Mira nair proves, once again, that she is a world class filmmaker. Jan 04, 2008 ashoke and ashima move to the burbs and have children, a daughter named sonia sahira nair and a son named gogol kal penn, after ashokes fateful book, a secret he never shares with anyone. It was based on the novel the namesake by jhumpa lahiri. The namesake was an indianamerican drama directed by mira nair and was tabus first hollywood movie. I saw the namesake at the 22nd october screening at the london film festival. Nair s ambitious the namesake is her adaptation of the national book awardwinning novel by jhumpa lahiri, telling of the journey of an indianamerican architect and his parents from calcutta to new york. Quiet and respectful, their exchange lasts only a minute or two. The namesake is a diasporic novel that traces the story of the ganguli family. The namesake is not niche in any sense of the word. The namesake, from indian director mira nair, reminds us of a film axiom. Born in america to emigres from calcutta, gogol is a protagonist who endures years of teenage alienation in the namesake, a film adapted from the 2003 bestseller by jhumpa lahiri. Ashoke ganguli irfan khan and his wife ashima tabu and their two america born children gogol kal penn and sonia sahira nair. Some of the best movies about the american experience. Kal penn, irrfan khan, sahira nair and tabu in the namesake.
Head film critic for mountain xpress from december 2000 until his death in june 2016. Based on the bestselling book by jhumpa lahiri, the. Americanborn gogol, the son of indian immigrants, wants to fit in among his fellow new yorkers, despite his familys unwillingness to let go of their traditional ways. Her production company, mirabai films, specializes in films for international audiences on indian society, whether in the economic, social or cultural spheres.
The namesake starts by establishing how ashoke ganguli irfan khan and his wife ashima tabu met, moved to the united states, and then started a family. The film was produced by indian, american and japanese studios. Kal penn, irrfan khan, tabu, jacinda barrett, zuleikha robinson, brooke smith, sahira nair, jagannath guha, ruma guha thakurta, sandip deb. Mira nair is the internationally acclaimed director of monsoon wedding, salaam bombay. Irfan khan, tabu, kal penn, sahira nair, jacinda barrett.
The family shifts to america from calcutta and thus the story starts unravelling. Kal penn, tabu, irrfan khan, sahira nair, jagannath guha, dhruv mookerji. Beauty, heritage span the continents in namesake movie. Stay close to your parents, marry well, and always. Buy the namesake directed by mira nair online at alibris. The namesake is based on a bestselling 2003 novel by jhumpa lahiri and has been beautifully adapted for the screen by sooni taraporevala. Nairs the namesake follows an indian national and his arranged bride during their first fledgling months in snowy new york, eventually transitioning into the story of their adult son kal penn coming to. Original essays and glorious photography, stunningly designed in this unique moviebook from the director of monsoon wedding and vanity fair a fox searchlight release. In 2007, nair was asked to direct harry potter and the order of the phoenix, but turned it down to work on the namesake. This is a great event for fans of indian cinema and the north york central library film club is joining in the celebration. A tale of love, and hysterical blindness jhumpa lahiri, the author of interpreter of maladies and the namesake, has been the recipient of the pulitzer prize, the penhemingway award, and a guggenheim. The filmmaker mira nair first tried to get irrfan khan to appear in one of her movies when he was a drama student in delhi.
Willem dafoe at an event for the namesake 2006 tabu at an event for the namesake. Mira nair s essay, photographs as inspiration, begins with the provocative comment. Lets give covid a break and read this interview with actor kal penn, who played irrfan khans son in mira nairs 2006 film, the namesake. The namesake 2006 hindi film bollywood movie indian cinema dvd. While the parents maintain the customs of their bengali heritage, the two children. Sahira nair as sonia ganguli glenne headly as lydia ratliff daniel gerroll as gerald ratliff 122 minutesrated pg for sexualitynudity, a scene of drug use, some disturbing images and brief language. Kal penn, irrfan khan, tabu, jacinda barrett, zuleikha robinson, brooke smith, sahira nair, jagannath guha, ruma guha thakurta.
