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. The namesake by jhumpa lahiri overdrive rakuten overdrive. 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. The namesake 2003 is the first novel by american author jhumpa lahiri. In 2006, the namesake was adapted into a film directed by mira nair by the same title. Sep 16, 2003 the namesake follows the ganguli family through its journey from calcutta to cambridge to the boston suburbs. 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. This coming friday, march 9, the movie based on jhumpa lahiris the namesake opens. The namesake is a family drama about the gangulis, who came to usa from india in order to experience a world of limitless opportunities. The namesake is a story of the power of a name and of family. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the namesake. For example, she has maxine show up at an indian memorial service in a dressy. Mira nair born 15 october 1957 is an indianamerican filmmaker based in new york city. We provide detailed listings of all authors and charactersseries in both publication order and chronological order.
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. A tale of love, the namesake, the golden lion winning monsoon wedding, and salaam. Nair s daughter, sahira, is the adult sonia and romes zuleikha robinson portrays another of gogols love interests. As movie adaptations of books go, the film adaptation is very faithful to. One of the ways the novel differs from the movie is the order in which events are. In the namesake, lahiri introduces the ganguli family who find themselves in cambridge, massachusetts where husband ashoke pursues graduate studies in engineering at mit. Identity of an immigrant is the most important uniform they have in their ventures to adapt to a new society. Based on the bestselling book by jhumpa lahiri, the film follows two generations of the ganguli family. 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. 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. Director mira nair vanity fair, a monsoon wedding does an incredible job telling this complicated story that spans two continents and two generations. The book looks at the themes of family, identity, parental love, and nostalgia. Take a boy, born in the late 1960s to indian parents living in the american suburbs, far from their native calcutta.
Bought after reading the book the namesake i was looking forward to a treat. 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. The story is that of the gangulis ashoke irfan khan and wife ashima tabu, kolkata calcutta immigrants to the u. Amy tanwhen her grandmother learned of ashimas pregnancy, she was particularly thrilled at the prospect of naming the familys first sahib. Years later, gogol kal penn is a teen who gets grief from others about his name, unlike his younger sister, sonia sahira nair.
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. 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. I admit that i loved the book, and therefore have been looking forward to this film for a while. Nair in the namesake 2006 tabu at an event for the namesake 2006. A namesake is a person or thing named after someone or something else namesake may also refer to. 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. The namesake is a 2006 indianamerican drama film which was released in the united states on 9 march 2007, following. Among her best known films are mississippi masala, kama sutra. The namesake short story, by willa cather the namesake, childrens book by c.
Mira nair introduced the film, along with nitin sawhney, who wrote the score. The namesake follows the ganguli family through its journey from calcutta to cambridge to the boston suburbs. Dev patel, saurabh shukla, anil kapoor and kal penn. Indeed, there are times when you wish the movie were a miniseries. Nair excels in what is her most personal work to date. The namesake summary from litcharts the creators of sparknotes.
Kal penn, irrfan khan, tabu, jacinda barrett, zuleikha robinson, brooke smith, sahira nair, jagannath guha, ruma guha. 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. Jan 16, 2004 the namesake by jhumpa lahiri 304pp, flamingo. When he was born, his father gave him his pet name, gogul, which would eventually become his good name. I saw the namesake at the 22nd october screening at the london film festival. 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. Firstgeneration american, from an early age he must learn to mediate between his roots and modernity in order to find his own identity.
Sep 01, 2004 the namesake takes the ganguli family from their traditionbound life in calcutta through their fraught transformation into americans. 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. 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. Through a series of miscues, their sons nickname, gogol named after ukrainian author nikolai gogol, becomes his official birth name, an event. The namesake by jhumpa lahiri reading is my superpower. 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. The namesake takes the ganguli family from their traditionbound life in calcutta through their fraught transformation into americans. His name held a great depth of meaning for his father. 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. Upon his graduation, ashoke gave his son a book by nikolai gogul, nicks namesake. Lahiri more than fulfills the promise of her auspicious. Jhumpa lahiris first novel, the namesake, begins with a recipe. Welcome to the most comprehensive website on the internet for listing books in order. 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.
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. Nair s approach is sometimes too heavyhanded in the namesake. The apprentice of tycho brahe by artemus namesake and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Extraordinarya book that spins gold out of the straw of ordinary lives. It stars tabu, irrfan khan, kal penn and sahira nair. A young indian boy living in new jersey rebels against his traditional parents and struggles with identity and love. His parents ashima and ashoke are played by tabu and irrfan khan respectively.
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. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. His parents were married in india before coming to america where his father was attending college. The namesake has a scope that many multigenerational stories lack.
But the present film is a far more poignant effort. The namesake shop online for movies, dvds in japan. Jhumpa lahiri has said of the namesake, america is a real presence in the book. The namesake, an episode of the american police procedural. Kal penn blogs about the namesake welcome to the namesake dvd. Mira nairs essay, photographs as inspiration, begins with the provocative. The namesake is based on a bestselling 2003 novel by jhumpa lahiri and has been beautifully adapted for the screen by sooni taraporevala. I think of this book as reflecting an intricate relationship in a family originally from a culture quite different from that in the u. 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. Do you agree that america is a real presence in the namesake. The namesake, an episode of the american police procedural drama ncis, this disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title namesake. Goodreads members who liked the namesake also liked. A portrait of the film based on the novel by jhumpa. Buy the namesake book online at low prices in india the.
