My son the fanatic

I read this book of Hanif Kureishi a couple of months back and some how I got a chance to watch the movie based on this novel starring "Om Puri" who plays a character of a Indian taxi driver in Britain (in the novel its actually a Pakistani Taxi driver).
This is a movie I kinda bumped into at a Pakistani friend's place at Auckland, New Zealand and had nothing to do and just watched it for the sake of Om Puri, I really really dig that guy.

Islamic fundamentalism and western hedonism collide in Hanif Kureishi's film ''My Son the Fanatic'', which takes place in the small English town of Bradford. The film was a huge hit in the 1997 Cannes film festival. Its intriguing way of combining comedy and drama earned it the Official Selection. ''My Son the Fanatic'' gives us a peak to the life of Parvez, an Indian-British taxi-driver, who doesn't care much about his roots, but is very fond of the western way of life.

He befriends with the lower class of his town, eventually falling in love with a prostitute. His son, Farid, represents a very different kind of thinking. He opposes the western way of living recklessly and seeks order. This leads to him leaving his English fiancé and joining a group of Islamic fundamentalists.

The film that begins as a light comedy turns into serious drama as Parvez and Farid collide in their different ways of viewing life. Parvez's worry about his son and his long-dead marriage to his traditional Indian wife who doesn't approve of him mingling with criminals and prostitutes etc. offers us meaningful moments, which carry the deep characters through situations.

The film speaks for open mindedness, showing that a prostitute can be a good person and that a religious fanatic is always someone’s child. It offers much to think about while questioning common prejudiousness. The adequate acting performances and Udayan Prasad's talented directing support Hanif Kureishi's insightful script, which unfortunately, or perhaps intentionally, is left a bit superficial.

''My Son the Fanatic'' shows us that cultures can indeed intermix, and I recommend it strongly, especially at these times. To quote Parvez: ''Farid tells me cultures can't be combined. Jesus! You can't keep them apart!''

Despite that seemingly ho-hum central tack, there are many conflicts studied very poignantly -- modern versus mediaeval, father versus son, fidelity versus emotional satisfaction, ethnic conservatism (ok, fanaticism) versus open minded cosmopolitanism, Good House Husband versus Bad Man Who Befriends Prostitutes, Decent Living Taxi Driver versus Someone Who Became Filthy Rich...and each is subtle yet hard-hitting in its simplicity. Without giving away too much about the plot, there is no ordinary character in the movie, certainly no ordinary Muslim.

The father (Parvez, played wonderfully by Om Puri) is a cabbie who flirts about in a relationship with a street side floozy whom he finds more uplifting (no pun intended) than his stand pat wife back home who disapproves of his free-wheeling ways and even finds his interests in jazz ''too trumpety'' ( I am not sure whether this word exists in any of the world’s English dictionaries).


The other Muslim, the son, is at loggerheads with his peers in throes of non-acceptance and instead gets inveigled into Islamic fundamentalism as an escape. This contrast is very, very credible, real and amusing. Particularly noteworthy are Udayan's idiosyncratic implications about what constitutes ''right'' or ''wrong'' character. Parvez's prostitute girlfriend has a loving heart, a sharp mind and a vivacious presence despite her ostracization from the Good People Club.

The son and his other right-wing Islamic acolyte buddies come off as annoyingly childish in a thoughtless ''promiscuity'' of their own. For instance, they invite a Pakistani Maulvi to sermonize/''guide'', and a hilarious TRUE moment pops up when the Maulvi requests the non-approving father for some help with his immigration into England.

Another VERY, VERY quiet 5 second scene that leaves an indelible impact is the depiction of male chauvinism dominating orthodox Islam where Parvez's wife is huddled in the kitchen for dinner, behind a closed door, and refuses to come out to dine with the men of the house in fear of doing something ''inappropriate'' in the presence of the supposed Maulvi.

The movie has many light-hearted moments and the cinematography is unexpectedly stunning. This entire emotional, moral tussle between father, son, wife, romantic interest etc leads to a denouement that is hardly a resolution of sorts but is deeply moving. Everyone makes a choice (and I found the choice of Parvez's wife particularly startling) in favour of freedom from personal and social shackles.

Made me think for days and recommend this movie to everyone I care about. This is probably not your average East Meets West type ethnic take and certainly not a look into typical Muslim life as it makes no pretense of being.

Yet, as a movie that tackles very touching, very identifiable themes of how simple convictions about life and love can sway people into/away from relationships, it comes HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED from me.