THE NAMESAKE
Fox Search Light_The Namesake Film Site (Excellent Content)
The Namesake (UK Site)
Rotten Tomatoes (The Namesake Page)
Fox Search Light_The Namesake Film Site (Excellent Content)
The Namesake (UK Site)
Rotten Tomatoes (The Namesake Page)
Anna Marie Stewart: The Review:
The Namesake
Several years ago I began a project (still in progress) to read all the winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. I'm always looking for "quality" novels, and this seemed an excellent way to narrow the field. In 2000, the winner was The Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. This was an unusual choice for two reasons: the author is a young woman, and the book is a collection of short stories. As with all collections, I liked some stories much better than others, but the final offering -- about a young Indian man moving to the U.S. to complete his education -- is worth a prize all by itself.
When Lahiri's first novel, The Namesake, was published in 2003, I read it immediately. I liked it less than Interpreter because I found the namesake himself -- Gogol Ganguli -- less than sympathetic. He seemed egocentric and narcissistic. I didn't really care whether he solved the "mystery" of who he was and what he wanted to be. Having seen the film version of The Namesake, I have much more appreciation of Gogol, and I think I could re-read the novel with more empathy the second time. The film condenses the book (304 pages), omitting or slighting certain characters and including only the high points of the novel, without changing its tone.
The film is lyrical and quiet, with none of the histrionics usually found in American movies. Even the moments of greatest emotion are restrained and dignified. Kal Penn (such a jerk in his earlier film roles) does a great job conveying the anguish of a young man who really doesn't know his family or have any appreciation for their culture and background. Tabu, playing his mother Ashima, is simply perfect -- beautifully expressive without raising her voice. Irrfan Khan, as the father who names his son after his favorite author, has quiet power and integrity. Following the family from the parents' arranged marriage through the adulthood of their two children; we see a story that is both typically American and universal. It is beautifully photographed, well-written, and well-acted. It was a pleasure to watch, and I recommend it highly. Absolutely first rate.
THE LINE UP (ALL CAST AND CREDITS)
DIRECTED BY
MIRA NAIR:
DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
I wanted to return to making a small-scale, intimate and mobile film, one which is extraordinarily close to my own reality as a South Asian person living in America today.
Jhumpa Lahiri, the great Pulitzer-prize winning writer of Interpreter Of Maladies, has written precisely such a tale in her debut novel, The Namesake, which is this film.
It encompasses, in a deep humane way, the tale of millions of us who have left one home for another, who have known what it is to combine the old ways with the new world, who have left the shadow of our parents to find ourselves for the first time.
I long to see my own people through my camera, one that will move fluidly between New York and Calcutta.
When Lahiri's first novel, The Namesake, was published in 2003, I read it immediately. I liked it less than Interpreter because I found the namesake himself -- Gogol Ganguli -- less than sympathetic. He seemed egocentric and narcissistic. I didn't really care whether he solved the "mystery" of who he was and what he wanted to be. Having seen the film version of The Namesake, I have much more appreciation of Gogol, and I think I could re-read the novel with more empathy the second time. The film condenses the book (304 pages), omitting or slighting certain characters and including only the high points of the novel, without changing its tone.
The film is lyrical and quiet, with none of the histrionics usually found in American movies. Even the moments of greatest emotion are restrained and dignified. Kal Penn (such a jerk in his earlier film roles) does a great job conveying the anguish of a young man who really doesn't know his family or have any appreciation for their culture and background. Tabu, playing his mother Ashima, is simply perfect -- beautifully expressive without raising her voice. Irrfan Khan, as the father who names his son after his favorite author, has quiet power and integrity. Following the family from the parents' arranged marriage through the adulthood of their two children; we see a story that is both typically American and universal. It is beautifully photographed, well-written, and well-acted. It was a pleasure to watch, and I recommend it highly. Absolutely first rate.
