I watched The Reluctant Fundamentalist recently, and I liked
it enough to want to write about it. It’s a must watch if you enjoy the genre
of drama, without the dramatics.
Mira Nair chose to work on a subject that has been a favourite
among abusers for a while–the post 9/11 trauma, drama. But The Reluctant
Fundamentalist stands out. For one, it does not take sides and also mercifully,
spares the audience an overdose of America’s anti-Islamic sentiments and
consequently the barbaric treatment on Muslims in general. We have seen that
before.
The film spoke about the same things, but without going to
extremes. Something that makes it more credible and empathetic. The change of heart of the protagonist Changez
Khan, from the suit-walla with a cushy job at Wall Street to the bearded
professor in the not- so-posh streets of Lahore, is also very gradual. And mind
you, very personal. It’s not a sudden jingoistic awakening of a Paki-American
who wants to connect with his roots and change his country. Connect he does,
start a dialogue of change he does; but it started on a ME level rather than on
fundamentalism.
The film is a gentle reminder that it is actually the little
things in life that impact us in a big way. For Changez Khan, it was no
different. The process of change begins with Khan’s break-up with the person he connected with the
most in the city. The subtle, unsettling reminders of his ethnicity; his father’s words of advice and finally the publisher’s gift of his father’s works, that make him question western capitalism (which he was very much a part of).
Whenever the story moves to Pakistan, you can’t help but
feel the hopelessness of the educated class of that country. And as a neighboring
citizen, not far removed from their reality, you too are moved when Changez
Khan, the professor, asks, “Why just the American Dream? What’s your Pakistani
Dream?”
Riz Ahmed is a fine actor, with more than just the six stock
expressions of a man of method. He is a
natural and his character transformation is so effortless that you almost miss
the stark contrast. Also, the ladies are in for a real treat, because this
man is delectable to say the least.
Liev Schreiber, as an American journo has a small but significant
role. However, actors like Om Puri and Shabana Azmi were truly wasted in the
film. So was Chandrachur Singh; in the sense that he was drunk for the most part.
All in all it’s a good story, told well. Mira Nair is clearly
a woman of rare genius, and Mohsin Hamid must be a very happy man.
