The Great Ganesha

Mira Nair’s The Namesake follows the life of Ashoke Ganguli (played superbly by Irrfan Khan) as he goes to the US to get a Ph.D., and returns to look for a wife in Calcutta. He finds Ashima (portrayed excellently by Tabu), they have an arranged marriage, replete with all the colors and exotica of an Indian wedding, and return to New York (this is changed from the book) for Ashoke to finish his graduate studies. The story then follows them as they adjust to life in this country and move on with their lives. Soon they have a boy, Gogol/Nikhil (Kal Penn), and shortly thereafter, they have a girl, Sonia (Sahira Nair). They move into a house in suburbia, as Ashoke becomes a professor and Ashima gets a job at the local library. Then, watching Gogol grow up, we follow him as he begins to live his adult life – choosing a career, a girlfriend and then a wife – and all of the trials and tribulations that he faces, being a second-generation Indian in America.

Ashoke (Irrfan Khan) and Ashima (Tabu) pose with a new-born Gogol

The film had a few good moments, especially in the interplay between Ashoke and Ashima. Their relationship was poignant, stirring and sweetly humorous. Another scene was also good: In the bridal suite after Ashoke and Ashima’s son, Gogol/Nikhil marries Moushumi (Zuleikha Robinson), they both do a short, Bollywood-style dance, inserted in there clearly as a parody. Other than that though, the movie was mildly entertaining.

Carried mainly by the superlative acting of Irrfan Khan and Tabu, it was tender and emotional at moments. Overall however, the movie falls flat. Nair caters to a Western audience and spends some time in the exposition of Indian customs and clarifies their purpose for the average Western viewer. This is necessary, to some extent, but perhaps a little subtlety might have made it more palatable. Also, some of the shots of Calcutta are straight from the Textbook of the Exotic – a kid flying a kite, a statue of Durga being hoisted down from a building. While there is a certain nostalgic appeal to all of this, it ultimately seems disingenuous and ends up distancing the Indian moviegoer. It is a disappointment and a step down from Monsoon Wedding and Mississippi Masala.

In The Namesake we see the single-mindedness of purpose and spirituality of the first-generation Indians, that comes from the struggle to adapt and fit in. We also see success and adaptability come easier to the second generation but they too, have a plethora of issues that they must contend with. Clearly, both generations face complex problems with no easy solutions. While many of us can probably identify (or at least, empathize) with either of those, it did not make for good movie-making. Perhaps Nair was trying to put too much into one movie and the balancing act resulted in everything falling down.

On the whole, if you liked the book, then watch the movie. Otherwise, wait for the DVD.

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