Filming The Reluctant Fundamentalist: Three Days In Delhi

Mohsin Hamid at his own website:

ScreenHunter_21 Jun. 03 17.23My sister Nissa and I arrive in Delhi Airport. There was a time when being in Delhi Airport was a lot like being in Lahore Airport or Karachi Airport. No longer. The new version is impressive and efficient and ultra-modern and tasteful. (“Our fast bowlers are still a hell of a lot better,” I console myself, “even the ones who aren't in jail.”) Nissa and I exchange a glance at customs. Our suitcases are packed with props to make a Delhi film set look like a real Lahori street: posters, flags, fliers. We have a copy of a letter granting government permission to film in Delhi. But we don't relish the idea of explaining to an Indian customs officer why we, a pair of Pakistanis, are bringing in a bunch of political-looking banners in Urdu. Luckily no-one opens our bags. I turn on my phone and get an email from an Indian friend who says the local press is full of stories about the movie. She sends a photo of a newspaper as an attachment. There are pictures of Mira Nair (the director), Riz Ahmed (the lead actor), and Meesha Shafi (who plays Riz's sister, and who will be flying back to Lahore in a couple hours on the same plane that brought us in). As for the “exclusive” details about the film exposed in the article, well, they're mostly pretty far off. There is, for example, no “border-crossing-into-India scene” and Om Puri's character isn't “a village thakur.” At least I hope not. Better get my hands on a copy of the latest script fast.

More here.