Films Review: Midnight's Chldren's and The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Hello Readers,

                       On 9th September 2018, we had film screening of the two films first was "Midnight's Children"(Novel written by Salman Rushdie) directed by Deepa Mehta and second was "The Reluctant Fundamentalist"(A Novel written by Mohsin Hamid) directed by Mira Nair. So, our task to give review of these films with the perspectives of The Postcolonial Studies, so I will try to connect films with postcolonial approaches.

Midnight's Children:

'Midnight's children' is a novel written by British-Indian Novelist Salman Rushdie and filmed by Deepa Mehta. The film was very popular in foreign countries and well criticized in India also. The film didn't cover up all the things written deeply in the novel due to time period of the movie so it's looks like the collage of many things like history, culture, Colonialism. freedom movement, etc. 

The story of the film begun with the year of 1917, the birth year of Indira Gandhi and end with the emergency or we can say that the last stage of Indira Gandhi's Life. So, some may have question that why the protagonist of the film narrated the the history before the thirty years when he was not in her mother's womb? Well, I don't know why Rushdie connected Indira Gandhi's era throughout the film, we must read the novel to understand the connection. The story about the Children who were born in the stroke of the midnight 15th august 1947 with the magical power, in which two major character like Saleem Sinai, the protagonist belong to reach family while the Shiva who was born in poor family later joined the Army and fought in the battle with Pakistan to free Bangladesh. The main idea of hybridity in culture and identity we can see in the movie, as per the quote 'Let reach to be poor and poor to be reach' Saleem, actually, the son of British man William Methwold and poor Marathian lady and the Shiva was the son of Ahemad Sinai and Amina, but, Mary, a nurse in the hospital changed these both baby boy with each other because her lover was a Marxist and pursued mary to protest against elite class. Furthemore, Saleem went to pakistan and Shiva Joined Indian Army, so here we can see the partition of India and pakistan. later on, After the war, Saleem came to India, his mother land and marry with Parvati, beloved of Shiva and she gave birth to baby boy who was the son of shiva so, we again see the hybridity. And also we can see the culture of India like snake Charmer. SO, this way movie ended through various perspectives.

Here, also the good use of background music which symbolize many thing, the nose of Ghani family also a symbol. The narrative techniques also used in very good way to understand the story. And also a camera focus was excellent, while the Tajmahal scene came that time camera focused more on the poor conditioned house rather than Tajmahal. So, here film tried to show the real India through camera technique.

• Postcolonial point of view:

• Hybridity: 
• Miscegenation:
• Postcolonial Feminism:

• Hybridity: Hybridity means Something that is formed by combining two or more things. Here, in the movie we can see the hybridity in the identity, Saleem is the perfect example of hybrid man, who was the son of colonizer and poor Indian lady and also the other character, Shiva was another example of hybrid man who was the son of Muslim parents. If we see the hybridity in culture then we can give the example of west(Methwold) and east(Poor Indian lady) and also Sikh(Picturesingh) with Hindu(Parvati)culture mixed each other.
  

• Miscegenation: As per the definition of Merriam Webster dictionary, Miscegenation means a mixture of races; especially: marriage, cohabitation, or sexual intercourse between a white person and a member of another race. In the movie we can find the sexual relation between White colonizer Methwold with black skin Indian Poor lady and another sexual relationship with white Saleem with black skinned Parvati. So, in this way postcolonialist studies the mixture of identity and culture.
  

• Postcolonial Feminism:  Postcolonial theorist also studies the culture and literature with the feminist perspective. In the beginning of the movie Doctor did not allow to examine Naseem's illness to see her body, there a curtain between doctor and Naseem and her father said that " You Europe returned chappies forget certain things. Doctor sahib, my daughter is a decent girl, it goes without saying. She does not flaunt her body under the noses of strange men. You will never understand that you can not be permitted to see her, no, no, not in any circumstances; accordingly. I have required her to be positioned behind that sheet. She stands there, like a good girl(Rushdie 2011)."

