A young indian boy living in new jersey rebels against his traditional parents and struggles with identity and love. Latest headlines avengers star pom klementieff is the latest to join christopher mcquarries mission. One of the ways the novel differs from the movie is the order in which events are. I know this book and specially the author, doenst need any introduction here amongst this elite group of readers. The namesake merits special attention because here nair explores the question of living in between worlds, of being tugged by a longing for roots and being yanked by. The namesake has a scope that many multigenerational stories lack. The namesake by jhumpa lahiri, stresses the importance of name and identity and has been the underlying force that dictated the characters believe and decision making throughout the book.
March 9, 2007 in the namesake, the film based on the bestselling novel by jhumpa lahiri, a family from india struggles with the immigrant experience and. The namesake is the story of two generations of the gangulis, a family of indian immigrants to the united states when we first meet ashoke and ashima ganguli they are living in a small apartment in cambridge, massachusetts, about to welcome their first child into the world. Years later, gogol kal penn is a teen who gets grief from others about his name, unlike his younger sister, sonia sahira nair. The namesake is a story of the power of a name and of family. Mira nair born 15 october 1957 is an indianamerican filmmaker based in new york city. Through a series of miscues, their sons nickname, gogol named after ukrainian author nikolai gogol, becomes his official birth name, an event. Her lush palette lends her films a throbbing physicality that invites you to step into the screen and embrace the sensuous here and now. The namesake, an episode of the american police procedural. Practically every character struggles with his or her identity, because practically every character feels the tug and pull of different cultures, different traditions, and different dreams. Kal penn plays gogol, who the title of the movie is after.
Find books like the namesake from the worlds largest community of readers. Nair s approach is sometimes too heavyhanded in the namesake. Only in order to be released from their hospital in cambridge, massachusetts, they must break with bengali custom and give their son an official name on that pesky birth certificate. Mira nairs essay, photographs as inspiration, begins with the provocative. Color is the stuff of life in the movies of mira nair, the indianborn director whose newest film, the namesake, follows two generations of a bengali family from late1970s calcutta to new. Extraordinarya book that spins gold out of the straw of ordinary lives.
The namesake, a 2006 drama film, based on the novel. Mira nair s last film, monsoon wedding, was not only a lot of fun, it was also a perceptive look at crosscultural confusion, tracking the travails of an americanized indian guy back in. Jul 01, 2004 the namesake is the story of a boy brought up indian in america, from the kind of writer who makes you want to grab the next person and say read this. But the present film is a far more poignant effort. Take a boy, born in the late 1960s to indian parents living in the american suburbs, far from their native calcutta. Often, it takes a miniseries to develop the kind of rapport with the characters that nair achieves in a mere two hours. Goodreads members who liked the namesake also liked. And i loved that the writers gave a vocation to ashima in the movie, unlike in the book.
March 9, 2007 in the namesake, the film based on the bestselling novel by jhumpa lahiri, a family from india struggles with the immigrant experience and the meaning of identity. The namesake shop online for movies, dvds in japan. Nair excels in what is her most personal work to date. The namesake summary from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. The namesake by jhumpa lahiri book club discussion. Rentals include 30 days to start watching this video and 48 hours to finish once started. Jhumpa lahiri, the author of interpreter of maladies and the namesake, has been.
The namesake is a 2006 drama film directed by mira nair and written by sooni taraporevala based on the novel the namesake by jhumpa lahiri. Sep 01, 2004 the namesake takes the ganguli family from their traditionbound life in calcutta through their fraught transformation into americans. 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. In the namesake, lahiri introduces the ganguli family who find themselves in cambridge, massachusetts where husband ashoke pursues graduate studies in engineering at mit. 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.
Sep 16, 2003 the namesake follows the ganguli family through its journey from calcutta to cambridge to the boston suburbs. Mira nair mira nair s the namesake, adapted from the jhumpa lahiri novel of the same name, tells the story of two generations of the ganguli family, providing a glimpse at the immigrant experience in america. I saw the namesake at the 22nd october screening at the london film festival. Welcome to the most comprehensive website on the internet for listing books in order. This is a project that has been close to me from the beginning.
In the first moments of chapter 1, ashima is using american ingredients like rice krispies and peanuts to make an imitation of a snack she used to enjoy in india. Mira nair s film is called the namesake which immediately focuses our attention toward the value of names and naming and that theme is explored occasionally within the film, but to slip even. Identity of an immigrant is the most important uniform they have in their ventures to adapt to a new society. As movie adaptations of books go, the film adaptation is very faithful to. Of partiuclar significance is the relationship between gogol after reading the book it seemed to me that he would have after all liked to have been gogol and his father. Kal penn, tabu, irfan khan, jacinda barrett, sahira nair, zuleikha robinson, brooke smith directed by. His parents ashima and ashoke are played by tabu and irrfan khan respectively. Zoe saldana, director reed morano team for sabaya, backstory of the 2015 u.