THE LINE UP (ALL CAST AND CREDITS)
DIRECTED BY
MIRA NAIR:
DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
I wanted to return to making a small-scale, intimate and mobile film, one which is extraordinarily close to my own reality as a South Asian person living in America today.
Jhumpa Lahiri, the great Pulitzer-prize winning writer of Interpreter Of Maladies, has written precisely such a tale in her debut novel, The Namesake, which is this film.
It encompasses, in a deep humane way, the tale of millions of us who have left one home for another, who have known what it is to combine the old ways with the new world, who have left the shadow of our parents to find ourselves for the first time.
I long to see my own people through my camera, one that will move fluidly between New York and Calcutta.
The stellar cast includes Kal Penn (HAROLD & KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE, SUPERMAN RETURNS) as Gogol, Tabu (MAQBOOL) as Ashima, Irrfan Khan (THE WARRIOR, MAQBOOL) as Ashoke, Zuleikha Robinson (HIDALGO, THE MERCHANT OF VENICE) as Moushumi and Jacinda Barrett (THE LAST KISS, SCHOOL FOR SCOUNDRELS) as Gogol’s American lover, Maxine.
The look of this film is more photographic than fluid, more PARIS, TEXAS than MONSOON WEDDING.
The look of this film is more photographic than fluid, more PARIS, TEXAS than MONSOON WEDDING.
The still photography training and orientation of the film makers/cinematographers/photographers shows through with a singular beauty and is a credit to both their skills and vision.
If you are a photographer you will immediately take notice of the care given to the “framing” of scenes, and if not you will still be struck by some intangible unlike any other film you have seen. The look and feel are distinctive and of award winning quality. (EGD)
I wanted to film a dusky Bengali beauty against a Mark Rothko painting in a stark Manhattan space. I wanted to see her languorously climb the stairs to her lover's tenement, preparing herself for her first betrayal. I wanted to see an Indian baby's shock of black hair in a sea of bald white ones. I hoped to capture on film the moment we unexpectedly become adult, the strangeness of burying a parent in a foreign land that has now become home.
Using Nitin Sawhney’s score and an eclectic mix of music ranging from Tagore's classic Rabindra Sangeet to 60's protest songs to contemporary hip-hop mixed with Indian pop, THE NAMESAKE reflects the current new wave of Asian Cool making its impact in America.
I wanted to film a dusky Bengali beauty against a Mark Rothko painting in a stark Manhattan space. I wanted to see her languorously climb the stairs to her lover's tenement, preparing herself for her first betrayal. I wanted to see an Indian baby's shock of black hair in a sea of bald white ones. I hoped to capture on film the moment we unexpectedly become adult, the strangeness of burying a parent in a foreign land that has now become home.
Using Nitin Sawhney’s score and an eclectic mix of music ranging from Tagore's classic Rabindra Sangeet to 60's protest songs to contemporary hip-hop mixed with Indian pop, THE NAMESAKE reflects the current new wave of Asian Cool making its impact in America.
I made this classic, poignant story with hot, meditative strokes - capturing the gothic bustle of old Bengal against the pulsating new look of young, cool desi* power in New York City.
Mira Nair
Born in India, filmmaker Mira Nair studied at the University of New Delhi before earning a degree in Sociology from Harvard in 1976. Based in New York City, she worked on her own independent short films, eventually winning the Best Documentary prize at the American Film Festival for India Cabaret, an investigation of Bombay's stripper subculture.
In 1988, she made her feature-length narrative film debut with Salaam Bombay!, co-written by Sooni Taraporevala. An exploration of actual kids struggling to survive on the streets of Bombay, the film was nominated for Best Foreign Film by the Academy and won several festival awards, including the Camera d'Or at Cannes.
In 1991, she teamed up with writing partner Taraporevala again for the romantic drama Mississippi Masala, about an Indian family moving from Uganda to the Southern U.S. to run a motel. Following the theme of immigration with her next film, The Perez Family featured a Cuban family moving to the States.
