Screening Film Adaptation of The Reluctant Fundamentalist

 This blog task is given by Dr. Dilip Sir Barad . It is part of movie screening review of 'Reluctant Fundamentalist' movie. For further information Click here.

Pre -Watching Activities

1. Critical Reading & Reflection :-

              Ania Loomba talks about the idea of the “New American Empire.” She says that even though the old style of colonial rule (like the British Empire) is gone, the United States still has a kind of empire. It does not rule countries directly but has power through money, the military, technology, media, and culture. After the 9/11 attacks, this power became stronger as the U.S. started a “War on Terror,” which affected politics, security, and the way people looked at Muslims all over the world.

          Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, in their book Empire, say that modern empire is not controlled by just one country. Instead, it is a network of countries, big companies, banks, and organizations that together control the world. They spread global capitalism the idea that free markets and global trade are the main path to progress.

      In The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Changez’s life shows these ideas. At first, as a Princeton student and Wall Street worker, he enjoys the benefits of globalization good education, money, and travel. He lives in what Homi Bhabha calls a “third space”, between East and West. But after 9/11, everything changes. People look at him with suspicion because of his background and appearance. His beard becomes a symbol of difference, and his identity is questioned.

      The book shows that “fundamentalism” is not only about religion. It can also mean strict, unbending beliefs in systems like capitalism and American global power. Changez’s journey from acceptance to rejection of Wall Street is a form of resistance against such systems.

              Loomba, Hardt, and Negri’s ideas help us see the story as more than a personal tale it is about how power, politics, and prejudice shape people’s identities in a world that is connected but still divided.

2. Contextual Research Summary :-

          Mohsin Hamid started writing The Reluctant Fundamentalist before the 9/11 attacks. At first, it was going to be more about love and ambition in a globalized world. But after 9/11, the atmosphere in the U.S. and the world changed. Muslims, especially from countries like Pakistan, were often treated with doubt and fear.

            Hamid himself had studied at Princeton and Harvard and worked in corporate America, so he understood what it was like to live between two cultures. After 9/11, he saw how quickly people’s attitudes could change.

           He rewrote the novel to focus more on these changes. He told Changez’s story as a conversation with an American stranger in a Lahore café, keeping the reader unsure if there is trust or danger between them. Because Hamid began before 9/11 and finished afterward, the novel captures both the hope of globalization and the mistrust of the post-9/11 world.

While watching 

1. Father/Son or Generational Split:-

          Changez’s father in Lahore is a poet and intellectual, representing a life built on art, culture, and dignity rather than material success. Changez, however, is drawn into the fast-paced, high-profit corporate world at Underwood Samson in New York.

Symbolism & Tension – Changez’s tailored suits, Wall Street offices, and data-driven corporate culture are visually contrasted with the slower, warm, book-filled Lahore home. His father’s gentle but firm skepticism about “selling one’s soul” to money reflects the generational divide.

Key Moment – When Changez visits home, his father’s calm wisdom clashes with his own corporate arrogance, showing the unspoken tension between profit and poetry.

2. Changez & Erica – Objectification and Estrangement :-

   Erica is an American photographer haunted by the death of her boyfriend, Chris. Changez falls in love with her, but their relationship is marked by emotional distance.

Objectification – At her art exhibition, Erica uses Changez’s image and personal moments as part of her work, reducing him to a cultural “exotic” subject. Her texts on the wall (“Pretend I am him”) reveal that she sees him partly through the ghost of Chris and partly as a symbol rather than a person.

Visual Depiction – In several scenes, Changez is framed through Erica’s camera lens, turning their romance into something observed, curated, and distanced.

3. Profit vs. Knowledge/Book :-

      The Istanbul sequence is a turning point in Changez’s moral journey. He is sent to value a struggling publishing house for potential closure.

Conflict – Corporate logic demands shutting it down, but Changez discovers that the press has published his father’s poetry in Turkish.

Metaphor – The dusty books, the smell of old paper, and the humble printing machines stand as a visual metaphor for cultural heritage and knowledge—set against Underwood Samson’s cold, digital, profit-first approach.

Outcome – This encounter makes Changez question the ideology of relentless profit, sparking his resignation from corporate life.

Tittle Significance & Dual Fundamentalism :-

Corporate Fundamentalism – In several scenes, Changez reflects on his time at Underwood Samson. The company’s motto—“Focus on the fundamentals” is shown as a cold, unfeeling devotion to profit above all else. This is framed visually through sterile office spaces, numerical projections on glass walls, and conversations where human cost is ignored. The obsession with efficiency mirrors the rigid devotion often associated with religious dogma.

Religious Fundamentalism – Post-9/11, Changez faces suspicion in the U.S. simply for being Pakistani and Muslim. Scenes of him being profiled at airports, watched in cafes, or trailed by police evoke the paranoia around Islamic extremism. The film draws subtle parallels—showing that extremism can exist in both Wall Street boardrooms and militant groups.

Duality in Visual Form :-

       In Istanbul, the same framing and lighting used for corporate meetings is used in a later scene where Changez speaks with Pakistani activists—suggesting that both worlds demand loyalty, discipline, and sacrifice for “the cause.”

