Midnight's Children:
Postcolonial as the word itself shows refers to period after colonialism. Colonialism is refferd to subjugation of weak countries and nations by the strong ones. When subjugation of colonizer by the colonized comes to its end and the colonizer physically leaves, it leaves behind some social, economical and emotional traces, which then become part of the previously colonized society. Postcolonial studies or literature is the literature created after the physical departure of colonizer from the colonized territory.
Midnight's Children is a 2012 Canadian-British film adaptation of Salman Rushdie's 1981 novel of the same name. The film was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Vancouver International Film Festival, and the BFI London Film Festival. The film was also a nominee for Best Picture and seven other categories at the 1st Canadian Screen Awards, winning two awards.
Midnight's Children is the story of Saleem Sinai, the narrator, whose birth parallels the emergence of independent India. By the apt use of magical realism, he narrates his life story and relates it to the national history of India. Rushdie uses the magical realist technique to talk about the postcolonial people of India, and different postcolonial issues. Instead of using realist technique, he employs this particular technique to expose and comment on different social and political problems a newly independent country like India has to encounter.
This piece of art is among the most famous postcolonial social, cultural, political and religious practices that were evident in India. It deals with the life of almost three generation in detail, it is set in the time when India was under British rule till the year after independence so it covers the period from occupation till independence and the following years. It gives a colonial and more particularly the postcolonial picture of India. Magic realism is the narrative style of this novel and also the flash back method.
The magic realism narrative adds beauty and vigor to the historical events represented in the novel and movie. Many real events are told and discussed here with addition of fantasy. This movie represents different geographical boundaries of India after independence. I feel that the powers they posses represent the quality of the particular areas they belong.
Rushdie uses religious hybridity in to symbolize the identity crisis of India at the time of independence. The religious uncertanity of the characters is also the religious uncertanity of India. The root of the problem, however, does not start with independence, but instead, trace back to Adam's return from abroad and dismissal of his traditional religion.
The beginning and the ending frame of the movie is almost same. It begins and ends with Saleem's birthday, fire crackers and ending of 14 August and rising of 15 August our independence day.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist:
The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a 2012 political thriller drama film based on the 2007 novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid. It is a post-9/11story about the impact of the Al Qaeda attacks on one Pakistani man and his treatment by Americans in reaction to them.
The film premiered as the opening film for the 69th Venice International Film Festival, and at the 37th Toronto International Film Festival. The film had a limited release in the United States, India, and in Europe and North America. In Pakistan, the film was released in Urdu with a changed title as Changez on 24 May 2013. The film won "Centenary Award" at the 43rd International Film Festival of India held in Goa.
The plot begins with the kidnapping of Anse Rainier, an American professor at Lahore University. After which an American Journalist Bobby Lincoln, a CIA agent comes to interview the protagonist Changez Khan at small cafe in Lahore. Story start with flash back technique and we see the frame narrative technique was used in the movie. Changez Khan opens up in front of Bobby and tells about his life that how he lived in America in last one decade, and then leaved U.S. As like other he was also enchanted with the American dream. For that he struggles a lot and gets success. He becomes CEO of the company and he enjoy to being CEO. But one event of 9/11 changes his life's story completely in an unbelievable manner.
The concept of racism we find in the entire movie. When the American colleague of Changez Khan has been kidnapped, at that time the main suspect was Changez because he was a Muslim tutor.
When Changez went for interview at that time Jim Mack makes fun on Changez this shows the mindset of the white people towards black people.
“Looks are deceiving”
This dialogues reflects postcolonial aspect of racism. Most of the time people are judged according to their look, but looks deceives people. First when Changez has looks like American people at that time white people have no problem but when he has beard and started appearing like Muslim, it become problematic.
Very first time Changez fills like an outsider in America when American police treated him as terrorist because he has beard like Muslim. In that scene we can see that there is a reflection of Changez on glass and WTC tower is blasting, which suggests the blast of an American dream of Changez. The felling of “Otherness” Changez feels in America. He becomes stranger for America because of his identity as Muslim and Pakistani.
In this movie we find term like, racism, terrorism and post colonialism. In the movie we find deep impact of racism and colonialism in mind of white people. The same thing we find in the movie New-York also.
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