In 1997, she took a brief turn toward historical epics with Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love, set in 16th century India. Following the Showtime special My Own Country and the documentary short The Laughing Club of India, she made the international hit Monsoon Wedding. Focusing on an arranged marriage in New Delhi, the comedy drama won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and established Nair as an accomplished filmmaker.
In 2002, she made a surprising turn to a New Jersey setting for the gritty HBO drama Hysterical Blindness, starring Uma Thurman, Juliette Lewis, Gena Rowlands. The same year she directed a segment of the French-produced anthology film 11'09"01, featuring short films from 11 international filmmakers in response to September 11. Along with teaching at Columbia University, Nair would next direct the film Vanity Fair, based on the novel by William Makepeace Thackeray and starring Reese Witherspoon.
Shantaram (2008) (pre-production)
The Namesake (2006)
Vanity Fair (2004)
11'09''01 - September 11 (2002) (segment "India")
Hysterical Blindness (2002) (TV)
Monsoon Wedding (2001)
The Laughing Club of India (1999) (TV)
My Own Country (1998) (TV)
Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1996)
The Perez Family (1995)
The Day the Mercedes Became a Hat (1993)
Mississippi Masala (1991)
Salaam Bombay! (1988)
Children of a Desired Sex (1987) (TV)
India Cabaret (1985) (TV)
So Far from India (1983)
Jama Masjid Street Journal (1979)
PRODUCER:
Gangsta M.D. (2007) (announced) (producer)
The Namesake (2006) (producer)
Still, the Children Are Here (2004) (producer)
Monsoon Wedding (2001) (producer)
Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1996) (producer)
Mississippi Masala (1991) (producer)
Salaam Bombay! (1988) (producer)
Mira Nair
Born in India, filmmaker Mira Nair studied at the University of New Delhi before earning a degree in Sociology from Harvard in 1976. Based in New York City, she worked on her own independent short films, eventually winning the Best Documentary prize at the American Film Festival for India Cabaret, an investigation of Bombay's stripper subculture.
In 1988, she made her feature-length narrative film debut with Salaam Bombay!, co-written by Sooni Taraporevala. An exploration of actual kids struggling to survive on the streets of Bombay, the film was nominated for Best Foreign Film by the Academy and won several festival awards, including the Camera d'Or at Cannes.
In 1991, she teamed up with writing partner Taraporevala again for the romantic drama Mississippi Masala, about an Indian family moving from Uganda to the Southern U.S. to run a motel. Following the theme of immigration with her next film, The Perez Family featured a Cuban family moving to the States.
In 1997, she took a brief turn toward historical epics with Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love, set in 16th century India. Following the Showtime special My Own Country and the documentary short The Laughing Club of India, she made the international hit Monsoon Wedding. Focusing on an arranged marriage in New Delhi, the comedy drama won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and established Nair as an accomplished filmmaker.
In 2002, she made a surprising turn to a New Jersey setting for the gritty HBO drama Hysterical Blindness, starring Uma Thurman, Juliette Lewis, Gena Rowlands. The same year she directed a segment of the French-produced anthology film 11'09"01, featuring short films from 11 international filmmakers in response to September 11. Along with teaching at Columbia University, Nair would next direct the film Vanity Fair, based on the novel by William Makepeace Thackeray and starring Reese Witherspoon.