The namesake 2006 hindi film bollywood movie indian. Years later, gogol kal penn is a teen who gets grief from others about his name, unlike his younger sister, sonia sahira nair. The book looks at the themes of family, identity, parental love, and nostalgia. Jhumpa lahiris 2003 novel the namesake begins with gogols birth in a. The namesake 12 directed by mira nair written by sooni taraporevala, based on the novel by jhumpa lahiri starring. He received recognition for his roles in the warrior 2001, maqbool 2003, haasil 2004, the namesake 2006, a mighty heart 2007, slumdog millionaire 2008, billu 2009, new york 2009, new. The namesake is a family drama about the gangulis, who came to usa from india in order to experience a world of limitless opportunities. Theatre and television kept him afloat until mira nair offered him a cameo in salaam bombay 1988 though his role was edited out in the final film. The namesake is probably not the kind of film to attract the 15 to 24 male demographic theyre still lining up to see 300 but it does have thoughtful appeal for the mature moviegoer. Attentive to surfaces as well as nuances, mira nair s adaptation of jhumpa lahiris novel, the namesake, is about legacies and responsibilities, ambitions and dislocations. The namesake by mira nair kal penn, tabu, irfan khan. After gogol comes daughter sonia sahira nair, monsoon wedding and a. Sahira nair photos, including production stills, premiere photos and other event photos, publicity photos, behindthescenes, and more. The film revolves around the life of a boy born to indian immigrants who tries to fit in with new yorkers.
Author of books ken russells films, charlie chan at the movies, a critical guide to horror film series. Above all, we loved namesake s poignant story of two bengali immigrants to the u. Mira nairs the namesake, based on jhumpa lahiris novel, conveys a palpable sense of people as living, breathing creatures who are. In this moment, amid wreckage and noise and moaning survivors, the namesake begins again. The lowestpriced brandnew, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging where packaging is applicable. Kal penn as gogol ganguli irfan khan as ashoke ganguli tabu as ashima ganguli jacinda barrett as maxine ratliff zuleikha robinson as moushumi mazumdar sahira nair as sonia ganguli glenne headly as lydia ratliff daniel gerroll as. May 31, 2011 the film club is screening mira nair s the namesake on monday, june at 6. I read the namesake about two months ago when i found out that there was a movie version coming out very soon.
The namesake is a 2006 englishlanguage drama film directed by mira nair and written by sooni taraporevala based on the novel the namesake by jhumpa lahiri. It was one of the most memorable roles khan played as. Although im not a big fan of the way books culminate. Kal penn, tabu, irfan khan, jacinda barrett, sahira nair, zuleikha robinson, brooke smith directed by. Based on a novel by jhumpa lahiri, the namesake explores life in a cold, foreign land and how a family comes together to deal with it, something that is both comforting, and constricting for. The major focus of the movie is on the son kal penn born in new york and named gogol after the russian author.
The namesake is a bittersweet tail of self acceptance and family. She explains how photographs help her crystallize the visual style of her films and which particular photos influenced her vision for the namesake. Nairs ambitious the namesake is her adaptation of the national book awardwinning novel by jhumpa lahiri, telling of the journey of an indianamerican architect and his parents from calcutta to new york. The namesake 2006 five offbeat movies by tabu you must. Director mira nair vanity fair, a monsoon wedding does an incredible job telling this complicated story that spans two continents and two generations. Mira nair s the namesake, based on jhumpa lahiris novel, conveys a palpable sense of people as living, breathing creatures who are far more complex than their words might indicate. In the lead role is kal penn, here rescued from the dumb comedies he has been trapped in since he played a certain burgerseeking new jerseyite. The struggle that ashoke and ashima face in raising their children is in passing along the values of indian culture. Mira nairs the namesake, based on jhumpa lahiris novel, conveys a. Ashoke smiles, my grandfather said thats what books are for, to travel without moving an inch.
Overview of namesake, the, 2006, directed by mira nair, with michael countryman, jhumpa lahiri, jagannath guha, at turner classic movies. Based on the book by pulitzer prizewinner jhumpa lahiri, sooni taraporevala s screenplay follows the son of indian immigrants who wants to fit in with new york society, but struggles to get away from his familys traditional ways. Among her best known films are mississippi masala, kama sutra. The film was released in the united states on 9 march 2007, following screenings at film festivals in toronto and new york. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy.
To get the technical side of the film out of the way, the namesake is exquisitely done. Although im not a big fan of the way books culminate, most of the. Apr 29, 2020 the filmmaker mira nair first tried to get irrfan khan to appear in one of her movies when he was a drama student in delhi. The namesake is an interesting look at two generations of a family that moved from india to the united states. After everyone going gaga over this book, i finally decided to give it a read.
