Child stars of Kite Runner movie forced to flee Afghanistan to escape backlash over rape scene

Their families fear the boys could suffer reprisals over the forthcoming movie's depiction of a male rape.

Paramount Pictures, the studio behind the film, had delayed the U.S release for six weeks to negotiate the young actors' passage out of their homeland.

The children are now in the United Arab Emirates, along with a group of minders and parents.

Scroll down for more...

Based on the 2003 debut novel by Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner is one of the most eagerly-awaited films of the year.

U.S. critics are raving over Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada's role as Hassan, with the New York Times saying it "ranks among the great child performances on film".

But alarm bells sounded earlier this year when the boy and his father said they feared reprisals over the film's pivotal scene - in which Hassan is raped.

Ahmad, 12, said: "They didn't give me the script. They didn't give me the story. If I knew about the story, I wouldn't have participated as an actor in the film."

The Kite Runner focuses on the friendship between Amir, a wealthy Pashtun boy played by Zekeria Ebrahimi, and Hassan, who is from the lowly Hazara population.

Amir fails to intervene when Hassan is raped by a Pashtun and although the scene is not graphic, the boy's parents fear it could inflame ethnic divisions in Afghanistan.

With violence growing in the capital, Kabul, government officials advised it would be safer to take the boys out of the country.

They thought the situation so serious that the actors were flown out at the weekend despite being in the middle of their school exams.

"I can't really tell you what a weight came off when they landed safely," said Megan Colligan, a Paramount marketing executive.

As well as Zekeria, 11, and Ahmad, two other boys, aged 13 and 14, who had more minor roles, were flown to the Gulf.

Paramount is putting them up at a luxury hotel until more permanent housing and jobs can be found for their guardians.

It is thought the boys might have to complete their schooling outside Afghanistan.

The film, directed by Marc Forster, follows the boys' stories through three decades.

It opens in the UK on Boxing Day and is tipped for Oscar success next year.