Shantaram (2008) (pre-production)
The Namesake (2006)
Vanity Fair (2004)
11'09''01 - September 11 (2002) (segment "India")
Hysterical Blindness (2002) (TV)
Monsoon Wedding (2001)
The Laughing Club of India (1999) (TV)
My Own Country (1998) (TV)
Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1996)
The Perez Family (1995)
The Day the Mercedes Became a Hat (1993)
Mississippi Masala (1991)
Salaam Bombay! (1988)
Children of a Desired Sex (1987) (TV)
India Cabaret (1985) (TV)
So Far from India (1983)
Jama Masjid Street Journal (1979)
PRODUCER:
Gangsta M.D. (2007) (announced) (producer)
The Namesake (2006) (producer)
Still, the Children Are Here (2004) (producer)
Monsoon Wedding (2001) (producer)
Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1996) (producer)
Mississippi Masala (1991) (producer)
Salaam Bombay! (1988) (producer)
ACTRESS:
Monsoon Wedding (2001) (uncredited) Voice of Mrs. Mehta
Bollywood Calling (2001) Mira
My Own Country (1998) (TV) Saryu Joshi
The Perez Family (1995) Woman buying flowers
Mississippi Masala (1991) Gossip 1
WRITER:
Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1996) (written by)
Salaam Bombay! (1988) (story)
SELF:
IFP Gotham Awards 2005 (2005) (TV) Herself - Presenter
Five Directors on 'The Battle of Algiers' (2004) (V) Herself
Bollywood Remixed - Das indische Kino erobert den Westen (2004) Herself
Women on Top: Hollywood and Power (2003) (TV) Herself
WRITING CREDITS (WGA)
Sooni Taraporevala (screenplay)
The Namesake (2006) (screenplay)
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar (2000)
Such a Long Journey (1998)
My Own Country (1998) (TV) (screenplay)
Mississippi Masala (1991)
Salaam Bombay! (1988) (also story)
JHUMPA LAHIRI _ (NOVEL) HTTP://WWW.SAJA.ORG/LAHIRI.HTML
BACKGROUND
THE ORIGINAL NY TIMES BOOK REVIEW
THE NAMESAKE By Jhumpa Lahiri 291 pages. Houghton Mifflin. $24.
Jhumpa Lahiri was born in London, England in July 1967, and brought up in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. Brought up in America by a mother who wanted to raise her children to be Indian, she learned about her Bengali heritage from an early age. Lahiri received her B.A. in English literature from Barnard College in 1989. She then received multiple degrees from Boston University: an M.A. in English, an M.A. in Creative Writing, an M.A. in Comparative Literature and a Ph.D. in Renaissance Studies. She took up a fellowship at Provincetown's Fine Arts Work Center, which lasted for the next two years (1997-1998).
In 2001, she married Alberto Vourvoulias-Bush, a journalist who was then Deputy Editor of Time Latin America. Lahiri currently lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children. She has been a Vice President of the PEN American Center since 2005.
CAREER
Lahiri taught creative writing at Boston University and Rhode Island School of Design. Much of her short fiction concerns the lives of Indian-Americans, particularly Bengalis.
INTERPRETER OF MALADIES
As a collection of nine distinct short stories, Interpreter of Maladies, Lahiri's debut, addresses sensitive dilemmas in the lives of Indians or Indian immigrants. The stories' themes include marital difficulties, miscarriages, and the disconnection between first and second generation immigrants in the United States. The stories are set in the northeastern United States, and in India, particularly Calcutta.
THE NAMESAKE
The Namesake, her fifth book and first novel, was published in 2003. An anecdote published in USA Today mentions a schoolteacher who found her given name too long and used her nickname Jhumpa instead.[1] Lahiri adapted this incident in her book, which spans more than thirty years in the life of a fictional family, the Gangulis. The parents, each born in Calcutta, emigrated to the United States as young adults. Their children, Gogol and Sonia, grow up in the United States and much of the tension of the novel is dependent upon the generation and cultural gap between the parents and the children. One of the major themes of the book is the confusion caused by the a misunderstanding which occurred when Gogol is very young: his pet name (Gogol) becomes mistaken for his real name. Thus, Gogol's unusual name serves as a symbol of his own unclear cultural identity (further complicated by the fact that Gogol is the last name of a noted Russian author).
FILM
The film, The Namesake was released in March 2007 in the United States and the United Kingdom. It is directed by Mira Nair and a screenplay adapted from Lahiri's novel by Sooni Taraporevala. The film stars Kal Penn as the young protagonist Gogol, and features Bollywood stars Tabu and Irfan Khan. Lahiri, herself is an extra in the film.
