is widely known for his role in Marvel’s 2008 film “Iron Man” as the villainous Raza. Born in Los Angeles, California, Faran has acted in several other Hollywood films like “Star Trek “ 2009), “Elysium” (2013) and “Escape Plan” (2013). He also portrayed Farid Rashad in season seven of the “Scandal.”
“The Kite Runner” is the coming-of-age story about a man born in Afghanistan whose life is haunted by his failure to protect a childhood friend. The novel which has sold millions of copies worldwide was adapted into a film in 2007. The production is described as “a haunting tale of friendship spanning cultures and continents” that centers on a man’s journey as he confronts his past and finds redemption.
Popular actor Zara Tareen, who’s also Tahir’s wife, shared the cast announcement on her Instagram. “To say that I am proud of you is an understatement,” she wrote. “I always wished I’d seen you on stage doing your Othello or your Richard III but my wish has come true [in an] even better [way],” she wrote. “I get to see you on the most prestigious stage on earth, Broadway. In my heart, you’ve always belonged here, it was just a matter of time. I’m so excited for you and cannot wait to watch you experience this beautiful journey.”
The theatrical adaptation was written by Matthew Spangler and was first staged in 2007 at San José State University, where Spangler teaches performance studies. It had an initial professional production in 2009 at the San Jose Repertory Theater, which no longer exists, and has since been staged in multiple countries around the world.
The Broadway version will be directed by Giles Croft, who has been directing productions of the play since 2013 when he oversaw a run for the Nottingham Playhouse in Britain. Performances are due to begin on July 6, and will play a limited run through Oct. 30, with opening night set for July 21. The play, which is the first to run this 2022-2023 Broadway season, has been produced by Victoria Lang, Ryan Bogner and Tracey McFarland of Broadway & Beyond Theatricals.
The cast also features Demosthenes Chrysan, Danish Farooqui, Azita Ghanizada, Joe Joseph, Dea Julien, Dariush Kashani, Beejan Land, Amir Malaklou, Christine Mirzayan, Haris Pervaiz, Alex Purcell, Eric Sirakian, Houshang Touzie and Evan Zes. Salar Nader, a percussive instrumentalist, will provide music for the play on the tabla.
(Top photo, courtesy Ryan Green, ABC)