The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Mira Nair

There are questions flying all around as to why Mira Nair is not able to arouse the same feelings in the movie “Reluctant Fundamentalist” as is the case with the book written by Mohsin Hamid. I, for one, presume it’s asking a little too much. Let’s appreciate what she has done. It’s no cakewalk to take a story and translate it into a movie.  There is a good deal of things which needs to be considered. One, the book is a narrative - where the description of events is the only base to build a movie platform. Second, it revolves around a story that’s more to do with inner conflict than outer settings. Third, it’s a one-sided narrative, where the other characters are dimmed beyond clear understanding and hang around like mere shadows. So, on the whole, it’s a pretty complex theme to portray and hold the attention of the viewers. Considering all this, Mira Nair has done her bit admissibly well.

Take for instance, Changez’s personality both physical and mental – portrayal of which is uncannily difficult. Yet, in the movie, Changez is remarkably the character you have imagined - Fair, lanky, sharp-looking, emotional and unmistakably Pakistani. The team at Underwood Samson is what an American team generally is: all awe for oriental acumen and occidental self-righteousness. Erica is no scented flower either, with emotions that run high and dry – acting precisely at her own whims and fancies. Let’s not forget Changez’s superior who has his eyes set on molding Changez into a game changer. Mira has captured the soul of these roles.

Probably the thing that kind of throws the spanner in is that the movie is bit on the gloomier side. You could feel the icy cold hands of melancholy reach out and grab you. I kind of detested it. Reading about gloom in a book is different from reading it on faces on-screen. As they say a picture is worth a thousand words, emotions have come out strongly - much to the discomfort of the viewer. Another error that’s a soar thumb - by bringing in a dialogue between Changez and the American, who remains voiceless in the book, Nair has touched a painful nerve. Ambiguity sometimes holds its own ground. The moment you disclose, the essence is lost. I would have liked it if the American had remained in the shadows with his voice as a fragment of Changez’s imagination, just as it was in the book.

Barring a few errors such as these, the film’s good. If you see the flick prior to reading the book you wouldn’t have second thoughts about branding Mira Nair as a “Nut”. But otherwise, you cannot miss appreciating her eye for detail, settings, characters, and other trivia that goes into making a decent film. Though it may sound shocking to many, I kind of liked the movie. The book was nominated for a Booker Prize so it’s no James Bond movie to keep you at the edge of the seat. It’s a classic. So bear with it. As they say, “Every concave lens is a convex lens too, depending on which side you are viewing from”. I sure would like to view it form a different perspective.