AWARDS
1993 – Trans Atlantic Award from the Henfield Foundation
1999 - O. Henry Award for short story "Interpreter of Maladies"
1999 - PEN/Hemingway Award (Best Fiction Debut of the Year) for "Interpreter of Maladies"
2000 - Addison Metcalf Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters
2000 - The New Yorker's Best Debut of the Year for "Interpreter of Maladies"
short story "Interpreter of Maladies" selected as one of Best American Short Stories
2000 - Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her debut Interpreter of Maladies
2000 - M.F.K. Fisher Distinguished Writing Award from the James Beard Foundation
2002 - Guggenheim Fellowship
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1999 Interpreter of Maladies
2001 "Nobody's Business" (11 March 2001, The New Yorker) ("The Best American Short Stories 2002")
2003 The Namesake
2004 "Hell-Heaven" (24 May 2004, The New Yorker) - full text
2006 "Once In A Lifetime" (1 May 2006, The New Yorker) - full text
2007 Samanami, translated Bengali version of her The Namesake, published from Kolkata, India by Ananda Publishers - [1].
2008 Unaccustomed Earth - [2]
CONTINUATION OF ALL OTHER CAST AND CREW MEMBERS:
Irfan Khan (Ashoke Ganguli)
Jagannath Guha (Ghosh)
Ruma Guha Thakurta (Ashoke's Mother)
TABU(ASHIMA GANGULI)
Chandralekha (2007) (in production) .... Chandra
Dilruba (2007) (in production)
Untitled Zoya Akhtar Project (2007) (pre-production)
Cheeni Kum (2007) (completed)
Sarhad Paar (2006) Pammi
The Namesake (2006) Ashima Ganguli
Phir Hera Pheri (2006) Anuradha S. Panikar
Fanaa (2006) Dr. Malini Tyagi
Shock (2006) Geeta
Bhagmati (2005) Bhagmati
Silsiilay (2005) Rehana
Andarivaadu (2005) Santhi
Main Hoon Na (2004) (uncredited) Spectator at ram's dance rehearsal
Meenaxi: Tale of 3 Cities (2004) Meenaxi/Maria Gulcova
Maqbool (2003) Nimmi
Jaal: The Trap (2003) Neha Pandit
Hawa (2003). Sanjana
Khanjar: The Knife (2003) Shilpa
Abar Aranye (2003) Amrita
Saathiya (2002) Savitri Rao (Special Appearance)
Zindagi Khoobsoorat Hai (2002) Shalu
Filhaal... (2002) Rewa Singh
Maa Tujhhe Salaam (2002) Captain Sonia Khanna
Aamdani Atthanni Kharcha Rupaiya (2001) Meena
Chandni Bar (2001) Mumtaz Ali Ansari/Mumtaz Sawant
Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya (2001). Roshni Batra
Ghaath (2000) Kavita Chaudhary
Astitva (2000) Aditi Pandit
Shikari (2000) Suman
Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar!! (2000) Kamya Lal
Tarkieb (2000) Roshni Choubey
Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000) Sowmya
Hera Pheri (2000) Anuradha Shivshankar Panikar
Biwi No. 2 (2000) Archana
Cover Story (2000) Jasmine Salim Khan
Snegithiye (2000) ACP Gayatri
Thakshak (1999) Suman Dev
Kohram (1999) Insp. Kiran Patekar
Biwi No. 1 (1999) Lovely
Hu Tu Tu (1999) Panna
Hum Saath-Saath Hain: We Stand United (1999) Sadhana
Hanuman (1998) Anja
2001: Do Hazaar Ek (1998) Billu
Aavida Maa Aavide (1998) Archana
Chachi 420 (1998) Janki Paswan
Iruvar (1997) Selvam's lover
Border (1997) Kuldeep's wife
Darmiyan (1997) Chitra
Virasat (1997) Gehna
