What's in a Name?
Namesake Highlights Immigrant Cultural Struggle

Family and generational struggles are a mainstay of storytelling, in novels, plays and films. Rarely has the discord between parents and children been so interestingly woven with the culture clash between a native country and America. Director Mira Nair examines both in The Namesake, a story of cultural and generational differences as seen through the struggles between a father and son.

The Namesake
Gogol (Kal Penn, left) and his family return to visit India and see the Taj Mahal. (Fox Searchlight, 2006)
Directed by: Mira Nair
Written by: Sooni Taraporevala, based on the novel by Jhumpa Lahiri
Starring: Irfan Khan, Kal Penn, Tabu, Sahira Nair, Jacinda Barrett, and Zuleikha Robinson

Rated PG-13 (for sexuality/nudity, a scene of drug use, some disturbing images and brief language)
Running time: 122 min.

FilmGuru's Rating : 9 out of 10.

The first half of the film centers on a young man named Ashoke (Irfan Khan) who leaves his native India to live in America with his new bride Ashima (Tabu). They soon have a son, and give him his "pet" name, Gogol, based on Ashoke's favorite author. It is their plan to give him his "good" name later. However, as a child, Gogol decides to keep his pet name.

Fast forward fifteen years, both Gogol (Kal Penn) and his younger sister Sonia (Sahira Nair) are products of American culture. This cultural and generational gap between the young man and his father becomes the central plot of the story.

His parents accept his chosen path and do not rebuke him for the changes he makes in his life. Nevertheless, their reaction becomes one of disappointment. As Gogol tries to discover what kind of man he will be, he rejects Indian traditions and ultimately his own name. He becomes "Nick," the Americanized form of his "good" name: Nikhil.

The Namesake is filled with excellent performances. Penn, who is probably best known for teen comedies like Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and Van Wilder, is surprisingly deep and moving. The best performances in the film, however, are Khan and Tabu. Their work trancends performance, becoming for a time these intriguing and multi-faceted characters.

Based on the novel by Jhumpa Lahiri, this generational story moves slowly at times. The direction of the film is captivating, however. Nair (who also directed Vanity Fair) shows the beauty of India, even while criticizing it through the American eyes of Gogol and Sonia. Likewise, America is seen as a land of opportunity, but one that destroys the cultural heritage of those who come to its shores.

Although The Namesake centers on the relationship between father and son, the lynchpin to the whole story is really Ashima. As the wife of Ashoke and the mother of Gogol, she is the common thread between their lives. Her character exhibits the greatest change, even as her story comes full circle.