The Namesake (2006)

American-born Gogol, the son of Indian immigrants, wants to fit in among his fellow New Yorkers, despite his family's unwillingness to let go of their traditional ways.

Director:

Mira Nair

Writers:

Sooni Taraporevala (screenplay), Jhumpa Lahiri (novel)

Stars:

Kal Penn, Irrfan Khan, Tabu

4 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kal Penn	...	Nikhil a.k.a. Gogol
Tabu	...	Ashima
Irrfan Khan	...	Ashoke
Jacinda Barrett	...	Maxine
Zuleikha Robinson	...	Moushumi Mazumdar
Brooke Smith	...	Sally
Sahira Nair	...	Sonia
Jagannath Guha	...	Ghosh
Ruma Guha Thakurta	...	Ashoke's Mother
Sandip Deb	...	Music Teacher
Sukanya	...	Rini
Tanushree Shankar	...	Ashima's Mother
Sabyasachi Chakrabarty	...	Ashima's Father
Tamal Ray Chowdhury	...	Ashoke's Father
Dhruv Mookerji	...	Rana

Storyline

While traveling by train to visit his grandfather in Jamshedpur, Calcutta born, Bengali-speaking Ashoke Ganguli meets with fellow-traveler, Ghosh, who impresses upon him to travel, while Ashoke is deep into a book authored by Nicholai Gogol. The train meets with an accident, and after recuperating, Ashoke re-locates to America, settles down, returns home in 1977 to get married to aspiring singer, Ashima, and returns home to New York. Shortly thereafter they become parents of a boy, who they initially name Gogol, and a few years later both give birth to Sonia. The family then buy their own house in the suburbs and travel to India for the first time after their marriage. The second time they travel to India is when Gogol and Sonia are in their late teens, and after a memorable visit to Kolkata and then to the Taj Mahal, they return home. Gogol falls in love with Maxine Ratliff and moves in with her family, while Ashoke spends time traveling, and Sonia moves to California, leaving Ashima...

---

Plot Keywords:

india | train | bengali | new york city | reference to gogol | 

---

Taglines:

The greatest journeys are the ones that bring you home.

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexuality/nudity, a scene of drug use, some disturbing images and brief language

Details

Official Sites:

Fox Searchlight Pictures [United States] Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA India

Language:

English Hindi Bengali French

Release Date:

6 April 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

El buen nombre

Filming Locations:

Calcutta, West Bengal, India

Box Office

Budget:

$9,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$248,552, 11 March 2007

Gross USA:

$13,569,248

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$20,138,836

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Searchlight Pictures, Cine Mosaic, Entertainment Farm (EF)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The novel's author (Jhumpa Lahiri) and much of her extended family were used in party/funeral scenes for the family in the U.S. because Mira Nair stayed at Lahiri's home and met much of her family. She thought they had a look she was trying to achieve, and that they were lovely people.

---

Goofs

At the baby girl's ceremony, the position of the dollar on the tray changes from front to back to front again between shots.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Man: Mm, what are you reading?
Ashoke Ganguli: Hm? "The Overcoat", by Gogol.

---

Crazy Credits

Kal Penn is credited twice - once as Kal Penn in the role of Gogol, and once as Kalpen Modi (his birth name) in the role of Nikhil.

---

Connections

Featured in At the Movies: 300/The Namesake/I Think I Love My Wife/Beyond the Gates/The Host (2007)

---

Soundtracks

La Donna e Mobile
Written by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Symfonický orchester Slovenského rozhlasu (as Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra)
Courtesy of Naxos
By Arrangement with Source/Q

User Reviews

review on namesake

I got to see this wonderfully fulfilling film by chance at a private screening.I had no expectations other than the fact that it was a Mira Nair film.

The film is a journey of a couple from Bengal to America and their lives with their children in a different culture, and the ultimate realization of the main characters - brilliantly played by Tabu, Kal Pen, and Irfaan.

The emotion of Loss has been portrayed extremely poignantly and beautifully by Mira, the loss of one's parents, the loss of one's children, and the loss of one's partner, leaving behind nothing but yourself and trying to find freedom and joy after the loss.This is a universal story , with universal emotions, and one that cuts across all cultures as its a film about what we all go through or will go through.

Tabu and Irfaan as the main couple have delivered a knockout performance, and kal Pen works well as gogol.The emotions are subtly handled and very effectively, as besides making me laugh at many points, the film made me cry for a long time ,well after it was over.

Sooni Taraporewala, has written a fabulous screenplay, and this film for me is my top film this year, Babel comes close.