The Namesake!!!
Well, I had seen this movie last week and I liked it massively then. I felt obligated to write something about it. It is a very good movie and what makes it really good to watch is the acting performance of the entire cast. If a movie deals with emotions then it transcends many boundaries and has a universal appeal.
Plot: A young, educated Bengali man named Ashoke (Irfan Kahn) is the only person to survive a deadly train crash, giving him a new philosophy of life which leads him to travel to America with his wife by an arranged marriage, Ashima (Tabu). We see Ashima coming to terms with her future involving this strange man in a strange country—neither of which she can escape from. Time passes and the couple begins to grow close especially because of the birth of their son whom Ashoke decides to name Gogol (Kal Penn), after Russian novelist Nikolai Gogol, whose book he was reading when he experienced the train crash. The rest of the film stays with Ashoke, Ashima and Gogol as each must deal with the tensions between traditional Bengali culture and their modernized American surroundings.
Review: “The Namesake" portrays the story of an immigrant Indian family in US, their traditions and their struggle to adjust in a new country. It also gives a glimpse of the inherent conflicts that a child born in immigrant family grapples with and his quest for his true identity. I believe Tabu, Irfan Khan and Kal Penn- all three of them have been awesome in this movie. United States is a country made by immigrants and I am sure lot of them and not only Indians, will identify with the theme of the movie. When you are acting in a movie, there comes a stage when you do not need words to express yourself. Your movements, facial expressions tell it all. The chemistry that Tabu and Irfan share in this movie is closer to that. At the airport, just a little tilt of head from Irfan conveys to Tabu that he will be alright and she should not worry about him. Or the last few dialogues of Tabu tells us the love she had for US because it is here where she knew, loved and lived with her husband. Or when Irfan dies, the sudden change in Gogol's nature points to a very important facet of Indian culture where a son is expected to take care of his family in distress. And this thing can not be changed even if you are born and brought up in US.
Plot: A young, educated Bengali man named Ashoke (Irfan Kahn) is the only person to survive a deadly train crash, giving him a new philosophy of life which leads him to travel to America with his wife by an arranged marriage, Ashima (Tabu). We see Ashima coming to terms with her future involving this strange man in a strange country—neither of which she can escape from. Time passes and the couple begins to grow close especially because of the birth of their son whom Ashoke decides to name Gogol (Kal Penn), after Russian novelist Nikolai Gogol, whose book he was reading when he experienced the train crash. The rest of the film stays with Ashoke, Ashima and Gogol as each must deal with the tensions between traditional Bengali culture and their modernized American surroundings.
Review: “The Namesake" portrays the story of an immigrant Indian family in US, their traditions and their struggle to adjust in a new country. It also gives a glimpse of the inherent conflicts that a child born in immigrant family grapples with and his quest for his true identity. I believe Tabu, Irfan Khan and Kal Penn- all three of them have been awesome in this movie. United States is a country made by immigrants and I am sure lot of them and not only Indians, will identify with the theme of the movie. When you are acting in a movie, there comes a stage when you do not need words to express yourself. Your movements, facial expressions tell it all. The chemistry that Tabu and Irfan share in this movie is closer to that. At the airport, just a little tilt of head from Irfan conveys to Tabu that he will be alright and she should not worry about him. Or the last few dialogues of Tabu tells us the love she had for US because it is here where she knew, loved and lived with her husband. Or when Irfan dies, the sudden change in Gogol's nature points to a very important facet of Indian culture where a son is expected to take care of his family in distress. And this thing can not be changed even if you are born and brought up in US.
Actors just portray the vision of director and I can not help but just marvel at the outstanding talent of Mira Nair. It’s a great watch and if you have time you must watch it.
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