Gogol (Kal Penn, from left), Ashoke (Irrfan Kahn), Sonia (Sahira Nair) and Ashima (Tabu)

The Namesake unfolds as a fully evolved story of one Indian family’s emigration from Calcutta to the United States. The film takes its time to reveal each family member’s adaptation or assimilation into American culture, and it seems to play out over four acts.   

Ashoke Ganguli (Irrfan Khan, a star of Indian cinema) is a young man on a train going from Calcutta to the country to visit his grandfather. He is intent on reading a book by Nikhil Gogol that his grandfather gave him. A fellow passenger keeps talking to him about traveling the world, telling Ashoke that he will never regret it. There is a terrible wreck that kills nearly everyone onboard. Ashoke survives, and he begins to understand how quickly life can end. 

When we next see Ashoke we realize that he has taken to heart what the man said, for he has been studying for his Ph.D. in New York, and has returned to India to find a wife for an arranged marriage. His intended is Ashima (Tabu, a major Bollywood star), a beautiful singer, with obvious wit and intelligence. Life begins in the U.S. for them, with Ashoke as a college professor and Ashima the mother of two children.

Their first child, a son, is called by his “pet” name Gogol, for the author of Ashoke’s favorite book. 

Act Two might be called ‘Nik’s Life.’ It takes us forward a few years and their son Gogol (Kal Penn, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle) is graduating from high school, and he and his younger sister Sonia (Sahira Nair, Monsoon Wedding) are thoroughly assimilated Indian-American teenagers. They were born and bred in the U.S., and while they have a connection with India, unlike their parents, they don’t have an arm’s length relationship with whites when it comes to being friends and/or lovers. Ashoke and Ashima for all their years in America, limit their relationships with whites to business associated matters. Ashima is a librarian and continues to wear traditional dress and prepare Indian meals. They have adapted to life here, but have no desire to be a part of it completely. Their spare time is spent with other Bengalis. 

Gogol also begins to use his “good” name of Nikhil, his public name, as he begins college. Of course, that quickly becomes Nik. Nik becomes a promising architect, with a great job, a New York apartment, and a blonde, WASP girlfriend, Maxine (Jacinda Barrett, School for Scoundrels).   

Act Three is ‘The Bridge’ that carries Nik back and forth through his life, allowing him to move from one experience to the next. Bridges literally play a part in the landscape of this film. We see bridges in India and the bridges of NYC. Trains are important here as well. Ashoke’s dreams are haunted by the memories of the terrible tragedy of the train wreck that immobilized his body for months. And it is in a NY train station that Nik comes to a realization about his marriage.   

Ashoke chooses to parcel out the information of his transformation to his son Gogol, over a period of years. It is a transcendent moment in the film when Ashoke tells his son the story of why he is named Gogol, and the joy, not sorrow, that it evokes.  

Act Four brings us ‘Full Circle.’ The film ends much as it began, with a young man lost in the words of a book, against the rhythm of a moving train. And Ashima’s voice is once again free in song in India.  

This warm and engaging film is a small epic in scope with regard to Frederick Elmes’s (Broken Flowers, Kinsey) cinematography. The grainy, near washed out texture of the scenes of Ashoke Ganguli’s memories in Calcutta and NYC clearly define the flashbacks. The vibrant colors of India warm the senses. To follow three generations of one family is a treat as well. The acting is exceptional.   

The screenplay, written by Sooni Taraporevala (who also collaborated with the director, Mira Nair, on Salaam Bombay! and Mississippi Masala), is adapted from a novel by Pulitzer Prize winning author Jhumpa Lahiri.  

Director Mira Nair has showcased her talent and vision in previous films such as Mississippi Masala, Salaam Bombay! Monsoon Wedding, The Perez Family, Kama Sutra, and Vanity Fair. This is arguably her best to date. She is masterful in capturing the immigrant experience in America, and the intricacies of family anywhere. This is a film to be savored.