Maachis (1996) Veerandra 'Veeran'
Ninne Pelladatha (1996) Mahalaxmi – Pandu
Jeet (1996) (as Tabbu) Tulsibai
Tu Chor Main Sipahi (1996) Kajal
Himmat (1996) Anju B. Mohan
Kadhal Desam (1996). Divya
Kala Pani (1996) Parvathi
Saajan Chale Sasural (1996) Divya Khurana
Haqeeqat (1995) (as Tabbu) Sudha
Sisindri (1995)
Saajan Ki Baahon Mein (1995) (as Tabbu) Kavita
Prem (1995) (as Tabbu) Lachi/Sonia Jetley
Vijaypath (1994) Kajal
Pehla Pehla Pyaar (1994) Sapna
Mashooq (1992) (as Tabbu)
Coolie No. 1 (1991)
Hum Naujawan (1985) (as Tabbu) Priya
Sandip Deb (Music Teacher)
Sukanya (Rini)
Tanusree Shankar (Ashima's Mother)
Sabyasachi Chakravarthy (Ashima's Father)
Tamal Sengupta (Ashoke's Father) (as Tamal Roy Choudhury)
Dhruv Mookerji (Rana)
Supriya Choudhury (Ashima's Grandmother) (as Supriya Devi)
Stuart Rudin (Crazy Wino)
Heather MacRae (Nurse Patty)
Sumitra Kanti (Calcutta House Staff)
Michael Countryman (Mr. Wilcox)
Kousik Bhowal (Dr. Gupta)
Rupak Ginn (Uncle)
Soham Chatterjee-... -Gogol (Age 4)
Gargi Mukherjee-... -Mira Mashi
Pallavi Shah-... -Kajol Mashi
Jhumpa Lahiri_Jhumpa Mashi
Noor Lahiri Vourvoulias-... -Baby Sonia
Linus Roache-... -Mr. Lawson
Josh Grisetti-... –Jerry
Kal Penn (Gogol Ganguli)
1. Under New Management (2008) (pre-production. Wheeler
2. "The Call" (pre-production) (1 episode) - Pilot (????) TV Episode
3. Harold & Kumar 2 (2008) (post-production) Kumar Patel
4. Epic Movie (2007) Edward
5. "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" .... Henry Chanoor (1 episode, 2007) - Outsider (2007) TV Episode Henry Chanoor
6. "24" .... Ahmed Amar (4 episodes, 2007) - Day 6: 8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. (2007) TV Episode Ahmed Amar - Day 6: 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. (2007) TV Episode Ahmed Amar - Day 6: 6:00 a.m.-7:00 a.m. (2007) TV Episode Ahmed Amar - Day 6: 7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m. (2007) TV Episode Ahmed Amar
7. Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj (2006) Taj Mahal Badalandabad
8. The Namesake (2006) Gogol Ganguli
9. Superman Returns (2006) .... Stanford
10. The Danny Comden Project (2006) (TV) .... Max
11. Bachelor Party Vegas (2006) (V) .... Z-Bob
12. Man About Town (2006) .... Alan Fineberg
13. Sueño (2005) .... Raj
14. A Lot Like Love (2005) .... Jeeter
15. Son of the Mask (2005) .... Jorge
16. Dancing in Twilight (2005) .... Sam
17. Awesometown (2005) (TV) .... Guy Reading Newspaper
18. Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004) .... Kumar Patel... aka Harold & Kumar Get the Munchies (Europe: English title) (UK) ... aka Harold et Kumar chassent le burger (Canada: French title)
19. Ball & Chain (2004) .... Bobby... aka Arrangement (International: English title)
20. Homeland Security (2004) (TV) .... Harrison
21. Love Don't Cost a Thing (2003) .... Kenneth Warman... aka Love Don't Co$t a Thing (USA: promotional title)
22. "Tru Calling" .... Steven (1 episode, 2003) - Haunted (2003) TV Episode .... Steven
23. "All About the Andersons" (2003) TV Series .... George (unknown episodes)