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. I know this book and specially the author, doenst need any introduction here amongst this elite group of readers. The namesake is a 2006 englishlanguage drama film directed by mira nair and written by. Rentals include 30 days to start watching this video and 48 hours to finish once started. Have you read her book of short stories, interpreter of maladies. The namesake, a 2006 drama film, based on the novel. Jhumpa lahiri, the author of interpreter of maladies and the namesake, has been. 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 by jhumpa lahiri book club discussion.
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. Find books like the namesake from the worlds largest community of readers. Nair has previously traced the pleasures and perils of leaving home in mississippi masala 1991 and the perez family 1995. Kal penn, tabu, irfan khan, jacinda barrett, sahira nair, zuleikha robinson, brooke smith directed by. 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. 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. They have another child, a girl called sonia who is acted by sahira nair. The namesake is the story of a boy brought up indian in america. 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. 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.
This image, of nearindian food being made with american ingredients, is a fitting symbol of ashimas early years in boston. Zoe saldana, director reed morano team for sabaya, backstory of the 2015 u. Irrfan khan and soham chatterjee in the namesake 2006 sofia coppola at an. Her production company, mirabai films, specializes in films for international audiences on indian society, whether in the economic, social or cultural spheres. The namesake is a finetuned, intimate, and deeply felt novel of identity. I read the namesake about two months ago when i found out that there was a movie version coming out very soon. Still the namesake sat about for a while as a to be read tbr i. Click to read more about the namesake by jhumpa lahiri. The namesake is directed by mira nair, with jhumpa lahiri helping out with the screenplay along with sooni taraporevala.
The books of raskura series revolves around the character of moon. 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. While gogol begins a personal war with his world, rejecting his given name, dating a rich american girl and enrolling at yale. Often, it takes a miniseries to develop the kind of rapport with the characters that nair achieves in a mere two hours. Every detail, every observation, every sentence rings with the clarity of truth. The namesake 2006 begins and ends with a young man reading a book by gogol while riding on a train. That description certainly applies to jhumpa lahiris novel the namesake, the basis for mira nairs new movie.
The film was released in the united states on 9 march 2007, following screenings at film festivals in toronto and new york city. 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. On the heels of their arranged wedding, ashoke and ashima ganguli settle together in cambridge, massachusetts. I heard a rumor that she has another book of short stories coming out in the spring. It tells the story of a young couple who have an arranged marriage in calcutta and. The namesake film wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. Her lush palette lends her films a throbbing physicality that invites you to step into the screen and embrace the sensuous here and now. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. After touring the festival circuit last year, our film opened globally including north america in march of this year, and i m proud to bring you the dvd. 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. The film was produced by indian, american and japanese studios. 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. Original essays and glorious photography, stunningly designed in this.
The namesake speaks to the universal struggle to extricate ourselves from the past. In the namesake, everybody is just a little bit lost. Even so, and due to being born in the states, both kids are far more comfortable with american culture than their parents. A special the namesake conversation between the director mira nair and the novelist jhumpa lahiri. I have a college friend who is from india, so much like you, lahiris books really speak to me. 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. The novel was adapted into a movie starring tabu, irrfan khan, kal penn, and sahira nair in 2006. Director mira nair and actor kal penn discuss the film. There is a movie too which stars irrfan khan and tabu which isnt bad either, though reading the book would always be recommended. This is a project that has been close to me from the beginning. Ashoke died of a massive cardiac arrest when his son gogol was in his twenties. 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. 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. It was originally a novel published in the new yorker and was later expanded to a.
Mira nairs sprawling, engrossing saga the namesake, like the. 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. 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. On imdb tv, you can catch hollywood hits and popular tv series at no cost. The summer before he begins college at yale, gogol tells his parents that he wants to change his name to nikhil. Each time, reading the account of akakys christening, and the series of queer names. 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.
The namesake 2006 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. In 2007, nair was asked to direct harry potter and the order of the phoenix, but turned it down to work on the namesake. Kal penn plays gogol, who the title of the movie is after. And i loved that the writers gave a vocation to ashima in the movie, unlike in the book. In striving to enrich the lives of all readers, teachingbooks supports the first amendment and celebrates the right to read. John and i tried to get rights to turn the book into the film, but mira nair, director of.
A multiregion player may be required in order to play this disc in this part of the world. Ashoke is forwardthinking, ready to enter into american culture if not fully at least with an open mind. And so ashima and ashoke have agreed to put off the decision of what to name the baby until a letter comes. Latest headlines avengers star pom klementieff is the latest to join christopher mcquarries mission. 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. When her grandmother learned of ashimas pregnancy, she was particularly thrilled at the prospect of naming the familys first sahib. The namesake is mira nair s ninth feature, and i suspect the one closest to her heart. The family shifts to america from calcutta and thus the story starts unravelling.
The namesake is a diasporic novel that traces the story of the ganguli family. 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. 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. Chapter 1 1968 on a sticky august evening two weeks before her due date, ashima ganguli stands in the kitchen of a central square apartment, combining rice krispies and planters peanuts and chopped red onion in a bowl. Did the namesake allow you to think of america in a new way. In the namesake, the parents take their children back to visit india. Published in 2003, the namesake continues her exploration of the cultural dissonance experienced by first and second generation bengali immigrants to the united states. We currently have 3355 authors listed on the site and 2719 charactersseries with more added each day. The namesake by jhumpa lahiri read online on bookmate. Irrfan khan and soham chatterjee in the namesake 2006 mira nair in the.
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