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The Namesake

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This movie deals with Bengali culture in India and families both in their native lands and abroad - and I have to say is one of the most satisfying and beautiful watches I had the pleasure of sitting down to. To an Irishman of 49 and typical multiplex type, I'd admit that most of the cast is unrecognizable to me, but that makes no odds, because all are uniformly superb. And I love the insights the film gives into a culture as fascinating as theirs.

It begins in 1977 when a young Bengali man (who has been to study in the USA since 1974) is back in his native Calcutta to meet his new bride - one that is picked out for him whether he likes her or not. He is Ashoke, an engineer with prospects - played subtly and gently by a fantastic Irrfan Khan. Ashoke gets real lucky - his bride is the quietly beautiful Ashima (it means limitless, played by the gorgeous Bollywood star Tabu). Waiting with her parents, Ashoke looks uncomfortable but resigned - its been done this way for centuries. Before Ashima goes into the room to see him for the first time - she tries on his American shoes he's left outside the room - they fit and she likes them - a good sign. Ashima takes them off and meekly enters - ultra respect to her elders. Ashoke is not traditionally handsome, but his big soppy bug-eyes and equally studious glasses tell you that this is a good man - and an intelligent one. They marry in full traditional dress and custom. Ashima waves her family goodbye at the airport and then on to New York.

Life in America is foreign to her, but she adapts. Besides, something else is happening that makes it all bearable; Ashima is slowly but surely falling in love with her 'chosen' husband. It's in these scenes that the film shows it true charm - it's so beautifully and realistically handled (many scenes returned to later in flashback to flesh out dialogue that is important and pivitol to the story). Their relationship is an evolving love, away from need and initial awkwardness into a mutual respect for each other. The believability of the two lead actors here is crucial - and you can feel their drawing together - year after year after year.

The story continues to both of their kids being born (a boy and a girl), then young, then grown up and full of New Yawk attitude and difficulty with the 'old ways' - even with their names. 1st born - and most rebellious - the boy's name is Gogol (played by Kal Penn), which he hates with a passion until he finds out why his father called him that (a train journey and a passenger who changed his life). Gogol and his sister's dual identities cause them both conflict and even heartache. They endure racism, work, snobbery, meet potential partners, they marry - and on it goes - to sad and joyful surprises as their life journey progresses. It's set across 25 years and there's a lot crammed in. (Gogul's sister Sonia is played by Sahira Nair)

The Namesake is as much about Indian culture (then and now) as it is about the power and pull of family - that one thing that unites us all with love and misery in equal measure! I can't recommend this movie enough - in my Top 20 with a bullet. A gentle and beautiful surprise I heartily recommend.

P.S.: Like Gustavo Santaolalla's music in "The Motorcycle Diaries" and "Babel", Nitin Sawhney's music is one of the reasons the movie has such slow and majestic power - an absolutely gorgeous soundtrack - and one I'm going to buy pronto!

P.P.S.: The title of this review is from the dedication in the credits by the director Mira Nair.

Director Mira Nair's The Namesake (based on the novel) is the story of a Bengali family's journey through life in New York after emigrating from India. Their son Gogol (Kal Penn) is caught in a culture gap between his parents' old traditions of India and the clashing modern ways of the United States.

I have to admit I didn't know much about Indian culture prior to seeing this film; not the way I knew about the Japanese, the Chinese, the French, and Italians, anyway. It was easy to relate to the family's alienation and feelings of loneliness. On top of the generation gap between their parents and them, Gogol (whose father named after Russian writer Nikolai Gogol) and his sister Sonia struggle to understand their parents' take on life. The film skillfully deals with life's most important issues and stays in touch with the essence of the characters. The cinematography is beautiful and the performances are heartfelt. Kal Penn sheds his stoner image from Harold and Kumar to deliver his most poignant performance to date. The film does tend to drag a bit in certain places, but the overall experience is an enjoyable one.

