On the Fringe
By Mo Shah

The product of a non-practicing Muslim father from Karachi and an English mother, Kureishi's writing paints a vivid mosaic of postcolonial, hybrid British culture. During his youth, Kureishi was fully aware of the racism that encircled his family, but rather than being bellicose about this disposition, he often makes light of it in his work. Kureishi studied Philosophy at London's King's College and later went on to establish the coveted position of writer-in-residence at the Royal Court. Although Kureishi's early work relied heavily on his mixed Anglo-Pakistani lineage as well as astute observations on gender politics, he never fell pray to the trappings of traditional South Asian topics and protagonists. Instead, he zeroed in on characters and scenes from the very fringe of society. He finds an innate beauty, even a nobility, in the darker aspects of the human condition, and makes heroes out of characters who would ordinarily be branded as social failures. Kureishi revolutionized the development of South Asian characters and environs, initially in a literary context, but ultimately in a cinematic one too.

	Hanif Kureishi's Website

That Hanif Kureishi's screenplays parlayed into a series of independent films is probably not surprising; the accolades that his movies have garnered over the years, however, is. Kureishi's films dabble with some of the most unusual topics committed to celluloid. Aside from the homo/heterosexual preoccupations of South Asian Londoners and the disillusionment of one generation versus the next, there is also a strong emphasis on the beliefs and value systems of various characters.Wealth is often utilized as a substitute for religion in Kureishi's work, and his characters often times use money as a decadent means of attaining societal approval in an otherwise disapproving and racist England.

Although a self-confessed atheist, Hanif's output displays an apparent fascination with religious extremism. While his early work concentrated on individuals who incidentally happened to be Muslim, he soon began developing and fully realizing characters who would suddenly spiral into a state of obsession with a religion they once knew only superficially. Kureishi's interest in this topic sparked when he visited Pakistan in the early Eighties. He is quoted as saying, "I visited Pakistan after Bhutto had been deposed and the country was being Islamised. There would be prohibition in the arts, women wouldn't be able to go out unless covered. I found it abhorrent but very interesting. You see, I didn't have to live there."

Another more obvious reason for his fascination for this particular brand of extremism is a decades-long friendship with Salman Rushdie. Of the groups that condemned Rushdie, Kureishi says that he “wanted to find out why they disapproved of sexuality, of books, of the creative imagination; …why they hated the things most valuable to me.” This interest led to Kureishi meeting extremists face to face: "I was a bit apprehensive at first, thinking these guys might be hostile. Actually they were delighted to talk. They say things that would turn your hair white with anger but they're quite nice kids." Here lies a fascinating complexity, one that is not foreign to Kureishi’s characters; nobody is good or evil, and there is nothing predictable in any character’s individual trajectory. Everyone is a victim of their environment and situation, and the resulting stories can be violent, sexually charged, intellectual, or simply heartbreaking.

Kureishi’s first film, My Beautiful Launderette, is also considered his best. While this impression may be a topic for debate, it is fair to say that Launderette came out of nowhere to shake both international and South Asian audiences to their very core. It is also a perfect introduction to the mind and work of Hanif Kureishi. The film explored topics that were not only considered taboo for western audiences at the time, but were simply unheard of amongst Pakistani and Indian moviegoers. Kureishi continued to push the envelope subsequent to Launderette’s success, and rounded off the decade with a one-two punch thanks to the critically acclaimed Sammy and Rosie Get Laid. During the Nineties, Kureishi helmed the director’s seat for his big screen adaptation of London Kills Me. Towards the end of the decade, Kureishi won further international acclaim for his moving and humorous take on the friction between immigrants, natives, fundamentalists and liberals in My Son the Fanatic.

Although three other films, Mother, Intimacy, and London Kills Me have been adapted from Kureishi’s writings for the screen, the above three titles are his cardinal works. They are also his only feature-films that deal with South Asian characters and issues, even if they do so incidentally. While Hanif Kureishi’s films may not be palatable to many viewers, they possess a style and freshness that have elevated them to “timeless” territory. There are so many hallmarks that distinguish a Kureishi film: there is a general ineffectual ambiance, where characters never seem to care about one another’s pain and suffering, and there is also an unpredictability to each scene, where it is hard to establish a general mood until the particular segment is over. It is to Kureishi’s credit that his films never seem to age, and that his politically charged dialogues will never seem passé. What is even more creditable is that Kureishi is not just politically savvy, but he is also a passionate connoisseur of pop-culture, and this gift has lent itself powerfully to his films. No matter what song, article of clothing, or underground scene one uncovers in a Hanif Kureishi film, it will never grow old, and will probably be considered in vogue to this very day. Kureishi’s work exhibits that rare yet delicate imbrication of politics, chic, vulgarity, humor, passion and longing that is not found in singular works any more. He is not an arbiter of any kind, and simply raises questions that we must answer ourselves; what this means is that Hanif is one of the most astute observers of our times. Hanif Kureishi is an artist who refuses to write about the tired and stale recycled material that has been plaguing the shelves of bookstores and South Asian cinema houses for years. Arranged marriages, mango trees, controlling parents, meeting a “Hindu” man when you are “Muslim” woman…well, these are topics that Kureshi cruised beyond from day one. If a character is homosexual, then a character is homosexual, and their sexual preferences are never questioned or fleshed out. The focus then is always on a storyline that delivers the sort of visceral impact only a writer like Kureishi can create. To this day there is really nobody else out there who pushes the envelope with the intelligence and creativity of Hanif Kureishi. It would be inspiring to see other writers and filmmakers follow in his footsteps, but for now, one should take solace in the fact that there is at least one person out there who dares to be different, and is not afraid to show the world something utterly unique. And he does it brilliantly.