The Namesake

Our reasons for watching Mira Nair's The Namesake were different. Tabu was R's incentive for sitting through a three-hour long movie. I was merely curious about the film, because I'd loved the book. As always i was sceptical, because I prefer books to their movie versions anyday.

When I first read the book, I understood it, because it was so Bengali. The familiar terms and phrases got me reminiscing about my Calcutta days. That is probably what I loved about the movie as well; listening to a language i could still comprehend.

Then it was the characters. As much as I loved Ashok, Ashima, and the relationship they shared, this time I could relate to Ashima a wee bit more. Ashima's move to the US reminded me of mine to the UK. From hot, humid Chennai, I was transported to cold, snowy London. In this new place, I (like Ashima) learned to travel on the tube, use the gas, drink from the tap directly (unheard off in Chennai), and deal with the extreme cold.

Luckily R and I knew eachother, unlike Ashok and Ashima. Yet that didn't make their relationship any less endearing. They bonded over a period of time, and started life together in a place far away from home and family.

The film (the book) is about relationships, though much of it focuses on a cultural gap that exists between the couple and their children. Gogol, their older son, named after Ashok's favorite author, is the quintessential American, who lives life on his own terms. He loves his parents, but he doesn't necessarily always understand his mother's need to see him more often than she does.

Ashok and Ashima however, are rather progressive, given their background in India. Gogol's relationship with an American isn't frowned upon as much as Gogol's reluctance to come home. Like most parents, they merely want their children to be happy, and in touch with them. Otherwise they harbor no expectations.

A definite must-see, if you haven't read the book. I'll still urge you to read the book, rather than see the movie. Tabu and Irfan Khan (remember Maqbool) are predictably great as Ashima and Ashok. Kal Penn as Gogol is pretty decent, though I'd have preferred..erm..Abhishek Bachchan maybe? The supporting cast of Zuleika Robinson, Jacinda Barrett, and Sahira Nair among others (Jhumpa Lahiri in a small role as well) complete the story.