The Reluctant Fundamentalist is based on a novel by Mohsin Hamid. The author shares some similarities with the protagonist of the film. Both grew up in Lahore, attended Princeton and Harvard Law School before spending many years as a management consultant in New York.Mira Nair’s film is set in two times 2001 and again in 2011 and also straddles two cities – New York and Lahore. The protagonist Changez Khan (Riz Ahmed) is the son of a poet (Om Puri) and a doting mother (Shabana Azmi). Changez is chasing the American dream as a consultant in New York having tasted life in Princeton and Harvard. His boss (Kief Sutherland) is quick to spot the young man’s laser sharp mind and uncanny ability to spot exactly where the client’s firm has got inefficiencies. He is taught a valuable lesson – always start with the fundamentals. Changez’s recommendation for large scale layoffs make the clients’ business profitable but earn his father’s disapproval.Changez is steadily moving up the corporate ladder leaving his peers behind. When his American colleagues ask him where he’ll be in 25 years’ time, he says nonchalantly that he’ll be ”The dictator of an Islamic republic with nuclear capabilities”. He barbecues pork sausages for friends but throws away his share. His girlfriend Erica (Kate Hudson) is a photographer who is still mourning the death of her previous boyfriend.The attack on the World Trade Center changes all equations. The bewildered and angry nation begins to get xenophobic. Khan’s girlfriend takes snippets of their conversations and creates an exhibition around it. To her it is an expression of love. To Changez it is a mockery of his relationship. He comes back to Lahore where he finds himself embroiled in the messy case of the kidnapping of an American. There once again, he explores the fundamentals of his religion to discover his somewhat blurred identity.
The British actor rapper Riz Ahmed effortlessly portrays the nuances of the character as he balances his two identities – one in Lahore and the other in New York. Kate Hudson’s portrayal of her grief as she struggles to understand the world of her new lover is admirable. Om Puri and Shabana shine through even in the few measly frames allotted to them. Liev Schreiber as the Urdu speaking journalist creates the narrative as well as the twists in the plot.The film’s cinematography creates an endearing and memorable portrayal of Lahore through the atmosphere of a café, its crowded streets, the wedding and a funeral.The fourteen tracks of music make this film a delight. Mira Nair really knows how to use music in a film. Sometimes the music is silently caressing you in the background and sometimes layering the narrative, at all times acting as a strong frame on which the film rests. What will haunt me always are two tracks from the film that are gems to be treasured. One of them is Mori Araj Suno. The lyrics by Faiz Ahmad Faiz connect with their simplicity. Mori araj suno, dastagir pir, mairee kahun kaa say mein apnay jiya ki pir (Trans: I want to share my hurt with you my Lord, who else will understand my pain. Who else could I share it with?) While the singer Atif Aslam has had his liberal share of detractors, this is one track he can justifiably be proud of.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaLF-so-MQoI must make a special mention of the traditional folk song “Kangna” performed by Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad. The qawwali reminds me of the Dhrupad style of singing. That track is an absolute stunner. Here is a Coke Studio version of this track.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXmIpbBOSvI
Other films reviewed by me are: Inkaar and Special 26Join me on Twitter @abhijitbhaduriWatch the making of the film The Reluctant Fundamentalisthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIbSs2drRzY