The Namesake English Movie
The Namesake is a story that is more appealing as a novel as compared to the film. I don't intend to say that the adaptation is not as good as the novel. What I mean to say is that the content of the story is such that it fits more into a literature format than a cinematic experience. That's because the film is more of a biographical account of a Bengali couple who migrate from India to the US. The film keeps you glued, more for its storytelling than the actual story itself. And Mira Nair's storytelling is so effective that it overpowers the one-dimensional plot of the film.
The film opens in the early 80s in Calcutta. An arranged marriage brings together two Bengalis – Ashoke Ganguly (Irrfan Khan) and Ashima (Tabu). Ashoke works in the US and post marriage takes Ashima over there. After the initial hiccups Ashima gets settled in the new ambience. The film continues to trail the life history of this couple. The focus shifts to their children who grow up in an American culture in the outside world with traditional Indian values in the family. The cross-cultural conflict between their upbringing and origin forms the basic theme of the film.
In the second half, the spotlight shifts to the son (Kal Penn) who is unusually named Gogol after some Russian author. His name lands him into a lot of embarrassment and hence the title 'Namesake'. Gogol has an affair with an American but finally marries an Indian and gets separated from her eventually. And when all episodes from this Bengali family have been dealt with the film comes to an unexpected end, which essentially lacks a climax.
There is slight ambiguity in the narrative since the focus of the film shifts from one protagonist to other and it is seen through the eyes of three different characters. It starts from the viewpoint of Irrfan Khan - shifts to Kal Penn and concludes with Tabu. And when Tabu's character achieves a sense of satisfaction of having lived her life, the film comes to an unforeseen termination. It's neither a happy nor a sad ending – just unassuming!
But what sets this culture conflict drama apart from the Johar-Chopra brand of NRI candy floss capers is that at any point of time the film doesn't get preachy with the Bhartiya Sanskrit and Parampara angle nor does it get judgmental with disapproving the American culture outright. That perhaps comes from the fact that director Mira Nair is an NRI herself and has seen the best and worst of both the worlds. This helps her strike a balance.
Also the detailing in the setting, era, art, costumes and mannerisms is simply impeccable. While most actors tend to make a caricature of the character while taking on regional accents, Irrfan slides into the Bengali dialect with utmost honesty and to an effortless effect. It's a delight to watch Tabu after a long time and in a role that does justice to her caliber. The foreign actor Kal Penn also puts in an impressive act.
The film has a lot of subtle humor and a tinge of blatant passion. A lovemaking scene between Tabu and Irrfan Khan despite being barefaced is still shot effectively. Since the film travels for around 20 years there are a lot of era-leaps, some of which come smoothly while others brusquely.
Finally for the sake of Mira Nair's treatment of the subject and her ability to extract superlative performances from the cast, do watch The Namesake.
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