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Canberra Today 18°/22° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Review: ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ (M) ****

ON the morning I saw the first Canberra screening of Mira Nair’s film of Mohsin Hamid’s powerful novel, ABC Breakfast News reported the horrific murder of a British soldier by two UK-raised Muslim men, making the latest political statement in the centuries-old conflict between Christians and Muslims.

Hamid’s novel tells of Princeton-educated Pakistani Changez Khan (Riz Ahmed), a a rising star in an American financial advice corporation, compelled to chose between the American dream and an academic post in his homeland, where he becomes suspected of involvement in anti-US activities.

The similarity between that awful London reality and Nair’s compelling film resonated in my mind as I watched the film, happenstance rather than serendipity.

Indian-born US-educated Nair brings cultural familiarity to telling both sides. Changez (the “g” is hard) has to cope with ethnic prejudice not only from classmates in the US, but also from people in the street. At a Pakistani university, he teaches western core ideas to students but becomes involved in a hostage situation.

He has left behind in the US a tender, intense and stimulating relationship with photographer Erica (Kate Hudson) whose well-intentioned exhibition reflecting Western perceptions distresses him.

The long (126 minutes) film looks marvellous. Ahmed plays Changez with convincing perceptiveness. Hudson’s performance raises her professional ceiling. Liev Schreiber is a CIA agent interviewing Changez as his colleagues plan his rendition. As Chengez’s father, Om Puri is as always dignified.

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Dougal Macdonald

Dougal Macdonald

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