Hello Readers.....
We had a virtual movie screening of "Midnight's children" and "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" at the Department of English, MKBU. So, this blog is a review of two movies from the post-colonial perspective, as a part of academic activity.
Midnight's Children is a 1981 novel by British Indian author Salman Rushdie. It deals with India's transition from British colonialism to independence and the partition of British India. It is considered an example of postcolonial, postmodern, and magical realist literature. " Midnight's Children " a novel by Salman Rushdie and "Midnight's Children" film was directed by Deepa Mehta.Midnight’s children(novel), is story of Grandfather to son Saleem and another boy Shiva. With the born of independent India at mid night some children were also born and with their grows symbolically growing of India is presented. Movie is like collage of so any things. Many stories goes together with various symbols, hidden meanings and mechanics of the movie. Midnight’s children is like National History in Fictional way. Deepa Mehta try to make it Dreamy and Dramatic. Salman Rushdie is himself screenplay writer, though it is not as good as novel.
Decolonizing of human mind and how we look at freedom struggle or nationalism also is very important. This people who are cross over people hybrid identities like Deepa Mehta, Mira Niar.. They look at history in rather different perspective and which are normally not much in same way and their work hatred r being attacked by Hindutva identities or people.
The film is not very good film, the way Novel has been appreciated time and again and we see that screen play written by same writer of novel yet, even it is not as good as novel. It goes to that idea that when same writer translate the work, it’s not good translation but, it may be not 100% true theory because, writer like Harold Pinter, who was also screen paly writer, but His understanding medium of media and stage very well.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist
During the discussion of the postcolonial study, we have watched the film 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist' which was directed by Meera Nair. The film narrates the life of one Pakistani who is capable to work among American people but just being a Pakistani he suffered a lot and consider as a citizen of the second world. His self-respect has vanished with his clothes.
“The Fundamental Reluctant” is movie released in 2014, directed by Mira Nair, it is not less than any Hollywood movie, its script is written by Mohsin Hamid, Mohsin is well known English writer in Pakistan who’s achieved readers of the world. This movie is based on his novel with the same title to movie in 2007. It’s all about a young man who is attracted by the American business culture, and then disillusioned of Americas’ reality, of racism, after the attack of 9/11, oppression of Asian, hate for religion, the real humanity and many other things movie take together in course of 128 minutes.
It is the story of young Pakistani boy Changez Khan, the hero of the novel, in frame narration story move forward, as Changez who at present live in Pakistan, tells his life story to an American. He becomes a victim of the situation and it's made a great impact on him. An educated person is considered as a terrorist who is actually a teacher but he needs more security for him because other want to kill him and this security made his frame as a terrorist. This movie is directed by Mira Nair and it is based on the novel with the same title written by Mohsin Hamid.
The main theme of the movie is how Muslim's were disrespected after the attack of 9/11. Here the protagonist Changez Khan goes to America to earn money. He makes friends fall in love with the American lady. But after the attack of 9/11, his colleagues started misbehaving with him. We can see a postcolonial aspect here when the Muslims are disrespected by the Americans professor working in the University of the Lahore, and the journalist suspect Changez behind all this.
Why always Pakistani or south Asians are suspected when anything bad happen with European? Colonial mindset? May be ye Changes tells his life in America in last one decade, how he lived, and then leaved U.S. as like others he was also enchanted with the American dream: good job, earning in dollars, good house, a beautiful girlfriend and so on. His analytical mind helped him to get good and respective job in MNC. Within no time his success was touching to the height. And soon he became the CEO and partner in company in which he was working. At first he enjoy this things and then also able to get good, loving girlfriend too.
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