The Namesake
If “The Namesake” had just been your usual coming-of-age story, it would be easily forgotten. But director Mira Nair (“Monsoon Wedding,” “Vanity Fair”) has gone beyond the usual confines of such a story to present a portrait of three people, a husband and wife, and their son, who come to moments when they lose sight of who they are, only to find through difficult times that sense of identity again. That the film is based on a novel by Jhumpa Lahiri- adapted by Sooni Taraporevala with insight and feeling- means you can expect more depth from the story than you’d otherwise see in a 2-hour film, and Nair plays to that strength in her effortless storytelling. Not the easiest thing to do when your story covers as many years as this one does.
It starts in the ’70s, with Ashoke (Irrfan Khan, a Bollywood star)- as a young student in Calcutta- riding the train to visit family, reading a novel from his favorite author- the Russian writer Nikoli Gogol- and trying to zone out the older gentlemen trying to convince him to go out and see the world for himself when the train gets in a near-fatal accident. Three years later, he’s been living in New York for two years when he comes home for an arranged marriage to Ashima (Tabu), who likes Ashoke but is weary of living so far away from her home and family. It isn’t long, however, before they have a son- whose “pet name” (as is the custom in Indian culture) is Gogol, his actual name eventually becoming Nikhil. They later have a daughter, and move the family out to the suburbs- in a largely Indian community. But assimilation into American culture and customs proves difficult for the family; the children- including Gogol (now called Nick, and played by “Van Wilder’s” Kal Penn), who finds his name a hinderance while learning about his namesake in school- find their place in modern day youth, but the parents- especially Ashima- find it difficult to relate to their children and retain some of their own traditions over the years, especially when Nick starts dating a blond socialite (Jacinda Barrett) and begins spending weekends with her family over his own. A return visit to India- including a day spent at the Taj Mahal- opens the children up to their heritage, but- in the case of Gogol in particular- makes the chasm betwen the world he’s known and the world his parents come from even wider.
What makes “The Namesake” work is not only its’ probing of the generational divide, which is unusually rich for this type of film, but also the fact that even when we see Gogol and his sister Sonia (played by Sahira Nair) grown up, Nair and Taraporevala still maintain much of their focus on Ashoke and Ashima; most stories of this ilk tend to push the parents off to the side. But by beginning the story within Ashoke and Ashima’s early years as a married couple, Nair immediately sets up “The Namesake” as a story about a family’s coming-of-age, not just an individual’s. And its’ themes are universal; while it’s important to understand elements of Indian culture to see how cultures and generations collide in the film, the basic human elements are so fundamentally archetypal that culture and nationality are simply the setting, not the story. It’s unfortunate to think that the film’s setting could lose it viewers who might shy away of the, shall we say, “foreign” setting. But those who embrace the film on an elemental level will see the characters living lives that are fundamentally no different than their own, dealing with basic issues like acceptance in school, being uprooted from the only world you know to one that’s difficult to find one’s place in, and in realizing that what’s best for a family isn’t necessarily what’s easiest. And one identifies with each character, regardless of gender or age, mainly because, well, I doubt there are many who wouldn’t admit to having gone through something similar in their own lives.
Though the cast is uniformally excellent, the actors in the three main roles deserve particular praise for the way they make us care about the lives and dilemmas of Ashoke, Ashima, and Gogol without upstaging one another, and with an effortless chemistry. Of special notice are Khan and Tabu as Ashoke and Ashima, who are asked to play these characters over a 20-year span (through the use of hair and makeup effects), and they never waver. They’re always true to the characters, and allow us to feel the joys- and pains- of life with equal clarity. Khan is a loyal husband and loving father, seeing the difficulties Ashima has in finding her place in life in America, and doing what he can to ease the trasition, and understanding of his children’s choices, even if they don’t always match with what he feels is important.
Tabu will likely be the audience’s main emotional connection as Ashima; in one sense, the film is mostly about her character’s journey from frightened young woman in a strange land to assertive mother and wife to, finally, a woman accepting of the life Ashoke has shown her, and understanding of her place in the world when it comes to her family. Her reaction to a family tragedy is unforgettably sad, and her strength in the face of it is inspiring; more than anyone else, she deserves Oscar recognition.
And as Gogol, Penn- known best for “Van Wilder” (best not mention “The Rise of Taj”), “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle,” and smaller roles in films like “Superman Returns” and episodes of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel”- gives a breakthrough performance that should result in bigger, and better, roles for this young talent. He illuminates Gogol’s conflicts- duty to family against assimilation into society- with genuine force and feeling, even the difficulty that comes with leaving Barrett’s longtime girlfriend for a Bengali woman (Zuleikha Robinson) because he feels some social need to do so to stay within the customs his parents tried to raise him with. But even that further complicates Gogol’s crisis of identity until he realizes that what his father tried to instill in him was the realization that the greatest responsibility he has towards his family is to stay true to himself. And though it took him some time to learn, Gogol comes to learn that it all started with his name. Nair makes the search for one’s identity both enlightening and entertaining- a journey, both internal and external, you won’t regret taking.