24. "Independent Lens" .... Jagdesh (1 episode, 2003) - American Made (2003) TV Episode (as Kalpen Modi) .... Jagdesh
25. Malibu's Most Wanted (2003) .... Hadji
26. Where's the Party Yaar? (2003) .... Mo (Mohan Bakshi)... aka Dude, Where's the Party? (USA: video title)
27. Cosmopolitan (2003) (TV) .... Vandana's Fiancee
28. Badger (2002) .... Sanjay
29. Van Wilder (2002) .... Taj Mahal Badalandabad
30. Hector (2002) .... Kendal Cunningham
31. "The Agency" .... Malek (1 episode, 2001) - Rules of the Game (2001) TV Episode .... Malek
32. "NYPD Blue" .... Solomon Al-Ramai (1 episode, 2001) - Baby Love (2001) TV Episode .... Solomon Al-Ramai
33. "ER" .... Narajan (1 episode, 2001) - The Longer You Stay (2001) TV Episode .... Narajan
34. "Angel" .... Young Man in Fez (1 episode, 2001) - That Vision Thing (2001) TV Episode .... Young Man in Fez
35. "That's Life" (1 episode, 2001) - Larva (2001) TV Episode
36. American Desi (2001) .... Ajay Pandya
37. "Spin City" .... Buddy (1 episode, 2000) - The Spanish Prisoner (2000) TV Episode .... Buddy
38. "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" .... Prajeeb (1 episode, 2000) - You Can't Twin (2000) TV Episode .... Prajeeb
39. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" .... Hunt (1 episode, 1999) - Beer Bad (1999) 40. Freshmen (1999) .... Ajay
41. Brookfield (1999) (TV) .... Kumar Zimmerman (Series Regular)
42. Express: Aisle to Glory (1998) .... Jackie Newton
(Resume)
Justin Rosini-... -Marc
Dan McCabe-... -Bart
Bobby Steggert-... -Jason
Sahira Nair-... -Sonia Ganguli
B.C. Parekh-... -Mr. Mazumdar
Sibani Biswas-... -Mrs. Mazumdar
Zuleikha Robinson-... -Moushumi Mazumdar
Lakhan Das-... -Baul Singer
Kharaj Mukherjee-... -Chotu
Glenne Headly-... -Lydia Ratliff
Daniel Gerroll-... -Gerald Ratliff
Jacinda Barrett-... -Maxine Ratliff
Amy Wright-... -Pamela
Brooke Smith-... -Sally
Christie Moreau-... -Phone Operator
Jo Yang-... -Ms. Lu
Krishna Dikshit-... -Funeral Priest
Kartik Das-... -Boat Man
Gary Cowling-... -Hotel Manager
Sudipta Bhawmik-... -Subroto Mesho
Gretchen Egolf-... -Astrid
Baylen Thomas-... -Blake
Jeb Brown-... -Oliver
Jessica Blank-... -Edith
Mia Yoo-... -Viola
Benjamin Bauman-... -Donald
Sebastian Roché-... -Pierre
Maximiliano Hernández-... -Ben
Partha Chatterjee-... -Reformed Hindoo
Mitali Bhawmik-... -Singing Voice:
Marcus Collins-... -Graham
Produced by
Lydia Dean Pilcher-.... -producer
Lori Keith Douglas-.... -co-producer
Anadil Hossain-.... -line producer: India
Yukie Kito-.... -co-producer
Yasushi Kotani-.... -executive producer
Mira Nair-.... -producer
Ronnie Screwvala-.... -executive producer
Zarina Screwvala-.... -co-producer
Taizo Son-.... -executive producer
Original Music by
Nitin Sawhney- -
Cinematography by
Frederick Elmes
1. A Dog Year (2007) (post-production)
2. The Namesake (2006)
3. Broken Flowers (2005)
4. Kinsey (2004)
5. Coffee and Cigarettes (2003) (director of photography) (segment "Somewhere in California")
6. Hulk (2003)
7. Trapped (2002) (director of photography)