Well written characters and script, great actors, and a talented director make this one a must-see for aficionados of foreign and art-house films. If you've always wondered what it's like to come from a different country and be immersed in a society such as America, then see this film. It's not a film meant for the mass audiences, but it achieves what it set out to do.

Meticulously observed and wonderfully heartfelt, this time-spanning 2007 family dramedy represents a return to form for director Mira Nair, who faltered somewhat with 2004's elaborate but lugubrious "Vanity Fair". This one is also a literary adaptation but this time from a contemporary best-seller by Jhumpa Lahiri, who wrote an emotionally drawn story about first generation Bengali immigrants to the United States and their U.S.-born children. It's an intricate book full of careful nuances, and Nair, along with screenwriter Sooni Taraporevala, captures most of them in a most loving manner. The story speaks fluently to the universal struggle to extricate ourselves from the obligation of family and a perceived enslavement to the past. Nair and Taraporevala manage to transcend the necessarily episodic nature of the novel to make it an involving journey toward self-acceptance.

The film initially focuses on Ashoke Ganguli and his arranged marriage to Ashima, a classically trained singer. The young couple move from Calcutta in 1977 to Queens in order for him to pursue his career as an electrical engineer. The adjustment is difficult, especially for Ashima in assimilating into the often cold U.S. culture, and these quiet scenes show a keen eye for subtle observation. They quickly have two children in succession, son Gogol and daughter Sonia. Gogol's name is the key plot point as he was inadvertently after Ashoke's favorite writer, Nikholai Gogol, and this is revealed to have greater significance as the story unfolds. Eventually, the film switches the perspective to Gogol's as he grows up, changes his name to Nikhil and starts his life as a yuppie architect in Manhattan.

At the same, the film does not abandon Ashoke and Ashima as they remain significant figures in shaping Gogol's destiny, especially as the impact of a tragic turn brings unexpected changes. The cathartic aspect of these scenes is what makes the film powerful. Moreover, with her filmmaking experience in her native India and the U.S., Nair brings a seamless fluency to both locales. The movie falters a bit toward the end when it starts to ramble and feel pat, but the story's old world gravitas rescues it just in time. Beforehand I was convinced Kal Penn would be the spoiler in this film, but he gives a sharp, dedicated performance as Gogol. Poised to be taken seriously as an actor even amid his White Castle and Van Wilder movies, he seems a bit exaggerated only in the early teenage scenes which recall those other movies.

However, it is the superb work of Irfan Khan and Tabu as his parents that make the film soar. Both bring a level of assurance and compassion that ground the film completely, especially Tabu who makes the seemingly modest character arc of Ashima really striking. Playing yet another variation of the spoiled American girl, Jacinda Barrett again proves how fearless an actress she can be in exposing the vanity and ignorance of Maxine, Gogol's first serious girlfriend. As Moushumi, the Bengali girl who comes with the family's seal of approval, Zuleikha Robinson has a ripe presence to match her character's aspiring worldliness. Cinematographer Frederick Elmes and production designer Stephanie Carroll provide masterful work in capturing the diverse flavors of the different locales. This film is for anyone who has struggled to forge his or her own identity only to find the need to embrace the past, especially those of us who have parents who displayed the courage to move from their native lands.

Jhumpa Lahiri's international bestseller's screen adaptation, Namesake though not in the same league as the book, is a compelling work of art in its own rights. Though not significantly altered from the novel, the movie's script provides a distinctly different treatment to the way characters are depicted. As a consequence, Namesake the movie, is in many ways is more of a depiction of the life and experiences of Ashima Ganguli than that of Gogol Ganguli (the person who is meant to be the Namesake). Nonetheless, the movie is an insightful portrayal of a lifecycle of an immigrant family - including some brilliant scenes and some tender moments of exquisite emotional glory.

The acting of Tabu (as Ashima Ganguli) and Irfan Khan (as Ashok Ganguli) is of a very high standard. Their comfort in the role of immigrant parents is numbingly realistic. Irfan Khan stands out for bringing a typical immigrant father's character almost live to the screen. He is aware of his children's needs for different perspectives and practices than his own, but at the same time he is uncomfortable at their departure from values he holds dearest to his heart. In her portrayal of an immigrant Indian wife and mother, Tabu has attained excellence in her typical style.

