Screening The Namesake

[Due to my help on The Namesake premiere back in November, at the IAAC Film Festival, the film's distributor, Fox Searchlight, kindly gave the IAAC volunteers several opportunities to screen the film well before the domestic opening. I had been waiting impatiently for over 3 months. Even cutting a trip short to be in town for the screening. Thank you to Fox Searchlight, it was well worth the wait.]

As I approached the Fox Entertainment building on 6th Avenue last month I realized I had not spoken with my Father or Mother in 4 days (one of the longest lengths of time I've gone without speaking to them since I'd been in New York). I began to reach for my phone and thought; do I really want to get into 20 questions right now? 'How come you haven't called?! Are you sleeping right? How is your health? Did you call London to speak to Ba? Are you wearing a hat in this weather? Did you email that boy I was telling you about?' My hand retracted from my bag and the sweet sentiment I had only seconds before was quickly subdued. I decided to hold off on calling home til later.

On the surface Jhumpa Lahiri's story is one of a Bengali couple immigrating to New York, but truly it is one of love and identity, one that anyone who has straddled two cultures can empathize with. With Mira Nair directing I felt even more of a kinship with this film. I have admired Nair for a long time - not only is she an Indian making films for an American audience but she is also a woman. When I saw Salaam Bombay! I was 9 years old. The film enlightened me in many ways. I was and still am an American girl, but in my heart I am firstly an Indian. So watching, for the first time, the lives of slum children in Mumbai, it was as though somebody uncovered the veil from my eyes. And it was around that time I realized it was possible for a girl of my ethnicity to one day express her own vision. With Lahiri and Nair working together I knew the result would be something very special, but I had no idea.

I entered a small theater that sat about twenty people. We were given packets before the screening that explained the anatomy of the film, along with bios on the cast. The lights soon dimmed and with no previews the opening credits appeared and Nitin Sawney's score filled the theater. Nearly an hour and a half later I soaked a handful of napkins and dampened my sleeve. I could say that this film is universal and will touch anyone from any background, and that would be true. But there is no denying the personal connection I felt, seeing faces with a color like mine, clothes like mine, parents with the same accents, the same nuances, the same religion and so forth. These are the things that gripped me because I had never before seen them in this way, on this grand scale. I saw my own family in those characters, only they weren't characters, they were quite real and they touched me very deeply.


The film is set in two locations, Calcutta and New York. It transitions back and forth several times which is a big risk as it can often distract the viewer. However, it is done seamlessly and successfully, never cheating either location of its beauty, grandeur and feeling of home. Bridges have strong symbolism, which Nair uses to transition and also to signify the intersection of both worlds. But the heart of the film is not in the location rather it is in the people, and it is the people that open our eyes to places we've known before, as if we're seeing it for the first time. Whether we see Indian immigrants coming to a cold and gray New York or American children seeing the magnificent Taj Mahal, we are always on a journey. The Namesake is about discovery, not only of one's own self and culture, but of those who we love the most. A family bond is an enigmatic treasure, as we have not chosen them and they have not chosen us. Just as our names, which we never choose but are given, we carry with us for the rest of our lives.

After I left the theater I walked around the city for a while. It was 9:30pm and a biting 16 degrees. I thought about the film and naturally my parents were also in my thoughts. What I saw was nothing I had not known before but it was a reminder, a reminder of where I'm from and how I came to be where I was at that very moment. I reached for my phone and selected 'home' under my list of contacts, "Rakhee, vy haven't you called? I don't know vhere you are, if you're safe or what. It sounds as though you are outside...arr you outside?? It's too late, it's not safe there in that city. Did you get a hat?..."

Highlights:

-The chemistry between Irfan Khan (Ashoke Ganguli) and Tabu (Ashima Ganguli) is amazing. Arranged marriage is a strange system to everyone including those involved. The commitment and eternal bond that develops in these relationships can be a mysterious dynamic but they are just as beautiful and romantic as any love story. Sometimes I find that the simple interactions such as eye contact or an embrace in the absence of sexual gestures, is much more sensual. Khan and Tabu truly convey a deep love.

-Nitin Sawney's score cradles the film throughout. Beautifully edited to the music the film picks up and grips us at moments of emotional impact. Sawney plays to the family saga with heartbreaking symphony and during the Calcutta montage he tickles our rhythmic taste buds with Indian infused drum and bass.

Lowlights:

-I didn't much care for Moushimi's character (Gogol's wife). Though in the book she was portrayed as an Americanized, non-Indian type woman I still wanted to see her "look" more Indian. Not with her clothes or voice or anything like that, just in her presence. I know girls like Moushimi, and though they do not retain much of their culture you still don't overlook the fact that they're Indian. Whether I was to sympathize with her or hate her the feeling was one of indifference. She did nothing for me.

The Namesake will open this Friday to audiences all around America. It will hit more theaters next Friday, March 16. Within the next few weeks there will be several Q&A sessions with Nair and Lahiri, along with other special events related to the film:

Wednesday, March 7, 7:30 p.m.
The Namesake With Mira Nair in person
At AMC Loews Lincoln Square
1998 Broadway at 68 St, Manhattan
$18 Public/$12 Museum Members.

Saturday, March 10, 2007 at 7:00 PM
MIRA NAIR & JHUMPA LAHIRI: A Dialogue
Celeste Bartos Forum LIVE from the NYPL books
$15 general admission SOLD OUT
(Tickets may become available. Sign up for standby starts at 5 pm at the box office).

Tuesday - Saturday, 10am - 6pm
"NAMESAKE / INSPIRATION" @ THE SEPIA GALLERY
An exhibit of photos that inspired director Mira Nair will run from March 9th to April 21st at SEPIA International/The ALKAZI Collection
Address: 148 West 24th Street. Sepia Gallery will be hosting an opening reception March 8th (6-8PM)