“Pack a Pillow and Blanket, See the World!”
The Namesake - A Review
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I read The Namesake about 2 years ago, and it was damn good. I don’t know about you, but stories about family have always have a place in my heart, so I was apprehensive when I heard that the book is getting a movie treatment. I mean, it’s always hard to translate a good book into film reels, and I do not want to be completely disappointed.
Sure as hell the movie is not as good as the book, but thank God, I wasn’t disappointed. Now on to the review! WARNING: SPOILERS.
The Namesake tells the story of an Indian immigrant family living in America. Ashima was a lovely young girl who like singing traditional Indian songs when Ashoke came with his parents to propose her. Arranged marriage was normal (and probably still is) back then. Ashoke had been living for some time in the US, and if Ashima accept him, she would move to America with him.
And she did. Before long, they had a child, a boy. When asked for a name by the hospital official, they could not give one because they were still waiting for their elders to send them a ‘good name’. But the baby and Ashima had to get out of the hospital, so they had to think of a ‘pet name’ which would be changed later. So Ashoke named the baby Gogol, taken from the last name of his favorite author. Of course, there is another, and much more significant reason why he named his son after the Russian writer.
Everything went well, and the name did not cause any trouble whatsoever. Gogol, who had become accustomed to the name, rejected the option to change his name into Nikhil, his good name. But then again, he was not even 5 when he said that.
Of course he grew up, and then there was high school. Gogol started to get teased for his name, and began to regret not changing his name years ago.
That is pretty much where the book and the movie got their title from. But there are more stories than just that:
There are Gogol’s relationships - with Maxine, an American girl, and with Moushumi, also from Bengali descent. Ashima’s struggle to live in this strange new world called America. Ashoke’s past and what made Gogol the writer so important to him. Ashoke & Ashima’s sacrifice to give their children better chances in life. Gogol & his sister, Sonia’s discovery and acceptance of their cultural backgrounds. The impending family deaths. And of course, the name itself.
The movie has a very warm feel to it, I think Mira Nair did a great job in capturing the essence of the book. I also appreciate the fact that there were quite a lot of dialogs that are taken directly from the book, unchanged. The performance of the actors was also great. I did not expect Kal Penn (who’s history of movies mostly include comedies) to be able to portray Gogol well, but he did a good job. And of course the stand out star is Tabu, who plays Ashima. Her acting was so subtle, but so powerful. I also has to point out that the music is superb. It mixes Indian traditional music with modern elements, not surprising considering that Nitin Sawhney was responsible for it.
Of course it’s not all praise. The negative: I feel as if there are parts of the movie that felt rushed, including the ending. However, on the other hand I feel the movie is a bit long. So I don’t know, in a way I feel things are left out, but I feel as if it was a bit overdrawn at times. I am conflicted, but that is all I can think of on the negative side.
Anyway, this movie made my eyes misty for no less than 2 different points (probably more, not sure). Maybe it’s just me and my general weakness for family stories, but seriously, any movie that can bring me close to tears is well worth watching.
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Verdict:
If the last note before the end credits did not make you want to do more for your parents, than I don’t know what will. Please please please DO NOT pass this movie JUST because it has Indian background. An 8/10.
