If you start out with a well-regarded novel by an even more well-regarded author, then you add a gifted director who determines to make aforementioned novel into a film, for which she assembles a solid cast, then you wouldn’t be wrong in expecting great things, which I do.

Mira Nair’s latest film, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, based on Mohsin Hamid‘s sophomore novel, is finally going to be releasing on April 26.  (It was the opening night flic at the Venice Film Festival.)

To say that I can’t wait would be an understatement.  I was blown away by Hamid’s debut novel, the trippy, sexy Moth Smoke, I adored Nair’s The Namesake, in addition to so many other of her films, and her casting Riz Ahmed in the lead as Changez, has – I believe – heavily increased the likelihood that the film will be a winner.  (Seemingly a long way from his rapper and Four Lions days, Riz is settling down in leading man territory.)  His co-stars in the film include Kiefer Sutherland, Liev Schreiber, Kate Hudson, Om Puri and Shabana Azmi.  And having Declan Quinn as cinematographer sure can’t hurt.