Internationally acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair who directed Salaam Bombay!, Monsoon Wedding and The Namesake will bring Mohsin Hamids bestselling novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist to the big screen. Adapted by Bill Wheeler, Mohsin Hamid, and Ami Boghani and produced by Lydia Dean Pilcher, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, is the second major international production to receive financing from […]
Internationally acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair who directed Salaam Bombay!, Monsoon Wedding and The Namesake will bring Mohsin Hamids bestselling novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist to the big screen.
Adapted by Bill Wheeler, Mohsin Hamid, and Ami Boghani and produced by Lydia Dean Pilcher, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, is the second major international production to receive financing from the Doha Film Institute (DFI). The film started shooting this week on location in Atlanta, New York, Lahore, Delhi and Istanbul.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a riveting thriller about Changez, a young Pakistani man chasing corporate success on Wall Street in the era of globalisation. After 9/11 , Changez experiences a seismic shift in his own attitude, unearthing allegiances more fundamental than money, power, and maybe even love.
Riz Ahmed stars in the lead role of Changez alongside actors Kate Hudson, Liev Schreiber and Kiefer Sutherland. Also appearing in the film are Nelsan Ellis, Martin Donovan, Om Puri, Shabana Azmi, Haluk Bilginer, and Meesha Shafi.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist, a Mirabai Films and Cine Mosaic production, marks DFIs first financing involvement in an independent feature film. The project underscores DFIs ongoing goal to foster creativity and storytelling by supporting key independent productions from international filmmakers around the world.
Commenting on The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Nair commented: My father lived in Lahore before the partition of India and Pakistan. I am inspired to make a contemporary film about Pakistan, especially in this day and age when the perceived schism between Islamists and the Western World becomes more pronounced each day. In Doha Film Institute, I have a like-minded partner who shares a common belief in this story and its ability to affect change, having supported this project from the very beginning. In this day and age to have creative freedom to make a film that is political, timely and multi layered is a gift.
