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The Namesake
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Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: DVD
Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
EAN: 0024543456087
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Item Dimensions: 100
Label: 20th Century Fox
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), Hindi (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), Spanish (Dubbed),
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
MPN: 2245608
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: 20th Century Fox
Region Code: 1
Release Date: November 27, 2007
Running Time: 122 minutes
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Theatrical Release Date: March 09, 2007
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Editorial Review:
Adapted by screenwriter Sooni Taraporevala from the novel by Jhumpa Lahiri, director Mira Nair's The Nameksake is populated by well-drawn characters and filled with memorable shots and engaging scenes. But in the larger sense, the film is a provocative look at the two sides of immigration: the adjustments faced by a couple who move here from a distant land, and the struggles of their offspring to reconcile their parents' traditional culture with their own distinctly American outlook. The tale begins in the late '70s, when aspiring engineer Ashoke Ganguli (Irfan Khan) and his new wife Ashima (the radiant Tabu) move to New York from Calcutta. Life in America is strange, in ways both good (the gas in their apartment stays on 24 hours a day! You can drink water straight from the tap!) and not-so-hot (New York's winters). But for their children, first son Gogol (a standout performance by Kal Penn, heretofore best known for the stoner comedy Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle), nicknamed for his father's favorite author, the Russian novelist Nikolai Gogol, and then daughter Sonia (Sahira Nair), "the American way" is at odds with their folks' more conservative mores. Gogol (who later adopts his more formal first name, Nikhil) smokes dope, calls his parents "you guys," goes to Yale, and hooks up with a preppie white girl (Jacinda Barrett); for her part, Sonia complains that she wants to "go home" when the family returns to India for a visit. Only when tragedy strikes suddenly does the young man realize how totally alienated from his family he has become, prompting some major changes. There's nothing especially original about any of this, and even those who haven't read the book may sense that some of Lahiri's material has been lost on the way to the screen (the treatment of Gogol's marriage to a beautiful Bengali-American girl, played by Zuleikha Robinson, seems oddly truncated). But even while dealing with life's Big Issues (birth and death, marriage and separation, joy and misery), Nair has created a winning, intimate film that reminds us of the strength of family ties and effortlessly persuades us to care. --Sam Graham
Kal Penn Blogs About The Namesake
 Welcome to The Namesake DVD. 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!
This is a project that has been close to me from the beginning. I was a big fan of the book ever since John Cho recommended it to me during the first Harold & Kumar shoot. John and I tried to get rights to turn the book into the film, but Mira [Nair, director of Monsoon Wedding and Salaam Bombay] had already acquired them. That began a really aggressive campaign on my part to try to get seen for the role. I'd call Mira's office, have my manager call - but we had no luck in getting in the door. Luckily, unbeknownst to me, Mira's son Zohran and her agent's son Sam were lobbying on my behalf (turns out they are huge Harold and Kumar fans, so they were trying to get their parents to bring me in to read for the part of Gogol). Mira finally agreed, and I got a call saying that I'd be able to audition. I flew out to New York, and luckily things worked out.
There are some similarities between my life and Gogol's. We are both Americans of Indian descent, both born and raised on the East Coast, both bilingual, and both passionate about our careers. But Gogol is much more subdued than I am; he carries a certain silence (which he gets from his father). His place in the world is one of constant shift -- a byproduct of being single in New York, being passionate about his job, close with his family, and so on.
This film is my favorite to -date. Mira has been a role model of mine since I was very young, Jhumpa [Lahiri, author of The Namesake] is one of my favorite authors, Sooni [Taraporevala, screenwriter for Salaam Bombay] one of my most admired screenwriters, so it's an honor to have the chance to be part of the screen adaptation of this story.
To me, it's a very American film. It's about family, about hope - about how we all got here, through the lens of this particular family. With so much negativity every time I turn on the television, I'm proud to be part of something that hopefully leaves the audience with a tremendous amount of hope, and a connection to the people we love. -- Kal Penn
American-born Gogol the son of Indian immigrants wants to fit in among his fellow New Yorkers despite his family's unwillingness to let go of their traditional ways. System Requirements:Running Time: 114 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA/AMERICANS ABROAD Rating: PG-13 UPC: 024543456087 Manufacturer No: 2245608
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Absolutely Brilliant
Yet another five-star review for a Mira Nair film. It's apparently the only rating I'm able to give her.
This is based on a novel that I haven't read yet, although I'm a big fan of the author. The DVD blurb identifies it as an "epic family saga." Yep. It covers a longer time span than the other Mira Nair films I've seen. Brilliant characterizations of its people and its two settings, India and New York. Funny and touching; very perceptive of human nature; brilliantly written, acted ... Read More
Rating:  - 'We all come out of Gogol's Overcoat'
Jhumpa Lahiri's very popular novel THE NAMESAKE has been successfully adapted for the screen by Sooni Taraporevala and the gifted director Mira Nair has gathered a fine cast to capture the spirit of the original story of family commitment despite cultural changes and challenges. Some of the novel's impact is lost on the big screen, but the tender message remains at the end.
In India a gifted young singer Ashima (Tabu) follows her family's rules of matchmaking and marries the quiet Ashoke ... Read More
Rating:  - The Namesake
The Namesake is a moving film about many things. It includes aspects of relationships, love and loss, family, and traditions. But it is mostly about connecting with one's true self. Through great performances from its principals, this concept is beautifully conveyed.
The film opens in India as we are introduced to young Ashima and Ashoke who are about to be wed through an arranged marriage. Thus begins a relationship that will anchor and become one of the main themes of the ... Read More
Rating: - Good movie, but the book is so much better
Based on Jhumpa Lahiri's acclaimed novel, "The Namesake" tells the story of a young engineer, Ashoke Ganguli (Irfan Khan), and his new wife, Ashima (Tabu), who move from Calcutta to New York shortly after their marriage. Adjusting to life in a new country is difficult, especially for Ashima, but the Ganguli's children have an easier time blending in with American culture, because it's what they were born into. However, being an American-born child with Bengali parents is a difficulty in itself, and it's ... Read More
Rating: - The Namesake
The Namesake is a vivid interpretation of a novel by Jhumpa Lahiri. It is a wonderful story which embodies love, betrayal, values, and much more. Having read the book, and watched the movie, I have fallen in love.
Gogol Ganguli has a funny name, a name that holds dear to his father, and a name of consequence that he does not understand. He belongs to a Hindu family living America, a family whose morals and values are still tied to India. From a young age Gogol was forced to maintain a balance between ... Read More
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