| The Namesake | |
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 Promotional poster for The Namesake |
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| Directed by | Mira Nair |
| Written by | Jhumpa Lahiri (novel) & Sooni Taraporevala |
| Starring | Tabu Irfan Khan Kal Penn Zuleikha Robinson Jacinda Barrett Sahira Nair Ruma Guha Thakurta |
| Distributed by | Fox Searchlight Pictures Mirabai Films |
| Release date(s) | March 9 2007 |
| Language | English / Bengali / Hindi |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Namesake is a 2007 film which received a limited release in the United States on March 9, 2007. It has been screened at film festivals in Toronto and New York. It is directed by Mira Nair and is based upon the novel The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri who appeared in the movie. Sooni Taraporevala adapted the novel to a screenplay.
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Plot
The Namesake describes the struggles between two first generation Indian immigrants, from West Bengal, to the United States, Ashima Ganguli (Tabu) and Ashoke Ganguli (Irfan Khan), and their children, Gogol (Kal Penn) and Sonali (Sonia) (Sahira Nair). The featured locales are Kolkata, India, Queens, New York, and the New York City suburbs of Nyack and Oyster Bay. The story begins as Ashoke and Ashima leave Kolkata and settle in New York City. Through a series of miscues, their son's nickname, Gogol (named after Ukrainian author Nikolai Gogol), becomes his official birth name, an event which will shape many aspects of his life. The film uses Gogol's struggles over his name as a jumping off point to explore large issues of integration, assimilation and cultural identity. The film chronicles Gogol's cross-cultural experiences and his exploration of his Indian heritage, as the story shifts between the United States and India. Gogol eventually meets and falls in love with two women, Maxine (Jacinda Barrett) and Moushumi (Zuleikha Robinson), while his parents struggle to understand his modern, American perspectives on dating, marriage and love. It is ultimately a story of American-born Gogol, the son of Indian immigrants, wanting to fit in among his fellow New Yorkers, despite his family's unwillingness to let go of their traditional ways. Ultimately, the viewer and Gogol himself gains a better understanding of the individual in Indian and Indian-American culture.
Cast
- Tabu as Ashima Ganguli
- Irfan Khan as Ashoke Ganguli
- Kal Penn as Gogol
- Sahira Nair as Sonali Ganguli
- Jacinda Barrett as Maxine Ratliffe
- Zuleikha Robinson as Moushumi Mazoomdar
- Ruma Guha Thakurta as Ashoke's Mother
Soundtrack
The soundtrack has varied music, Indian, Anglo-Indian (by Nitin Sawhney), and a French piece. One British-Indian electronica piece is State of Bengal's IC408. The ringtone from Moushumi's mobile phone is the song "Riviera Rendezvous" by Ursula 1000 from the Album "Kinda' Kinky". The Indian classical pieces (performed on screen by Tabu) were sung by Mitali Banerjee Bhawmik, a New Jersey based musician.
References
See also
External links
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| Directed films | Salaam Bombay! (1988) • Mississippi Masala (1991) • The Perez Family (1995) • Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1996) • My Own Country (1998) • Monsoon Wedding (2001) • Hysterical Blindness (2002) • 11'9'01 September 11 (Section 'India') (2002) • Vanity Fair (2004) • The Namesake (2007) • Shantaram |
| Documentaries | Jama Masjid Street Journal (1979) • So Far from India (1982) • India Cabaret (1985) • Children of a Desired Sex (1987) • The Day the Mercedes Became a Hat (1993) • My Own Country (1998) • The Laughing Club of India (1999) |
| Productions | Still, the Children Are Here (2004) • Blood Brothers (2007) • Gangsta M.D. |
