| My Son the Fanatic | |
| Director: | Udayan Prasad |
| Producer: | Chris Curling |
| Music: | Stephen Warbeck |
| Cinematography: | Alan Almond |
| Editing: | David Gamble |
| Studio: | Miramax Films BBC Films |
| Distributor: | Feature Film |
| Released: | [1] |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Runtime: | 87 minutes |
| Language: | English |
| Budget: | £2,134,800[2] |
| Gross: | £123,000 |
My Son the Fanatic is a 1997 British comedy drama film directed by Udayan Prasad. It was written by Hanif Kureishi as an adaptation of his short story My Son the Fanatic.
The plot of the film revolves around Parvez, a Pakistani-born taxi driver and a tolerant, secular Muslim. His life takes an unexpected dark turn when his son Farid converts to fundamentalist Islam, leading to a family breakdown and social conflict.
According to Rachel Donadio, The New York Times writer and editor, the film's theme is encapsulated in a pivotal scene:
One of the most revealing insights into Britain's recent social history comes early in My Son the Fanatic, Hanif Kureishi's tender and darkly prescient 1997 film. It’s morning in an unnamed city in northern England, and Parvez, a secular Pakistani immigrant taxi driver brilliantly portrayed by Om Puri, watches Farid, his increasingly devout college-age son, sell his electric guitar. "Where is that going?" Parvez asks Farid as the buyer drives off. "You used to love making a terrible noise with these instruments!" Farid, played by Akbar Kurtha, looks at his father with irritation. "You always said there were more important things than 'Stairway to Heaven'" he says impatiently in his thick northern English accent. "You couldn't have been more right".[3]
On Rotten Tomatoes, My Son the Fanatic has an approval rating of 79% based on 28 reviews.[4]
Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote Parvez "draws most on our sympathies in this moving, painfully funny film. In Om Puri’s award-caliber performance, the price of happiness is rendingly observed."[5]