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 | |
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Sahira Nair | ... | Sonia |
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Jagannath Guha | ... | Ghosh |
Ruma Guha Thakurta | ... | Ashoke's Mother | |
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Sandip Deb | ... | Music Teacher |
Sukanya | ... | Rini | |
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Tanushree Shankar | ... | Ashima's Mother |
Sabyasachi Chakrabarty | ... | Ashima's Father | |
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Tamal Ray Chowdhury | ... | Ashoke's Father |
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Dhruv Mookerji | ... | Rana |
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... Written by rAjOo (gunwanti@hotmail.com)
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.