The Namesake (film)
| The Namesake | |
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 Promotional poster |
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| Directed by | Mira Nair |
| Produced by | Mira Nair |
| Written by | Jhumpa Lahiri (novel) Sooni Taraporevala |
| Starring | Tabu Irrfan Khan Kal Penn Zuleikha Robinson Jacinda Barrett Sebastian Roché Sahira Nair Ruma Guha Thakurta Sabyasachi Chakraborty Supriya Devi |
| Music by | Nitin Sawhney |
| Cinematography | Frederick Elmes |
| Editing by | Allyson C. Johnson |
| Distributed by | Fox Searchlight Pictures Mirabai Films |
| Release date(s) | Telluride Film Festival September 2, 2006 United States March 9, 2007 India March 23, 2007 |
| Language | English Bengali Hindi French |
| Budget | $12 million |
| Box office | $20,138,836 (U.S.) |
The Namesake is a 2006 film which was released in the United States on March 9, 2007, following screenings at film festivals in Toronto and New York City. It was directed by Mira Nair and is based upon the novel of the same name by Jhumpa Lahiri, who appeared in the movie. Sooni Taraporevala adapted the novel to a screenplay. The film received positive reviews from American critics.[1]
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[edit] Plot
The Namesake depicts the struggles of Ashoke and Ashima Ganguli (Irrfan Khan and Tabu), two first-generation immigrants from West Bengal, India to the United States, and their American-born children Gogol (Kal Penn) and Sonia (Sahira Nair). The film takes place primarily in Kolkata, India; New York City; and various New York state suburbs.
The story begins as Ashoke and Ashima leave Calcutta 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 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.
As much as Gogol/Nikhil's experiences, the film tenderly describes the courtship and marriage of Ashima and Ashoke, and the effect of Ashoke's early death of a massive heart attack. Ashima's decision to move on with her life, selling the suburban family home and returning to Calcutta, unifies and ends the film.
[edit] Cast
- Tabu as Ashima Ganguli
- Irrfan Khan as Ashoke Ganguli
- Kal Penn as Gogol Ganguli
- Sahira Nair as Sonali Ganguli
- Jacinda Barrett as Maxine Ratliffe
- Sebastian Roché as Chris
- Zuleikha Robinson as Moushumi Mazoomdar
- Ruma Guha Thakurta as Ashoke's Mother
- Sabyasachi Chakraborty as Ashima's Father
- Supriya Devi as Ashima's Grandmother
[edit] Development
Initially Rani Mukerji and Abhishek Bachchan were casted as the principal leads, but due to date problems, the role went to Tabu and Kal Penn.[2]
[edit] Soundtrack
The soundtrack has varied music: Indian, Anglo-Indian (by Nitin Sawhney, influenced by Ravi Shankar's music for Pather Panchali),[3] 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; this is the same song that is played when Gogol and Moushumi first sleep together. The Indian classical pieces (performed on screen by Tabu) were sung by Mitali Banerjee Bhawmik, a New Jersey-based musician.
[edit] Critical reception
The film received favorable reviews from critics. As of February 23, 2009, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 85% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 121 reviews.[1] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 82 out of 100, based on 33 reviews.[4]
[edit] Top ten lists
The film appeared on several critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2007.[5]
- 6th - Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor
- 8th - Carrie Rickey, The Philadelphia Inquirer
- 8th - Claudia Puig, USA Today
- 9th - James Berardinelli, ReelViews
[edit] Awards and nominations
- Won - Love is Folly International Film Festival (Bulgaria) - "Golden Aphrodite" - Mira Nair
- Nominated - Casting Society of America - "Best Feature Film Casting" - Cindy Tolan
- Nominated - Gotham Awards 2007 - "Best Film" - Mira Nair & Lydia Dean Pilcher
- Nominated - Independent Spirit Award - "Best Supporting Male" - Irrfan Khan
[edit] References
- ^ a b "The Namesake - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/namesake/. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
- ^ "Why Rani, Abhishek lost out on Namesake". March 23, 2007. Rediff.com Movies. http://inhome.rediff.com/movies/2007/mar/23mira.htm.
- ^ Observer Music Monthly March 2007
- ^ "Namesake, The (2007): Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/namesake. Retrieved 2008-01-05.
- ^ "Metacritic: 2007 Film Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2008-01-02. http://web.archive.org/web/20080102102034/http://www.metacritic.com/film/awards/2007/toptens.shtml. Retrieved 2008-01-05.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- The Namesake at the Internet Movie Database
- The Namesake at AllRovi
- The Namesake at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Namesake at Metacritic
- The Namesake at Box Office Mojo
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