Having seen almost all of the top 250 IMDb movies, I really was amazed after watching unquestionably one of the top 20 thrillers I've seen.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a movie about a Pakistani who after immense soul searching and a journey through 2 continents is now a Professor at the tense Lahore University, which can erupt into riots any second. This is a movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat at all times. No, not because a bomb is about to go off or the world is on the brink of nuclear warfare, its because Changez Khan, the protagonist is giving you a flashback into his life filled with intense drama, soul searching that will make you think and think hard.
Mohsin Hamid is a young overachieving author. After graduating from Princeton, he took to Mckinsey and studied law at Harvard Law School. He seems to have created the protagonist Changez much like him. They both share their home nation, their school, and even their financial analyst job in the same firm.
Right from his first sentence, "Excuse me, Sir, but may I be of any assistance", Hamid draws us into the dark and deep mind of Changez. It shows us through a different light the rise of fundamentalism in the United States, something he hated Pakistan for. Such is the bond with the reader and Changez that you cannot but help feel sympathetic.
Though this sounds like another book about the immigrants' tales of hardship and racism, it is not. This book is about a person who has it all but gives it up after he sees that it was not what it used to be anymore. What makes this book/ movie so much more unique is that it gives voice to two different perspectives, both from the same character at different points of his life. It is as much a book of The United States hypocrisy as it it is of the numerous faults of Pakistan. Extreme times results in extreme writing and this book is exemplary in that sense.
Mohsin Hamid is a young overachieving author. After graduating from Princeton, he took to Mckinsey and studied law at Harvard Law School. He seems to have created the protagonist Changez much like him. They both share their home nation, their school, and even their financial analyst job in the same firm.
Right from his first sentence, "Excuse me, Sir, but may I be of any assistance", Hamid draws us into the dark and deep mind of Changez. It shows us through a different light the rise of fundamentalism in the United States, something he hated Pakistan for. Such is the bond with the reader and Changez that you cannot but help feel sympathetic.
“I stared as one — and then the other — of the twin towers of New York’s World Trade Center collapsed. And then I smiled. Yes, despicable as it may sound, my initial reaction was to be remarkably pleased."-Changez Khan
Though this sounds like another book about the immigrants' tales of hardship and racism, it is not. This book is about a person who has it all but gives it up after he sees that it was not what it used to be anymore. What makes this book/ movie so much more unique is that it gives voice to two different perspectives, both from the same character at different points of his life. It is as much a book of The United States hypocrisy as it it is of the numerous faults of Pakistan. Extreme times results in extreme writing and this book is exemplary in that sense.
Hamid has an art of subtly referencing to the dynamics of the Pakistani mind. Through his three books: Moth Smoke, The Reluctant Fundamentalist and How to get filthy rich in rising Asia, Hamid effectively traverses through the insecurities and the transitional thinking of the modern Pakistani. Both in The Reluctant Fundamentalist and HTGFRIRA, the protagonist is a new breed of the ambitious, willing-to-do-anything-for-success kind of person. Hailing from Asia myself, I know that Hamid has done an excellent and realistic job of portraying Pakistan where slums exist right beside million dollar homes.
Add to this mix eccentric decisions like labeling a Slumdog Millionaire like plot a self help book and referring to the protagonist as "you" and his girl as "the pretty girl", you've got yourself an awesome read by an even more awesome author.
Nice post! Now you got me interested in this movie and Hamid's life story. It is interesting to explore immigrants' complex emotions towards their motherland and their new country. I know there are plenty of books out there focusing on this theme but Hamid is definitely one of the best writers in this area. Reading How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia is such a pleasure because its portrayals of the environment and characters are so chilling yet realistic at the same time. Anyway, I would definitely try to find some time to look into this movie. Again, Nice job!
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