The struggle to hold onto your family’s cultural values while also integrating into the culture of the society you are born into is not an easy task. The Namesake is about this struggle of a Bengali family after they immigrate to America. The children, having been born and raised in this new country are in search of their own identity, which is lost somewhere during the clash of two opposite cultures.
Mira Nair brings on screen Jhumpa Lahiri’s best selling novel The Namesake in a captivating way. Ashoke is played by Irfan Khan, while Gogol is played by Kal Penn. Once again Irfan Khan, with his natural and astonishing acting, is the asset of the movie. He makes you feel sympathy and love for the Ganguli family.
The movie begins with Ashoke, who is traveling on a train and is reading a book by Nikolai Gogol. He lands into a hospital right after the train crashes. Feeling blessed to have another chance at life he decides to move to New York. Though his married life is not a happy one, it takes a new turn after the birth of their first child. In a hurry to name him, they call him Gogol, after the author Nikolai Gogol, whom Ashoke credits for saving his life.
Gogol starts having problems with his family from the very beginning. The stubborn way he has of making his own decisions is always disliked by his parents. Right after he hits puberty, he decides to change his name to Nikil, study architecture at Yale, and to date a rich American girl while his parents hang onto their Bengali culture and traditions. Their ultimate dream is to see Gogol married to a beautiful Bengali girl. Although their dream does come true, everyone has to suffer. After all, marrying a Bengali girl is not enough to make for a happy life.
