Mira Nair: The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Mira Nair moved to America from India at 18 years old. It was confusing, but eventually, she began to use that confusion to fuel her work as a filmmaker. She explains, "I think there is a very splendidly cinematic power in actually looking out of your window in New York and instead of seeing the Hudson River, seeing your garden in Kampala." Her latest film, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, is a story about a young man from Lahore who comes to America and achieves the American Dream, only to have it slowly taken away from him after the attacks on the Twin Towers on September 11. Nair, who has homes in New York, India, and Africa, was inspired to make the film after her first trip to Pakistan in 2005. This week, she and Elvis talk about the importance of telling both sides of any story, and the lengths she's willing to go as a filmmaker in order to get the it right.