Along with these outstanding characters, coexists a characterization that is less appealing than you would expect from a Mira Nair movie's protagonist. Gogol Ganguli's dilemmas and struggle for an identity have been dealt with in rather brief scenes, and the themes have not emerged well. That is why his reasons for refusing a girl with whom he was happy, and instead loving and marrying a girl, who eventually hurt him, are obvious only if you have an immigrant perspective. That is why the concluding scenes of the movie do not seem consistent with his character - it seems that the pursuer of an American value system in him concedes to his racial roots, but the transition is rather sudden, even mildly abrupt. The enigma around his characterization is the biggest drawback of the movie. After all, the Namesake - Gogol Ganguli - is expected to rise above the rest and convey a bit more.

Ashoke Ganguli and his new bride Ashima arrive in New York City in 1977. They miss their families in Calcutta, India and struggle to adapt to the cultural and climate differences of America. But, ultimately, they do manage to build a successful life and family here. Their son, named Gogol, grows into a smart but slightly rebellious teen-ager who often feels stiflied by his parent's focus on tradition and family unity. He gets engaged to an American girl, Maxine, but they break up after she responds selfishly to the degree of mourning Gogol experiences following the death of his father. Gogol later ends up marrying a very modern and French influenced Indian girl named Moushumi. But once again the relationship doesn't work out. The movie ends with Gogol's mother deciding to sell the family home in America and return to India.

My favorite parts of the movie are the scenes set in India. I spent 4 months travelling there as a college student and the film does a great job of capturing the country in all it's intense, colorful and bustling glory. As in several of her previous movies, director Mira Nair is interested in exploring how Indians are affected by modernization and Western influence while still trying to maintain their own traditions and sense of cultural authenticity. The movie is rather slow paced and with a serious tone. Personally I preferred Nair's more celebratory and humor filled past movies such as "Monsoon Wedding" and "Mississippi Masala". But "The Namesake" is still an interesting and worthwhile film, especially for those interested in life in India or the experience of Indians in America.

Jhumpa Lahiri's very popular novel THE NAMESAKE has been successfully adapted for the screen by Sooni Taraporevala and the gifted director Mira Nair has gathered a fine cast to capture the spirit of the original story of family commitment despite cultural changes and challenges. Some of the novel's impact is lost on the big screen, but the tender message remains at the end.

In India a gifted young singer Ashima (Tabu) follows her family's rules of matchmaking and marries the quiet Ashoke (Irfan Khan), and soon after the wedding festivities are over the couple depart to New York for Ashoke's career. The cultural and climate changes are a shock to both, but their marriage soon produces a boy child who, instead of being named traditionally by the grandmother in India, has to have a name assigned in the New York hospital in order to be released with a birth certificate. Out of desperation, Ashoke decides to temporarily name him Gogol (Ashoke's favorite author)-played as a child by Sohan Chatterjee - , and the family of three soon becomes a family of four with the arrival of their daughter Sonia (Sahira Nair). While the parents maintain the customs of their Bengali heritage, the two children struggle with adapting to their preferred life in America and the conflict between parent and child is magnified by the cultural disparities. As young Gogol grows toward manhood (now Kal Penn) he favors Western ways and becomes involved with a non-Indian girl Maxine (Jacinda Barrett) and her family. Gogol tires of the critical comments about his name and decides to change his name to the more traditional Nick- further evidence of his separation from his background. But family tragedies occur and Gogol finds himself drawn to his mother and to his roots. When Gogol's father dies, the significance of his family grows even stronger and being unable to identify with Maxine and her family, he instead agrees to 'date' a Bengali girl from his past - Moushumi (Zuleikha Robinson) has blossomed from the frumpy bookworm into a beautiful and experienced woman. They marry, keeping to Indian traditions, but the marriage is rocky and in the end Gogol discovers that his true happiness is in the rich family history and beauty of his native India.

