Mira Nair: Movie Frame Studies/Review of Reluctant Fundamentalist

The Reluctant Fundamentalist, a political thriller drama movie by Mira Nair, released in 2012, based on Mohsin Hamid unpublished novel(2007). This was highly flipped movie, but this movie received mixed critical views along with awards, which payed homage due to its addressing the efforts of tolerance and xenophobia.

                           

As it is based on the story of 9/11(September 11, 2001 attack) by Al Qaeeda coordinated four terrorist groups in America, it engulfed Riz Ahmed(Changez)who was innocent, unaware of and flowing with nature. 

Who was knowing, something unusual like this is going to happen...For which only he would be targeted as he is associated from the blind capitalists point of view to the very roots of terrorism. Though one tries to wash all the stains, but somewhere the deep Marks will remain. This is the reason the person though tried to wash hardly the stains, which were about to abuse/inflict him/her badly but its scars remain and it instigate you till your death.

May be that's why such people who belong to such belongings and traces, considering this not trying to evolve themselves as they know somewhere that though they would try hard, but they won't have fair escapism from their pasts and it will surface again and again.

On the contrary people are also of such tendency that they wouldn't like change and always remain in search of finding  faults in the persona, who have changed him/her.

Thus society plays a crucial in person's life. But one can't altogether blame society for everything. There is something to be played and seen from a person's side.

Riz Ahmed, belongs to Pakistani family, the family struggles with financial crisis but he gets scholarship to pursue his studies at Princeton college. When got job under Samson(a top wall street firm) he fell in love with Erica, a photographer. As when he encountered this incident in Manila, where he went for business, he is picked out and interrogated by American Federal Officials. We feel its repercussions in his relationship with Erica, where Erica finding herself responsible for her former boyfriend's death and exhibiting some intimate scenes of herself and Changez and due to this they had breakup.

After Visa expiration, Changez returns to Lahore. Where he is hired as a university's lecturer as departing foreign professors have left vacancies. Due to intrusion of Americans in Pakistan, Riz voices dissatisfaction and when founding Lincoln(a journalist from America in Pakistan), surveilling outside his office, he declares him to be a CIA agent and possibly recruited by Rainer.

Meanwhile Rainer is killed and Changez is blamed to be the murderer of Rainer and so when he is texting to his sister, Lincoln demands his phone, to be checked if he is truthfully texting his sister or not.

During this ongoing scuffle, Lincoln holds Changez at the gunpoint, uses him as a shield and in attempt to kill Changez, his brother is shooted and killed, in return Lincoln is wounded badly by the protesters outside and is quickly removed by CIA from the crowed, having learnt that Changez isn't involved.

In New York movie by Aditya Chopra and Yash Chopra. Alike John Abraham, playing the role of Mr. Sheikh, 1200 others are detained, among whom the common thing is religion.

Though Mr. Sheikh is trying to prove that he loves America but he is suspected on the basis of his clicking photos of world trade center, while he explains that as he is affiliated with architecture, he has to do but his arguments aren't moderated and he is further tormented by the Federal Beaureu investigation officials.

A similar prejudice and event we can see in 'the reluctant fundamentalist' movie by Mira Nair as Jim is also suspect on the basis of his religion.

As a lecturer, he is teaching in Pakistan but due to misinterpretation of the essence of the lecture, the students got him wrong and so it is simplified later on by Changez.

Thus to watch how a Pakistani is surviving in his most loved country. Where  people don't consider his love for the country but his religion and origination and allege him to be involved with Al Qaeeda terrorists' groups.

A Brief Review

Seeing the central character named Changez, who is a lover of America but thrushed to conceive him as a Pakistani. As it is said: "Not the whole river is tained, due to only fish's stains". But he is considered to be similar like terrorist group as Pakistan is notorious of having such conflicting and disputing credentials in her country. None knows who is going to pay the price of the thing, which they haven't committed.

"Looks can be deceiving, I'm a lover of Am Mira Nair: Movie Frame Studies of Reluctant Fundamentalist erica, although I was raised to feel very Pakistani"-Changez(Riz Ahmed).

In this manner, though an American by bringing up, settled in, loving its Culture but ultimately retained as Pakistani. Returning to Pakistan, having a job as a university lecturer, but there also he isn't spared and those historical traces recurred again in the form of Lincoln and Rainer. As it is said until and unless, you don't deal with the things, which disturbed you, it will keep on surfacing unwantedly and you're destined to give it farewell willingly or unwillingly. Same is confronted by Changez/Jim.

To be continued again...

Works Cited

"Postcolonial Film: The Reluctant Fundamentalist", released in 2012, produced by Mira Nair.

"New York", Directed by Yash Chopra and Aaditya Chopra, starring John Abraham(Mr. Sheikh).