Author: Irfan Khan
Tabu/
Director/Composer/Na: Mira Nair
Publisher: UTV Motion Pictures
Year: 2007
Language: Hindi
Pages: NA
ISBN/UPC (if available): UMP DVD 010
Description
THE GREATEST JOURNEYS ARE THE ONES THAT BRING YOU HOME…
An Epic Love Story Destined To Become A Classic…
The Namesake describes the struggles between two first generation Indian immigrants, from West Bengal, to the United States, Ashima Ganguli (Tabu) and Ashoke Ganguli (Irfan Khan), and their children, Gogol (Kal Penn) and Sonali (Sonia) (Sahira Nair). The featured locales are Kolkata, India, Queens, New York, and the New York City suburbs of Nyack and Oyster Bay.
The story begins as Ashoke and Ashima leave Culcutta 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, assimilation and cultural 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.
It is ultimately a story of American-born Gogol, the son of Indian immigrants, wanting to fit in among his fellow New Yorkers, despite his family's unwillingness to let go of their traditional ways. Ultimately, the viewer and Gogol himself gains a better understanding of the individual in Indian and Indian-American culture.
From the Director of “Monsoon Wedding” and “Vanity Fair” based on the Pulitzer Prizes winning author’s Best-Selling Novel.
Jhumpa Lahiri, the author of the novel The Namesake, appears in the film as Aunt Jhumpa.
The Namesake is a 2007 film, which received a limited release in the United States on March 9, 2007. It has been screened at film festivals in Toronto and New York.
Reviews:
**** “Elegant, Articulate and Ekdum Real” -THE TIMES OF INDIA
**** “Pure Genius” –MID DAY
**** “Mira Nair’s the Namesake is a Jewel of a Movie” –HINDUSTAN TIMES
Special Feature:
The Anatomy of The Namesake – The making
In Character with Kal Penn
Music Video “Kokata Love Poem”
Audio Commentary by Mira Nair
Deleted Scenes
Subtitle: Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telegu
Year: 2007
Starring;
Tabu as Ashima Ganguli
Irfan Khan as Ashoke Ganguli
Kal Penn as Gogol
Sahira Nair as Sonali
Jacinda Barrett as Maxine
Zuleikha Robinson as Moushumi
Ruma Guha Thakurta as Ashoke's Mother
Director: Mira Nair
Written by: Jhumpa Lahiri (novel) & Sooni Taraporevala
Distributed by: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Mirabai Films
Genre: Drama