There are moments of rare beauty, both cinematically (camera work is by Frederick Elmes) and emotionally (musical score is a lovely creation by Nitin Sawhney), and while the film is somewhat brittle at times due to the occasional bilingual nature of the script, the main characters are portrayed by such strong actors that the little flaws become unimportant. It is well to have so many films that deal with the immigrant experience at this particular juncture in our history, and when that theme is enhanced by the beauty of authors such as Lahiri, the messages become even more poignant. Grady Harp, September 08

Having grown up in India - I was a skeptic - I am not a movie watcher, and not another book/film about the Indian diasporic experience. I was not going to watch it. I had not read the book.

I saw it last night on a JetBlue flight. What a wonderful film. I was moved. I cried many times! I came here as a grad student in 1984, and so much of the film was so real, and so incredibly well-rendered -- the acting, the characters, the Indian locales, the US Indian experience.

I highly recommend the film. It is great cinema - and though not necessary as a comparison - is right up there with the best that Ray has made. Please see this if you want to see a wonderful film, enjoy good film-making, or just want to learn more about India and the Indian immigrant experience.

Meticulously observed and wonderfully heartfelt, this time-spanning 2007 family dramedy represents a return to form for director Mira Nair, who faltered somewhat with 2004's elaborate but lugubrious Vanity Fair. This one is also a literary adaptation but this time from a contemporary best-seller by Jhumpa Lahiri, who wrote an emotionally drawn story about first generation Bengali immigrants to the United States and their U.S.-born children. It's an intricate book full of careful nuances, and Nair, along with screenwriter Sooni Taraporevala, captures most of them in a most loving manner. The story speaks fluently to the universal struggle to extricate ourselves from the obligation of family and a perceived enslavement to the past. Nair and Taraporevala manage to transcend the necessarily episodic nature of the novel to make it an involving journey toward self-acceptance.

The film initially focuses on Ashoke Ganguli and his arranged marriage to Ashima, a classically trained singer. The young couple move from Calcutta in 1977 to Queens in order for him to pursue his career as an electrical engineer. The adjustment is difficult, especially for Ashima in assimilating into the often cold U.S. culture, and these quiet scenes show a keen eye for subtle observation. They quickly have two children in succession, son Gogol and daughter Sonia. Gogol's name is the key plot point as he was inadvertently after Ashoke's favorite writer, Nikholai Gogol, and this is revealed to have greater significance as the story unfolds. Eventually, the film switches the perspective to Gogol's as he grows up, changes his name to Nikhil and starts his life as a yuppie architect in Manhattan.

At the same, the film does not abandon Ashoke and Ashima as they remain significant figures in shaping Gogol's destiny, especially as the impact of a tragic turn brings unexpected changes. The cathartic aspect of these scenes is what makes the film powerful. Moreover, with her filmmaking experience in her native India and the U.S., Nair brings a seamless fluency to both locales. The movie falters a bit toward the end when it starts to ramble and feel pat, but the story's old world gravitas rescues it just in time. Beforehand I was convinced Kal Penn would be the spoiler in this film, but he gives a sharp, dedicated performance as Gogol. Poised to be taken seriously as an actor even amid his White Castle and Van Wilder movies, he seems a bit exaggerated only in the early teenage scenes which recall those other movies.

However, it is the superb work of Irfan Khan and Tabu as his parents that make the film soar. Both bring a level of assurance and compassion that ground the film completely, especially Tabu who makes the seemingly modest character arc of Ashima really striking. Playing yet another variation of the spoiled American girl, Jacinda Barrett again proves how fearless an actress she can be in exposing the vanity and ignorance of Maxine, Gogol's first serious girlfriend. As Moushumi, the Bengali girl who comes with the family's seal of approval, Zuleikha Robinson has a ripe presence to match her character's aspiring worldliness. Cinematographer Frederick Elmes and production designer Stephanie Carroll provide masterful work in capturing the diverse flavors of the different locales. This film is for anyone who has struggled to forge his or her own identity only to find the need to embrace the past, especially those of us who have parents who displayed the courage to move from their native lands.

