IDENTITY, MIXED MARRIAGES AND TOLERANCE. HER MOST RECENT FILM, "THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST,"

IS BASED ON A NOVEL AND DEALS WITH THE ALIENATION OF A YOUNG PAKISTANI IN A POST- 9/11 WORLD.

I TALKED ABOUT IT WITH VOA FILM REPORTER PENELOPE POULOU.

THE STORY IN ITSELF IS VERY COMPELLING. A YOUNG MAN COMES FROM PAKISTAN, VERY INTELLIGENT,

GETS TOP POSITION ON WALL STREET, GETS THE WORLD AT HIS FEET, LOTS OF MONEY AND THEN

9-11 HAPPENS. "LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING. I AM A LOVER OF AMERICA,

ALTHOUGH I WAS RAISED TO FEEL VERY PAKISTANI. IT FELL ON ME TO WORK HARD FOR MY FAMILY.

I LEFT TO GO WEST WHERE I WAS WELCOMED WITH OPEN ARMS."

CHANGEZ, A SON OF AN INTELLECTUAL PAKISTANI FAMILY AND A BRILLIANT FINANCIAL ADVISOR,

HAS EVERYTHING GOING FOR HIM: A GREAT JOB ON WALL STREET, A BEAUTIFUL AMERICAN GIRLFRIEND,

CONNECTIONS. AFTER 9/11 EVERYTHING CHANGES. HE IS HECKLED AT THE AIRPORT, PROFILED AS

A POTENTIAL TERRORIST. HE'S PROFILED AND BASICALLY FEELS MARGINALIZED

AND RETURNS TO HIS COUNTRY. SO THAT'S WHAT GRABBED ME. WHAT GRABBED ME EVEN MORE IS THAT

THIS FILM WAS RELEASED A COUPLE OF DAYS AFTER THE MARATHON BOMBINGS.

AND TALKING TO MIRA NAIR, SHE'S COME OUT AS AN EMERGING SOUTH ASIAN DIRECTOR ON A GLOBAL

LEVEL. WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION WHEN YOU STARTED TALKING TO HER?

OH SHE'S VERY A VERY DYNAMIC, VERY PASSIONATE WOMAN. SHE FEELS VERY STRONGLY ABOUT GLOBAL

CITIZENSHIP. "LET'S MAKE A MOVIE HERE."

AND SHE FEELS THAT PROFILING BASED ON YOUR ETHNIC HERITAGE OR YOUR RELIGION SHOULD STOP

BECAUSE THAT IS NOT A WAY FOR THE WORLD TO FIND PEACE. WE NEED A BETTER FORM OF GLOBAL

COMMUNICATION IN ORDER TO SEEK PEACEFUL SOLUTIONS. I KIND OF CONNECTED TO YOUR INTERVIEW WITH

MIRA AND TO THE FILM AS WELL, BECAUSE WHEN YOU SAY A SMART, INTELLIGENT PAKISTANI, IT

KIND OF SOUNDS LIKE ME. BUT WHAT I DON'T AGREE WITH IN THE FILM IS I HAVE NEVER BEEN AS A

PAKISTANI LIKE ASKED TO BE SIDELINED OR JUST STEP ASIDE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. THERE'S

A KIND OF DRAMA IN THERE WHICH I DON'T SEE IN REAL LIFE.

OKAY, HERE IS A QUESTION THAT I HAVE FOR YOU. IS THIS YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, OR IS IT

AN EXPERIENCE THAT WOULD BE A MAINSTREAM EXPERIENCE? AND THAT'S WHAT YOU NEED TO FIND OUT. FROM

SOURCES THAT I HAVE, I KNOW HOMELAND SECURITY ROUTINELY PROFILES PEOPLE BASED ON THEIR ETHNIC

ORIGIN AND THEIR RELIGION. AND MAYBE SOMETIMES THEY DO IT NOT BECAUSE THEY ARE RACIST OR

BIASED, BUT BECAUSE THEY ARE GRAPPLING WITH FINDING A COMMON DENOMINATOR AS TO WHO COULD

BE THE POTENTIAL TERRORIST. THIS IS EXACTLY WHERE MIRA NAIR'S FILM STRUCK A CHORD.

CHANGEZ LOSES HIS GIRLFRIEND, GIVES UP HIS LUCRATIVE JOB AND RETURNS TO HIS COUNTRY TO

TEACH ECONOMICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LAHORE. HIS THEORIES CRITICIZING RAMPANT CAPITALISM

AND THE AMERICAN DREAM ATTRACT A FOLLOWING, AND HE BECOMES A PRIME SUSPECT IN THE KIDNAPPING

OF AN AMERICAN PROFESSOR. "BECAUSE SO OFTEN BOTH SIDES AND ANY SIDE

IN OUR LIFE IS PRESENTED AS REDUCTIONIST, AS GOOD OR BAD, OR BLACK OR WHITE. BUT THERE

IS A WHOLE LEVEL OF GRAY AND GRAY IS ALSO BEAUTIFUL."

SO IS THIS WHAT MIRA NAIR IS TRYING TO PUT OUT THERE? THAT PROFILING MIGHT END IN GETTING

THE WRONG GUY? YES, ABSOLUTELY THAT'S ONE THING. AND ANOTHER

ISSUE THAT THE FILM IS BRINGING UP, WHICH IS VERY SIGNIFICANT, IS EVEN IF YOU GET TO

DEVELOP RADICAL IDEAS BECAUSE OF YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES, THAT DOES NOT MAKE YOU A TERRORIST.

AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT ELIZABETH GOITTEIN FROM THE BRENNAN CENTER OF JUSTICE CONFIRMED.

"THESE PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES OF A WOULD BE TERRORIST NEEDS TO SHIFT FROM THAT TO FOCUSING ON ACTUAL

CRIMINAL ACTIVITY OR ACTIVITY THAT HAS INDICATORS OF POTENTIAL CRIMINALITY." "WHY DID YOU WANT

TO COME TO AMERICA?" "FOR FUTURE REFERENCE, JIM, IT'S CHANGIZ"

MIRA NAIR HOPES HER FILM WILL HELP SHED SOME OF THE MISCONCEPTIONS AND PROMOTE DIALOGUE

IN A GROWING MULTICULTURAL WORLD. TALKING TO MIRA NAIR, DID YOU SENSE THERE'S

GOING TO BE A SEQUEL OR THAT SHE'S GOING TO PURSUE STORIES LIKE THAT WHICH RESONATE WITH

PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD? SHE ALREADY DOES. ALL THE STORIES MIRA NAIR

HAS DONE SO FAR INVOLVED MULTI RACIAL, MULTI CULTURAL RELATIONSHIPS.

"YES, I 'M PAKISTANI, YES, I'M MUSLIM BUT THAT'S NOT ALL I AM."

SHE HERSELF SAID HOW MUCH SHE IDENTIFIES WITH HER DUAL NATURE. THAT SHE LOVES AMERICA BUT

SHE LOVES INDIA. ACTUALLY SHE EVEN LOVES UGANDA WHERE HERE FAMILY IS FROM. SO SHE SAYS ALL

THESE THREE SPOTS ARE HER HOME. SHE'S A GLOBAL CITIZEN.

MIRA NAIR HAS QUITE THE REPERTOIRE OF FILMS. SHE DIRECTED "VANITY FAIR" - A FILM BASED

ON THE 19TH CENTURY BOOK BY WILLIAM THACKERAY. AND MORE RECENTLY - "AMELIA," BASED ON THE

LIFE OF AMELIA EARHART.