Amy tanwhen her grandmother learned of ashimas pregnancy, she was particularly thrilled at the prospect of naming the familys first sahib. Reviewing the russian connection he had been traumatized since the accident claustrophobia and nightmares brought back haunting memories of that train accident throughout his life till his death in the usa. The summer before he begins college at yale, gogol tells his parents that he wants to change his name to nikhil. When he was born, his father gave him his pet name, gogul, which would eventually become his good name. Of course, if you give the books of the raksura series a real chance, you might be surprised to find that, while the books definitely replicate a couple of tropes, the world martha wells creates and the stories she tells in the series are unique and competently crafted. Her production company, mirabai films, specializes in films for international audiences on indian society, whether in the economic, social or cultural spheres. Jhumpa lahiris first novel, the namesake, begins with a recipe. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
With the tagline, two worlds, one journey, the movie is directed by mira nair and stars tabu, irfan khan, kal penn, zuleikha robinson, jacinda barrett and sahira nair. Color is the stuff of life in the movies of mira nair, the indian born director whose newest film, the namesake, follows two generations of a. Sep 01, 2004 i ordered the namesake after greatly appreciating unaccustomed earth which had me reaching for a notebook to capture forever some wonderful quotes from it. This image, of nearindian food being made with american ingredients, is a fitting symbol of ashimas early years in boston.
The namesake 2006 begins and ends with a young man reading a book by gogol while riding on a train. Nair in the namesake 2006 tabu at an event for the namesake 2006. And so ashima and ashoke have agreed to put off the decision of what to name the baby until a letter comes. The books of raskura series revolves around the character of moon. For example, she has maxine show up at an indian memorial service in a dressy. I heard a rumor that she has another book of short stories coming out in the spring. The namesake takes the ganguli family from their traditionbound life in calcutta through their fraught transformation into americans. Based on the book by pulitzer prize winner 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. The namesake is the story of a boy brought up indian in america.
The namesake film wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. Indeed, there are times when you wish the movie were a miniseries. Upon his graduation, ashoke gave his son a book by nikolai gogul, nicks namesake. Nair s daughter, sahira, is the adult sonia and romes zuleikha robinson portrays another of gogols love interests. If you want to study the difference between bollywood and serious indian filmmakers, endure vipul shahs namastey london, which opened here last week, and then enjoy mira nairs the namesake, which opens this week. A special the namesake conversation between the director mira nair and the novelist jhumpa lahiri.
The film takes place primarily in kolkata, new york city and new york state suburbs the story begins as ashoke and ashima leave calcutta and settle in. I read the namesake about two months ago when i found out that there was a movie version coming out very soon. Firstgeneration american, from an early age he must learn to mediate between his roots and modernity in order to find his own identity. I admit that i loved the book, and therefore have been looking forward to this film for a while. The family shifts to america from calcutta and thus the story starts unravelling. In her small apartment kitchen in cambridge, massachusetts, ashima ganguli is mixing together rice krispies, peanuts, diced onion, salt, lemon juice and chili peppers in a humble approximation of a snack she used to buy in calcutta. Lahiri more than fulfills the promise of her auspicious. The namesake 2003 is the first novel by american author jhumpa lahiri.
The calm, pellucid grace of her prose, the sustained stretch of crystal clear writing, its elegant pianissimo tone, pulls the reader from beginning to end in one neat arc. In the namesake, everybody is just a little bit lost. Director mira nair and actor kal penn discuss the film. The namesake speaks to the universal struggle to extricate ourselves from the past. Do you agree that america is a real presence in the namesake. On imdb tv, you can catch hollywood hits and popular tv series at no cost. The namesake, an episode of the american police procedural drama ncis, this disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title namesake. A portrait of the film based on the novel by jhumpa. It stars tabu, irrfan khan, kal penn and sahira nair.
Each time, reading the account of akakys christening, and the series of queer names. The film was released in the united states on 9 march 2007, following screenings at film festivals in toronto and new york city. It tells the story of a young couple who have an arranged marriage in calcutta and. Original essays and glorious photography, stunningly designed in this. The namesake is a 2006 indianamerican drama film which was released in the united states on 9 march 2007, following.
This coming friday, march 9, the movie based on jhumpa lahiris the namesake opens. Dev patel, saurabh shukla, anil kapoor and kal penn. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. In 2007, nair was asked to direct harry potter and the order of the phoenix, but turned it down to work on the namesake. I have a college friend who is from india, so much like you, lahiris books really speak to me. Kal penn, irrfan khan, tabu, jacinda barrett, zuleikha robinson, brooke smith, sahira nair, jagannath guha, ruma guha. Still the namesake sat about for a while as a to be read tbr i. The story is that of the gangulis ashoke irfan khan and wife ashima tabu, kolkata calcutta immigrants to the u.
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. Mira nairs sprawling, engrossing saga the namesake, like the. On the heels of their arranged wedding, ashoke and ashima ganguli settle together in cambridge, massachusetts. John and i tried to get rights to turn the book into the film, but mira nair, director of. It was originally a novel published in the new yorker and was later expanded to a. Mira nair introduced the film, along with nitin sawhney, who wrote the score. That description certainly applies to jhumpa lahiris novel the namesake, the basis for mira nairs new movie. Jan 16, 2004 the namesake by jhumpa lahiri 304pp, flamingo. The namesake by jhumpa lahiri reading is my superpower. Nair has previously traced the pleasures and perils of leaving home in mississippi masala 1991 and the perez family 1995. Ashima and ashoke ganguli arrive in america at the end of the 1960s, shortly after their arranged marriage in calcutta, in order for ashoke to finish his engineering degree at mit.
