Don’t judge a book (or in this case, a film adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel) by its cover.
“The Namesake” isn’t just the story of an immigrant family’s struggles to meet the harsh, different demands of their new life in America.
Well, it is that story — but that’s not nearly the entire story. Often funny and touching, and always beautifully understated, this tale of the couple’s life together is also a generational family saga with a tender, true heart.
When Indian beauty Ashima (Tabu) leaves her family by way of an estranged marriage to join her new husband, Ashoke (Irfan Khan), in America, she finds herself lonely, lost and purposeless. The warm familiarity of her Calcutta home is replaced by a cold and impersonal New York winter. Ashima’s only comfort is Ashoke, a quiet and kind man who patiently steers her through the mysteries of her new environment. Ashoke and Ashima eventually give birth to a son, Gogol (Kal Penn, “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle”), who grows up knowing only the United States and eventually adopts its ways and mannerisms — for better or for worse.
Here, the tale could have diverted solely into a study into the dual natures of the American and Indian cultures, with an unkind nod to the garish commercialization, extravagant tastes and apparent lack of tradition and culture on this side of the pond. But director Mira Nair (“Vanity Fair,” “Monsoon Wedding”) aims for a more universal target, too, and with a balanced hand, strikes home.
In Ashoke, Ashima and Gogol, the film has three wonderfully crafted characters who breathe life into the family from start to finish. In this slice-of life-drama we come to appreciate all three characters for their strengths and shortcomings. Ashoke is gentle and bright but struggles to connect with his disenchanted son; Ashima is loving and loyal but leans heavily on her family and misses her former life; Gogol is intelligent and well-adjusted but unwilling to understand the motivations of his parents.
Nair balances these characters with a masterful touch. In a lesser effort, one character might have overtaken the other in necessity or spirit; here, like a fair and well-structured argument, each presents his or her worldview fairly. Ashoke, Ashima and Gogol all shine on their own in a way that makes the bond of the family dynamic stronger. Moviegoers will see the same flaws and fortitude Ganguli family as they’ll see intheir own. Bring your tissues.
This story has its happy moments, its sad moments and its moments that can’t immediately be called one or the other. That’s life; that’s “The Namesake.”
‘The Namesake’
4/5 stars
Starring: Kal Penn, Irfan Khan, Jacinda Barrett, Tabu
Director: Mira Nair
Rated PG-13 for sexuality/nudity, a scene of drug use, some disturbing images and brief language.