 Another examples is when Mumtaz, Saleem's mother got married with Ahemad Sinai, that time Ahemad gave her new name Amina. So, we can see the power of patriarchy in the movie and also a exploitation of poor Indian lady by Britisher Methwold.

• Magic Realism: Magic realism also a part of postcolonial studies. Magic Realism is a narrative style which is add beauty to the historical representation in the movie otherwise it is boring to watch. The Midnight's Children were not ordinary kids but they have power, like, Saleem has power of sense of smell to feeling the different things and people whereas Parvati also has power like Abrakadabra to hide people or things in the basket.
  

So, in this way we can see the movie with the various approaches like magic realism, Miscegenation, Hybridity in identity and in culture and also see with the postcolonial perspective.

• The Reluctant Fundamentalist:

The Reluctant Fundamentalist a novel written by Pakistani Writer Mohsin Hamid and then adopted in film directed by Mira Nair in 2014. The story is about the young man Changez Khan who attracted to American Business culture. He was an intellectual and respected person in American wall street business company. 

The Story Begun with the interview of American CIA  agent Bobby Lincoln for the abduction of American Professor in Pakistan. Bob was Taking interview of Changez Khan in the Coffee cafe in Lahor that he may be involved in this abduction or in the matter of 9/11. Here Mira Nair interestingly used the flashback technique which was move us from Pakistan to America in eye opening way. The title of the movie give us two different views one is that fundamentalist in terrorism and other business fundamentalist.

The film started with the interview of Changez Khan By Bobby in which Changez Khan narrated his story about the his life in America. The hero of the novel was very young, intellectual, businessman and highly reputed. There he was living a good life with his beloved Erica, a very good artist in photography. But suddenly all the things changed  with Changez after the attack on WTC tower. All people look towards him like he is terrorist, he insulted by FBI and many American fellows and abused him. Once, he loved America like his native land but after abusing and insulted her sincerity he came back to Pakistan as University professor.

Furthermore, Bobby blamed that he is teaching terrorism in the university and has connection with Fazil a Muslim activist and Mujahid but that was not truth, without any kind of proof Bobby blamed him therefore his hatred towards America was increased but he don't believe in any kind of avenge. He lost his innocent fellow by the fire of American Agent then CIA agents realized that they made mistake and killed innocent man. But at the end of the movie Changez wants to freedom from Mujahid and America's business culture and he wants to love peaceful life.

The movie also used very good narrative technique like flashback technique to make movie very interesting, and also used very good camera focus when we see the scene of attack on WTC tower when camera on the face of Changez rather on live telecast, to know the expression of Changez towards it. Also a very good meaningful background musics are there to convey the nonverbal ideas like, In the kidnapping of the white professor Rainier there was a loud Sufi Music, and in the meeting of Changez and Erica, where Changez tries to convince Erica to forget everything, the lyrics of background songs matches very well, "I want you to be..". When Changez was upset with the way he was treated in America and When he came back he had an arguments with his parents, and the background songs was "You say things to burn the heart, yet I must Smile." So, we can say that it is very intellectual movie thoroughly. 

• Postcolonial Point of view: If we see this movie with the perspectives of the postcolonial studies so we have to apply Edward said's 'Orientalism' and also apply the race theory. We can say that why western countries and especially America looking towards Muslim countries as countries of terrorism? It is all about the illusion of america that every Muslim are terrorist. America Know that if we want be in power position so that we have to destroyed all Muslim countries in the name of terrorism. One may have question like Muslim countries are more in the number then other religion, then why they don't take action on America. But, actually, because of obsequiousness of Pakistan and Saudi Arab others countries unable to convince that all Muslims are not like that.

In the movie also Changez faced problem because he belong to Muslim country. All countries and their movies show the villains almost are Muslim. They succeeded to built this kind of stereotype in the mind of other religion's people. America only see their 3000 Americans died in this attack but they do not see that they killed billions of Muslims in Gulf war and in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria wars. If world want to make peace in the earth then all have to protest against America to stop terrorism because "America is the mother of terrorism."