Mira nair introduced the film, along with nitin sawhney, who wrote the score. The international indian film academy awards takes place in toronto from june 2325. Like her previous films vanity fair, monsoon wedding, and hbos hysterical blindness, mira nairs the namesake is a lush, beautiful film bursting with rich color and visual texture. I began thinking of some of the characters about a decade ago, soon after i finished my first book, and before i really even began working on my novel, the namesake, which came after that first. Mira nair born 15 october 1957 is an indianamerican filmmaker based in new york city. All actors kal penn, tabu, irrfan khan, jacinda barrett, zuleikha robinson, brooke smith, sahira nair, jagannath guha, ruma guha thakurta, sandip deb, sukanya, tanushree shankar show all the namesake quotes 7 quotes. The best movie quotes, movie lines and film phrases by movie quotes. Some of the best movies about the american experience have come from filmmakers born. The film club is screening mira nairs the namesake on monday, june. Gogol returns home to help ashima pack the house when he finds the book ashoke gave him as a. One of the most memorable roles irrfan khan played was ashoke ganguli in mira nairs the namesake and one of the most memorable lines he said in that film was to his son, gogol. At first it is arguable that the main character is very unlikable as played by kal penn, however he goes on a journey through the film that further humanizes him. If it werent for photography, i wouldnt be a filmmaker. But gogol and his sister, sonia played by sahira nair, suit the story that ms.
Its a tie between jhumpa lahiris the namesake and mira nairs screen version a novel that details the generational confusions of an immigrant family. The movie featured tabu, irrfan khan, kal penn and sahira nair in lead roles. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. Mar 09, 2007 mira nairs the namesake, based on jhumpa lahiris novel, conveys a palpable sense of people as living, breathing creatures who are far more complex than their words might indicate. A portrait of the film based on the novel by jhumpa lahiri newmarket pictorial moviebooks mira nair, jhumpa lahiri on. Apr 01, 2007 the namesake, adapted by sooni taraporevala from a book by the pulitzer prizewinning novelist jhumpa lahiri, is about the hopes, disappointments, pains and consolations of life over some 40 years. The namesake directed by mira nair available on dvd. Sahira nair is known for her work on the darjeeling limited 2007, monsoon wedding 2001 and the namesake 2006. Packaging should be the same as what is found in a retail store, unless the item is handmade or was packaged by the manufacturer in nonretail packaging, such as an unprinted box or plastic bag. Based on a wellreceived novel, the story revolves around a bengali family whose mother and father have immigrated to america to give their children an opportunity for a life with limitless possibilities. It stars tabu, irrfan khan, kal penn and sahira nair. The namesake by jhumpa lahiri book club discussion. With exceptional performances, a perfectionist directors. Mira nair and irrfan khan at the premiere of the namesake in new delhi.
Mar 28, 2007 a special the namesake conversation between the director mira nair and the novelist jhumpa lahiri. I admit that i loved the book, and therefore have been looking forward to this film for a while. Starring kal penn yes, the guy from the harold and kumar films, tabu, irrfan khan, jacinda barrett, zuleikha robinson, and sahira nair, this touching film explores how a firstgeneration immigrant family from. Mira nair s new film, the namesake, seeks to expound on that idea by showing how a family can live through, overcome, and circumvent them. The namesake, adapted by sooni taraporevala from a book by the pulitzer prizewinning novelist jhumpa lahiri, is about the hopes, disappointments, pains and consolations of life over some 40 years. Above all, we loved namesakes poignant story of two bengali immigrants to the u. From here the story is supposed to belong to the gangulis hyphenated american children, gogol kal penn. John and i tried to get rights to turn the book into the film, but mira nair. It shows the americanization of the parents and children in a not too flattering light. Even so, and due to being born in the states, both kids are far more comfortable with american culture than their parents.
Structurally, it constructs identification with the parents, allowing the viewer to see them in ways that their son gogol and daughter sonia sahira nair do not. The novel was adapted into a movie starring tabu, irrfan khan, kal penn, and sahira nair in 2006. Apr 30, 2007 the namesake starts by establishing how ashoke ganguli irfan khan and his wife ashima tabu met, moved to the united states, and then started a family. Gogol is the namesake and epicenter of the book, but the filmmakers give. Attentive to surfaces as well as nuances, mira nairs adaptation of jhumpa lahiris novel, the namesake, is about legacies and responsibilities, ambitions and dislocations. The namesake directed by mira nair available on dvd alibris. And while the substantial part she offered him in salaam bombay. Finding america, losing home pulitzer prize winning author jhumpa lahiris discusses unaccustomed earth, her new collection of short stories.
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