     Changez even points out in conversation with the American journalist that both corporate and militant ideologies demand a kind of absolute, unquestioning faith.

Moments of Reluctance :-

Refusing Terrorist Recruitment – When approached by a militant group, Changez turns them down, making it clear he does not want to take up arms despite his anger toward U.S. foreign policy.

Quitting Underwood Samson – His resignation scene, especially after the Istanbul episode, shows that he is equally unwilling to keep serving a corporate machine that erases culture for profit.

Ambivalence in the Café – The framing device of Changez narrating his story to the American journalist is filled with pauses, half-smiles, and cryptic remarks—suggesting that even in telling his story, he resists fitting into a simple “pro” or “anti” category.

Empire narratives:-

Post-9/11 Paranoia and Mistrust

       After the 9/11 attacks, Changez experiences deep suspicion in America.

     At airports, he is stopped, searched, and treated like a possible criminal just because he is Pakistani and Muslim.

       In his office, colleagues look at him differently, and he feels left out.

      In Pakistan, American visitors also face suspicion—showing that mistrust works both ways between East and West.

Dialogue Across Borders :-

      The story is told through a long conversation in a Lahore café between Changez and American journalist Bobby.

   Sometimes they argue, sometimes they listen to each other.

      This shows that despite mistrust, dialogue between cultures is still possible—though it’s tense and fragile.

Spaces of Ambiguity (Unclear Spaces) :-

  The film uses certain places and situations to make us unsure who is “right” or “wrong.”

Lahore café – We don’t know if Bobby is a friend or a spy.

Istanbul publishing house – Changez must choose between closing a cultural business for profit or respecting heritage. His hesitation shows he’s caught between systems.

Final scene – The ending does not clearly tell us who is guilty. This reflects the complicated reality of politics after 9/11.

Post Watching Activity:-

Discussion Prompts (Small Groups) Does the film provide a space for reconciliation between East and West—or does it ultimately reinforce stereotypes? o How successfully does Nair’s adaptation translate the novel’s dramatic monologue and ambiguity into cinematic language ?

1. Space for Reconciliation or Reinforcement of Stereotypes

        The film tries to create a space for understanding between East and West through Changez’s conversation with Bobby, the American journalist.

For reconciliation – Changez shares his story honestly, and Bobby listens, showing that dialogue can bridge cultural gaps. The film shows good and bad people on both sides, avoiding a simple “villain/hero” divide.

But stereotypes remain – Some characters still fit familiar post-9/11 stereotypes:

The suspicious American security officers

The militant-looking Pakistani protesters

The “exotic” romantic figure of Changez for Erica

This means the film both challenges and, at times, repeats old images of East and West.

2. Nair’s Adaptation of the Novel’s Monologue and Ambiguity :

      In Mohsin Hamid’s novel, the whole story is told as a single, dramatic monologue from Changez to an unnamed American in a Lahore café.

Cinematic translation – Mira Nair uses flashbacks to show Changez’s life in America, his love story with Erica, and his career. This makes the story more visual and easier for film audiences to follow.

Ambiguity – The film keeps the question open: Is Changez linked to terrorism or not? Is Bobby only a journalist, or is he working for the CIA? The final scene, where violence breaks out and the truth is unclear, keeps the audience guessing—just like the book.

Difference from the book – The film is more direct about showing political tension and action scenes, whereas the book is slower and leaves even more to the imagination.

Short Analytical Essay

Title: Negotiating Identity and Power: Postcolonial Readings of Mira Nair’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist :

Introduction :-

      Mira Nair’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012), adapted from Mohsin Hamid’s 2007 novel, is a layered exploration of identity, belonging, and power in the turbulent post-9/11 world. The film’s narrative follows Changez, a Princeton-educated Pakistani who enjoys rapid success on Wall Street before becoming disillusioned in the wake of global political shifts. Through the lens of postcolonial theory—particularly Homi Bhabha’s concepts of hybridity and the “third space,” as well as Said’s orientalism and its critique through re-orientalism—the film reveals the complex negotiations between self and other, empire and resistance.

Hybridity and the Third Space

        Changez exists in a hybrid position—fluent in American corporate culture yet deeply rooted in Pakistani values. In Bhabha’s terms, he inhabits a “third space” where identities intersect, clash, and are redefined. Early scenes in the film visually convey this hybridity: Changez wears sharp Western suits, moves through the Manhattan skyline, and speaks perfect American-accented English. Yet he also carries with him memories of Lahore’s poetry, family dinners, and cultural warmth.

           The Istanbul publishing house scene captures this tension vividly. Sent to evaluate the company for closure, Changez discovers it published his father’s poetry—a moment where his cultural heritage confronts his corporate role. The mise-en-scène contrasts the rich textures of Ottoman interiors with the sterile efficiency of Underwood Samson’s world, making visible the pull between profit-driven modernity and the preservation of culture. This tension reflects the instability and creativity of the third space, where hybrid identities can resist assimilation by reactivating cultural memory.

