"Looks can be deceiving."

This is probably the biggest takeaway I have gained from watching the movie The Reluctant Fundamentalist. From a psychological perspective, the show reminds us how automatic and deeply ingrained stereotypes can be, and the seriousness of its consequences.

Many a times, due to various reasons (intentional or not), we apply stereotypes into different facets of our lives. Perhaps given the complexity and massive amount of stimuli around us, there is a pressing need to apply a reductionist approach to classification. For instance, this beagle is a "dog". What is lost in this translation is the rich descriptions that makes each and every item unique.

It can be a dangerous thing sometimes, as depicted so powerfully in the film. The same character starts to behave differently due to the perception of others, which somehow becomes a form of self-fulfilling prophecy? To complicate things, the perceptions held by others can be so easily influenced by the external circumstances. So does that mean that the ability to exercise sound judgement on people can be so vulnerable, cognitively speaking?

And it leaves me with more questions than answers.