2. Movie Review: The Reluctant Fundamentalist

The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a 2012 drama film directed by Mira Nair. It is based on the 2007 bestselling novel by Mohsin Hamid of the same name. The movie highlights the xenophobia and ethnic bias in America and also focuses on the bitter reality faced by Muslims. The story follows the journey of a young Pakistani man, Changez Khan (Riz Ahmad), who like many others cherished the  American dream, only to be disillusioned by it all after the terror attacks. The identity and experience of both the Hamid and Nair seemed to have contributed to the inspiration behind the story, for they had both spent a considerable amount of time in the USA, pre and post 9/11.

Source: commonsensemedia.org

The movie focuses on the theme of Constructivism- the fact that social relations construct people, who in turn shape the world by their actions and words. This is a two-way continuous process. The identity of a person is evolving - it is never permanent. This could be reflected in the case of our protagonist, Changez Khan. Caught between the two worlds of America and Pakistan; the circumstances, cultural conflicts, and events around him led to a drastic transformation in his identity.  Throughout the movie, Changez readjusts his identity according to the situations and circumstances. The name Changez Khan in itself is very symbolic. Changez Khan is the Urdu name for Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan who attacked the Muslim World in the 13^th century. Along these lines, Changez couldn’t be a religious fundamentalist and thus the name itself is a paradox. 

To begin with, Changez belonged to a Pakistani upper-class family and grew up among Princes. His personality was in stark contrast with that of his father, who was conservative and disapproved Changez’s job. Changez was living his American Dream prior to 9/11- he was doing extremely well professionally as a business analyst, evident by his dedication towards his job (working till late nights) as well by his early promotion. However this changes after 9/11, the events of which leads to a dramatic turn of events in Changez’s life, he continuously felt like an outsider, or the ‘other’. Yes, he was a Muslim, he was a Pakistani, but that’s not all he was.

Even before the terror attacks, Changez seemed to be confused about his identity. As he confesses, he could no longer recognize his voice, which he believed was fake. He was a lover of America, however his first reaction on the attacks of the twin towers was that of awe, and for a split second, he felt pleasure by the ruthlessness of the violence.

Perhaps, Erica and Changez’s troubled relationship symbolises the complicated relationship between Pakistani and American culture as well. Erica not only rhymes with America but her behavior towards Changez is similar to that of the country’s treatment towards him. For instance, although Erica seemed to have been indifferent towards Changez’s culture, many at times we notice her look at Changez as an exotic foreigner.  She was highly fascinated by his culture in general and his language and family in particular. She was still not over her ex-boyfriend, and she kept on looking back in time for her dead lover. When she used their intimate details and photographs for her art show, Changez felt betrayed; exactly in the same way he felt betrayed by America.

Every plot, every character is symbolic in its own way. The 9/11 was a turning point in Changez’s life and it was then that he felt a side was picked for him. This can be reflected in a series of events. At the airport, he was a victim of suspicion and a full-body strip-search was carried on him. It was humiliating for him, however, this was only the beginning. At another instance, he was mistakenly arrested in the streets by the officers and is thoroughly interrogated. Furthermore, he was called Osama and the tires of his vehicle were punctured. All these events instilled a slice of violence in him, and he no longer felt the connection he had earlier felt with the US and started identifying with his fellow Muslims.

It is not clear how radical his thoughts about America were, but nevertheless there was an evident shift: he grew a beard, became angry, and quit his job and returned to Pakistan to realise a Pakistani dream. The question of whether Changez lost his identity or found a new identity is crucial. For what we know, identity is not static, it is constantly evolving. Changez takes on various identities throughout the course of the movie, rather than losing or acquiring a new one.