The namesake by jhumpa lahiri read online on bookmate. It tells the story of a young couple who have an arranged marriage in calcutta and move to new york, where they discover each other and their new country, and have two children. The namesake 2006 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Director mira nair vanity fair, a monsoon wedding does an incredible job telling this complicated story that spans two continents and two generations. The apprentice of tycho brahe by artemus namesake and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The namesake is mira nair s ninth feature, and i suspect the one closest to her heart.
Irrfan khan and soham chatterjee in the namesake 2006 mira nair in the. Kal penn blogs about the namesake welcome to the namesake dvd. Among her best known films are mississippi masala, kama sutra. The film was produced by indian, american and japanese studios.
Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers all about the namesake by jhumpa lahiri. Irrfan khan and soham chatterjee in the namesake 2006 sofia coppola at an. Based on the bestselling book by jhumpa lahiri, the film follows two generations of the ganguli family. The namesake is based on a bestselling 2003 novel by jhumpa lahiri and has been beautifully adapted for the screen by sooni taraporevala. The novel was adapted into a movie starring tabu, irrfan khan, kal penn, and sahira nair in 2006. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the namesake. The namesake short story, by willa cather the namesake, childrens book by c. In striving to enrich the lives of all readers, teachingbooks supports the first amendment and celebrates the right to read. His name held a great depth of meaning for his father. Color is the stuff of life in the movies of mira nair, the indianborn director whose newest film, the namesake, follows two generations of a bengali family from late1970s calcutta to new york city. A namesake is a person or thing named after someone or something else namesake may also refer to. Ashoke died of a massive cardiac arrest when his son gogol was in his twenties. Buy the namesake book online at low prices in india the.
In august 1968, ashoke and ashima ganguli welcome their brand new baby boy into the world. While gogol begins a personal war with his world, rejecting his given name, dating a rich american girl and enrolling at yale. 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. I enjoyed the film but, as often is the case, i found it to fall short of the book, whose power made me an instant fan of lahiris watch for a cameo appearance by her in the film as aunt jhumpa. Click to read more about the namesake by jhumpa lahiri.
In the namesake, the parents take their children back to visit india. Every detail, every observation, every sentence rings with the clarity of truth. Bought after reading the book the namesake i was looking forward to a treat. 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. Have you read her book of short stories, interpreter of maladies. Published in 2003, the namesake continues her exploration of the cultural dissonance experienced by first and second generation bengali immigrants to the united states. A multiregion player may be required in order to play this disc in this part of the world. Packed with unique characters, the namesake offers audiences an outlet into bengali traditions and the immigrant experience while telling a universal story of family bonds which all parents and children should connect with. Jhumpa lahiri has said of the namesake, america is a real presence in the book. The namesake is a family drama about the gangulis, who came to usa from india in order to experience a world of limitless opportunities. A tale of love, the namesake, the golden lion winning monsoon wedding, and salaam. I think of this book as reflecting an intricate relationship in a family originally from a culture quite different from that in the u. His parents were married in india before coming to america where his father was attending college. 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.
The namesake is a diasporic novel that traces the story of the ganguli family. The book looks at the themes of family, identity, parental love, and nostalgia. The namesake depicts the struggles of ashoke and ashima ganguli irrfan khan and tabu, firstgeneration immigrants from the east indian state of west bengal to the united states, and their americanborn children gogol and sonia sahira nair. Like her previous films vanity fair, monsoon wedding, and hbos hysterical blindness, mira nair s the namesake is a lush, beautiful film bursting with rich color and visual texture.
We currently have 3355 authors listed on the site and 2719 charactersseries with more added each day. In 2006, the namesake was adapted into a film directed by mira nair by the same title. If you havent read the book i think you might find it quite hard to understand, so many of the important moments in the book which give it structure are passed by in a flash. They have another child, a girl called sonia who is acted by sahira nair. We provide detailed listings of all authors and charactersseries in both publication order and chronological order. The namesake is a 2006 englishlanguage drama film directed by mira nair and written by. In the intervening two hours the story char ts a period of about twentyeight years covering how the initiallyseen young man, ashoke ganguli, survives a disastrous train wreck, marries a fellow bengali indian woman, and comes to america to study, work, and raise a family.
There is a movie too which stars irrfan khan and tabu which isnt bad either, though reading the book would always be recommended. The namesake follows the ganguli family through its journey from calcutta to cambridge to the boston suburbs. Ashoke is forwardthinking, ready to enter into american culture if not fully at least with an open mind. The namesake is a finetuned, intimate, and deeply felt novel of identity. The namesake by jhumpa lahiri overdrive rakuten overdrive. Even so, and due to being born in the states, both kids are far more comfortable with american culture than their parents.
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