Based on the book called "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri.
Director : Mira Nair
Writers : Jhumpa Lahiri, Sooni Taraporevala
Starring : Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Kal Penn, Sahira Nair, Jacinda Barrett, Soham Chatterjee, Jagannath Guha and many more.
Thanks to all the amazing streaming platforms, I have watched a lot of movies in the past few months and one that has stuck with me is “The Namesake”. It is the kind of movie which will make you smile as well as make you cry till mascara is running down your cheeks.
Based on a novel spanning 30 years and two continents, the movie incorporates Nikolai Gogol’s literary work, The Overcoat, as a central theme in the movie as, in the beginning we witness Ashoke get into a train crash while reading Gogol’s work. He survives the crash and considers it to be a good omen.
The movie follows a newly wed Indian couple, Ashoke (Irrfan Khan) and Ashima (Tabu), as they move their whole life from Kolkata (Calcutta) to the city of New York to pursue the “American Dream” resulting in conflicted identities and cultural conflicts. Mira Nair binds these two worlds together beautifully by using the world apart aesthetics of a colorful and chaotic Kolkata when compared to a cold and dull America.
As seen in many Indian marriages, Ashoke and Ashima’s relationship begins in an arranged marriage setup orchestrated by their parents. Usually, arranged relationships bring out the image of unhappy couples and greedy families but in this film, there exists, a striking bond strengthened by enormous mutual respect for each other which was surprising but refreshing to see.
As the film moves on, the focus shifts from the parents to their children, majorly their elder son, Gogol played by the absolutely brilliant Kal Penn. Gogol goes from a pot-smoking high school genius to an eager Yale student to New York architect, still never quite figuring out how much of him wants to be Indian and how much wants to be modern American. His love life is a portrayal of his own view of himself. At first he dates a rich blond girl believing that it will shed his Bengali skin helping him to fit in with the Manhattan elites but soon after his father’s demise, his viewpoint changes.
Throughout the movie, Mira also uses shoes very affectionately. When Ashima is about to meet Ashoke for the very first time, she sneakily tries on his “Made in USA” shoes, portraying that her life is about to change dramatically. Years later, at the Taj Mahal, when Ashoke asks her for the reason she chose him to be her partner, she tells him that it was because she liked his shoes. Another instance is when Ashoke passes away, Gogol is seen wearing his father’s shoes, indicating him stepping into his position in the family.
The casting was brilliant because of the chemistry between them as a family. The scenes of them all together as a family were little but beautiful. Although the movie focused on different things throughout, I felt that it was Tabu’s character around whom the story revolves. The children growing up and their fight with their identity just maybe the result of all. This movie will never be forgotten for its calming direction and cinematography and best of all, the writing.
At last, as an ode to the brilliant and slightly humorous dialogues, I present my favorite conversation between my favorites from the film -
Ashoke : There is something I always wanted to ask you, but never had the courage. All those years ago, why did you say yes to me?
Ashima : You were the best of the lot.
Ashoke : Huh?
Ashima : Better than the widower with four children or the cartoonist with one arm. I also liked your shoes.
Ashoke : Oh. Oh, okay.
Ashima : Hmm, you want me to say "I love you," like the Americans.
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