Orientalism and Post-9/11 Surveillance :-

      Edward Said’s Orientalism critiques how the West constructs the East as exotic, dangerous, and inferior. Nair’s film situates Changez directly in the crosshairs of this gaze after 9/11. Through airport interrogation scenes—tight camera angles, harsh fluorescent lighting, and abrupt editing—the viewer experiences Changez’s humiliation and alienation. His beard becomes a visual marker of otherness, a symbol upon which strangers project fear.

          The film also critiques the media’s orientalist framing of global politics. Television broadcasts in the background present simplified binaries: “America under attack” versus “Islamic terror.” These images are not neutral—they reinforce the West’s self-image as civilized and the East as a threat. Changez’s growing awareness of this framing fuels his political awakening, leading him to speak openly about American imperialism in his Lahore lectures.

Re-orientalism and the Question of Representation

        Lau and Mendes’ concept of re-orientalism highlights how Eastern authors or filmmakers can sometimes reproduce orientalist tropes when presenting the East to Western audiences. Nair’s adaptation is both critical and complicit in this regard. On one hand, the film challenges stereotypes by presenting Changez as thoughtful, educated, and politically articulate. On the other, it still draws on certain familiar cinematic cues—the bustling, chaotic Lahore streets; protest scenes filled with angry young men—that align with Western expectations of Pakistan.

      This duality may be strategic. By including recognizable imagery, the film ensures accessibility for a global audience, while embedding within it subversive commentary on how such images are constructed and consumed. For instance, the Lahore café, central to the film’s framing, is warm and inviting—countering monolithic portrayals of Pakistan as dangerous—yet its surrounding atmosphere of tension keeps the Western viewer unsettled.

Narrative Structure: From Monologue to Dialogue

       Hamid’s novel unfolds as a single monologue, with Changez addressing an unnamed American interlocutor. The ambiguity is total: the reader hears only Changez’s voice, never the American’s, and must question whether Changez is trustworthy. Nair transforms this into a dialogue between Changez and Bobby, an American journalist. This shift changes the power dynamics—what was once an intimate, controlled narrative becomes an exchange where both voices compete for attention.

        The cinematic version uses flashbacks to dramatize Changez’s personal and professional journey, making the story more accessible but also less ambiguous than the novel. However, Nair preserves uncertainty through the film’s ending, where a tense street confrontation leaves viewers unsure who is guilty or innocent. This echoes Bhabha’s idea that the third space thrives on instability, refusing closure.

Visual Strategies of Power and Resistance :-

Nair uses visual contrasts to explore the power of empire and the possibilities of resistance:

Corporate New York – Cold blues, glass walls, and overhead shots emphasize surveillance and profit-oriented detachment.

Lahore and Istanbul – Warm colors, textured fabrics, and close camera work bring intimacy and cultural depth, resisting the flattening gaze of capitalism.

Protest Scenes – Low angles and handheld camera movements place the viewer within the crowd, making political unrest feel immediate and human rather than abstract.

      Changez’s final speech to his students, delivered in the open air of Lahore University, embodies resistance. Surrounded by young faces, his words reject both militant violence and corporate exploitation, carving out a space for critical thought a postcolonial refusal to be defined by either Western capitalism or extremist ideology.

Conclusion

       Through the interplay of hybridity, third space, orientalism, and re-orientalism, The Reluctant Fundamentalist becomes more than a political thriller it is a meditation on identity under the shadow of global empire. Nair’s adaptation does not fully escape orientalist framing but uses it as a tool to engage Western audiences while inviting them to question their own assumptions. In the end, Changez’s reluctance is not only about rejecting extremism religious or corporate but also about resisting the demand to fit neatly into any one narrative of belonging.

Reflective Journal

     As a viewer, I approached the film with an awareness of post-9/11 narratives shaped largely by Western media. Initially, I expected a clear moral alignment either a condemnation of terrorism or a critique of American foreign policy. What struck me instead was the film’s refusal to let the audience settle into a comfortable position.

    Watching Changez navigate spaces where he was celebrated, then suspected, mirrored the experiences of many diasporic individuals who must constantly negotiate their identity. The Istanbul scene resonated deeply—it revealed how power operates quietly, through economic decisions that erase culture as effectively as any military campaign.

      This reflection has shifted my perspective on postcolonial subjects: they are not simply “caught” between worlds, but actively reshape and resist the terms of their existence. The film’s ambiguity reminded me that in the globalized world, identities are fluid, alliances unstable, and the work of resisting empire is as much about telling one’s own story as it is about direct confrontation.

Thank you for reading..

Reference :-

• Barad , Dilip. “(PDF) Nostalgic Impact on Characterization in the ‘Reluctant Fundamentalist’ by Mohsin Hamid.” Researchgate, www.researchgate.net/publication/350517947_Nostalgic_Impact_on_Characterization_in_the_Reluctant_Fundamentalist_by_Mohsin_Hamid. Accessed 14 Aug. 2025.

• Cindy. “The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012 ).” YouTube, 3 May 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbmWSijbnm4.

• Hamid, Mohsin. The Reluctant Fundamentalist. 2007.