Summary: (http://kamlashow.com/podcast/wp-content/uploads/MiraNair-150x150.jpg)Mira Nair (http://www.mirabaifilms.com/mirabai/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=1&Itemid=28)'s latest films is The Reluctant Fundamentalist (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfC45oq_drU). The picture is based on a novel by the same name by Mohsin Hamid. The Reluctant Fundamentalist is an intimate portrait told with anguish and love about the 2 societies: American and South Asian says Mira, who came to the US as a 19 year old undergraduate to Harvard University. And Mohsin Hamid (http://www.mohsinhamid.com/) studied at Harvard and Princeton and now lives in Pakistan. The film is in essence a dialog between a young Pakistani and an American in a tea shop in Pakistan says Mira. She describes The Reluctant Fundamentalist as a coming-of-age story and a human thriller. By far this was one of the most difficult films she has made points out Mira. It took 5 years to complete the picture. The film is dedicated to her father, who grew up in Lahore, which is where The Reluctant Fundamentalist is based. In this wide ranging interview Mira talks about how the idea for the film was born, the process of making the film and the music in the film. She also talks about living and working in Uganda. She talks about the meaning of fundamentalism - both economic and political - and how both make the human being subservient to the system. The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a deeply secular film she points out. She talks about the inspiration of' (http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2006/oct/14/guardianobituaries.obituaries) Gillo Pontecorvo (http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2006/oct/14/guardianobituaries.obituaries)'s seminal film Battle of Algiers in the making of The Reluctant Fundamentalist and the compliment paid by Mrs. Potecorvo when she saw the film at the Venice Film Festival. Mira's film repertoire includes Saalam Bombay, Mississippi Masala, Kama Sutra, The Perez Family, Monsoon Wedding, Namesake and Amelia (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioZCEpRLpxo). Related Links: Mira Nair on The Namesake (http://kamlashow.com/podcast/2006/11/02/the-namesake-mira-nair-and-kal-penn/) - audio Mira Nair on The Reluctant Fundamentalist Part-1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2w_-a9rt7s) and Part-2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spaoqDmJsK0) - video