The 2007 DVD offers a robust set of extras, and the best is easily Nair's informative commentary track full of both professional and personal insights. Instead of the standard making-of featurette, we have a half-hour video, "Anatomy of `The Namesake': A Class at Columbia University's Graduate Film School" in which Nair and producer Lydia Dean Pilcher discuss more technical aspects of the filmmaking with the school's film students. There are a couple of photo gallery shorts emphasizing the film's impressive visuals, one covering the film overall and the other specific to Kolkata. Rounding out the extras are three brief deleted scenes (with optional commentary), a short interview with Penn, and several theatrical trailers.

Films with universal themes run great risks. Mostly this risk entails descending into that pit known as cliche. Many films have done it and fallen victim, but THE NAMESAKE uses its universal theme to great advantage, never disguising what it is and how important it can be.

The theme is family and how vital they are to our core existence. They shape every part of us, from childhood on, for better or worse. They create a sense of belonging, even when we're apart, even when separated by oceans. They give us our early identity, and even our names.

Most of us don't think about how tough it is to name a human being and how we lug that title around with us for the rest of our lives. But in The Namesake, director Mira Nair ( of MONSOON WEDDING fame) gives us Gogol Ganguli, a name of substance and importance, but not necessarily important to its owner.

The Namesake is a tri-generational story of a Bangladeshi family. The film starts with the beautiful Indian singing of Ashima (Tabu). Her initial goal in life is to become a great artist/singer. But family concerns override her plans as she returns home to find a marriage arrangement being put forth for her. Her parents introduce her to her future husband, Ashoke (Irfan Khan), an architect who's been studying and living in America. The marriage takes place and Ashima accompanies her new husband to New York ("Half a world away"). She immediately begins missing her family but her forlorn attitude is whisked aside as Ashoke teaches her the ways of the City. She becomes pregnant with her first child, Gogol. The naming is tricky because normally it is done by an elder from within the family (all of whom are still in India). So Ashoke names him after one of his favorite authors (Nicholas "Gogol", a famous Russian writer). Gogol bares the name with disdain, never fully realizing its importance (one of Nicholas Gogol's books actually saved Gogol's father's life after a fatal train accident in India many years before). Gogol eventually changes his name to Nick, thus ending his family's tradition of keeping an appropriate Indian name.

It is this Americanization that is most troubling throughout the film. It invades the very fabric of what Gogol's family represents. Although not entirely without merit (America does give him a good education and a nice job), the culture of his parents seems stilted and uncool. As Gogol (and eventually his sister) grow into adulthood, they search for love in America, and find it via Americans. This is also another blow to Ashima and Ashoke (Gogol's mother and father). Americans live in the fast lane and often have to choose between one spouse's family over the other. This comes into sharp contrast as Gogol begins dating a beautiful blonde American named Maxine (Jacinda Barrett, POSEIDON). Maxine's pull is strong and forces Gogol to drift farther away from his roots. His parents call and call but never hear back. It takes a devastating family event to get Gogol back on track and it is this that gives the film its emotional heft. Tear-jerking and non-forced, this event was played perfectly and surprised everyone in the audience (all the movie patrons gasped around me when it occurred, a true tribute to this film's masterful weaving of the family theme).

The movie's arc is also well done. It ends just as it begins, with the focus on understanding family and what it means to move on when the time comes, but to never forget where you've come from.

This is a beautiful film. The central character is a boy who it between cultures and struggling to make a way for himself on his own terms. This is a universal phenomenon in the US, one that as a half-chinese I have encountered my entire life: you want to be independent, but are drawn by love and the deepest personal associations to a fading ideal/circumstance. I deeply identified with the protagonist's ambivalence towards his parents, his regrets and attempts to bring himself closer to his roots, and his finding a center with a completely personal meaning, which has much to do with his name(s). The characters are very well drawn, from his immediate family to his involvements with whites and indians.

Warmly recommended.