The Namesake (film)

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The Namesake
Promotional poster for The Namesake
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 Sahira Nair Ruma Guha Thakurta
Cinematography	Frederick Elmes
Editing by	Allyson C. Johnson
Distributed by	Fox Searchlight Pictures Mirabai Films
Release date(s)	March 9 2007
Language	English / Bengali / Hindi
Budget	$12 million
Gross revenue	$13,569,248 (U.S.)

The Namesake is a 2007 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 The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, who appeared in the movie. Sooni Taraporevala adapted the novel to a screenplay. The film received very positive reviews from American critics.^[1]

[edit] 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 (Irrfan Khan), and their children, Gogol (Kal Penn) and Sonali (Sonia) (Sahira Nair). The featured locales are Kolkata, India, New York City, USA, Yonkers USA, and the New York City suburbs of Nyack, Rockland County, Scarsdale, Westchester County and Oyster Bay, Long Island.

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 Russian 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, cultural assimilation and 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.

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
• Zuleikha Robinson as Moushumi Mazoomdar
• Ruma Guha Thakurta as Ashoke's Mother

[edit] 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 - 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] Casting

• Kate Hudson and Natalie Portman were considered for the part of Maxine.^{[citation needed]}
• Chloe Sevigny was reportedly director Mira Nair's original choice to play Maxine.^{[citation needed]}
• Bollywoodstar Rani Mukherjee was asked for the role as Ashima, but she wanted to star in Karan Johar's movie, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna.^{[citation needed]}

[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.^[2]

[edit] Top ten lists

The film appeared on several critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2007.^[3]

• 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] Notes

• Error: The book inscription in French from Pierre reads "j'espères" (I hope). The correct spelling is "j'espère".

• Error: In Calcutta during Ashima/Ashoke's marriage (supposedly during '60s/'70s), advertisements of The Telegraph are visible, along with the slogan 'Unputdownable'. The Telegraph newspaper was launched in 1982, and the 'unputdownable' campaign came about in the late '90s.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Nikolai Gogol's "The Overcoat"

[edit] External links

• The Namesake at the Internet Movie Database
• The Namesake at Allmovie
• The Namesake at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Namesake at Metacritic
• The Namesake at Box Office Mojo