Pakistani-American actor Faran Tahir to star in Broadway's adaptation of The Kite Runner

Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini's 2003 novel The Kite Runner has been adapted into a Broadway play and Pakistani-American actor Faran Tahir has been cast to play Baba, the father of protagonist Amir.

Born in Los Angeles, California, Tahir has acted in several Hollywood movies such as Star Trek (2009), Elysium (2013) and Escape Plan (2013). He widely known for his role in Marvel's Iron Man (2008) as the villainous Raza.

Tahir's spouse, Pakistani actor Zara Tareen, took to Instagram to share the cast announcement and her joy over Tahir being a part of the play. "To say that I am proud of you is an understatement. I always wished I’d seen you on stage doing your Othello or your Richard III but my wish has come true even better than that. I get to see you on the most prestigious stage on earth, Broadway," she captioned a screenshot of the news. "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."

Directed by Giles Croft, The Kite Runner is due to begin performances on July 6. The play, which will be the first one scheduled for the 2022-2023 Broadway season, is produced by  Victoria Lang, Ryan Bogner and Tracey McFarland of Broadway & Beyond Theatricals.

American actor Amir Arison — known for portraying FBI Special Agent Aram Mojtabai in NBC's The Blacklist — will play the lead character Amir. The cast also includes 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.

With this play, both Arison and Tahir will be making their Broadway debuts.

The Kite Runner novel is a coming-of-age story about a man born in Afghanistan whose life is haunted by his failure to protect his childhood friend. Novel has sold millions of copies worldwide and was adapted into a film in 2007.