8. Ten Minutes Older: The Trumpet (2002) (segment "Int. Trailer Night")
9. Storytelling (2001)
10. Chosen (2001)
11. Chain of Fools (2000)
12. Ride with the Devil (1999/I)
13. The Wedding (1998) (TV)
14. The Ice Storm (1997)
15. In the Gloaming (1997) (TV)
16. The Empty Mirror (1996)
17. Reckless (1995) (director of photography)
18. Trial by Jury (1994)
19. The Saint of Fort Washington (1993)
20. Coffee and Cigarettes III (1993)
21. Night on Earth (1991) Wild at Heart (1990) (director of photography) Hollywood Mavericks (1990)
22. Cold Dog Soup (1990)
23. Moonwalker (1988)
24. Permanent Record (1988)
25. "Français vus par, Les" (1988) (mini) TV Series (segment "The Cowboy and the Frenchman") Aria (1987) (segment "Liebestod")
26. Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1987)
27. Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8 (1987) (TV)
28. Heaven (1987)
29. River's Edge (1986)
30. Blue Velvet (1986) (director of photography)
31. Broken Rainbow (1985)
32. Valley Girl (1983)
33. Citizen: The Political Life of Allard K. Lowenstein (1983)
34. Breakfast in Bed (1978)
35. Eraserhead (1977)
36. Number One (1976) (lighting cameraman)
37. The Amputee (1974)
38. Street Scenes (1970) (as Fred Elmes) Camera and Electrical Department:
1. The Object of My Affection (1998) (additional cinematographer) (uncredited)
2. Real Genius (1985) (photographer: second unit)
3. Dune (1984) (cinematographer: additional unit)
4. Red Dawn (1984) (director of photography: second unit)
5. Modern Romance (1981) (camera operator)
6. Real Life (1979) (additional photographer)
7. The Flight of the Gossamer Condor (1978) (director of photography: additional photography)
8. Opening Night (1977) (camera operator)
9. A Secret Space (1977) (assistant camera)
10. A Woman Under the Influence (1974) (assistant camera) (as Fred Elmes)
11. Invasion of the Blood Farmers (1972) (assistant camera)
Miscellaneous Crew:
1. Love, Death, Elvis & Oz: The Making of 'Wild at Heart' (2004)
2. Specific Spontaneity: Focus on Lynch (2004)
3. The Crying Game (1992)
4. Visions of Light (1992)
5. Dune (1984) (supervisor: additional unit)
1. Number One (1976) (as Fredrick Elmes)
Self:
1. Edge of Outside (2006) .... Himself
2. The Kinsey Report: Sex on Film (2005) (V) .... Himself
3. Love, Death, Elvis & Oz: The Making of 'Wild at Heart' (2004) (V) .... Himself
4. Specific Spontaneity: Focus on Lynch (2004) (V) .... Himself
5. Mysteries of Love (2002) (V) .... Himself
6. Visions of Light (1992) (Himself)
VISIONS OF LIGHT: THE ART OF CINEMATOGRAPHY
7. Jonathan Ross Presents for One Week Only: David Lynch (1990) (TV) (Himself)
8. The 1987 IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards (1987) (TV)(Himself Presenter)
FILM EDITING BY
Allyson C. Johnson (as Allyson Johnson)
CASTING BY
Loveleen Tandan
Cindy Tolan
PRODUCTION DESIGN BY
Stephanie Carroll
ART DIRECTION BY
Suttirat Anne Larlarb
SET DECORATION BY
Lydia Marks
COSTUME DESIGN BY
Arjun Bhasin
MAKEUP DEPARTMENT
7. Jonathan Ross Presents for One Week Only: David Lynch (1990) (TV) (Himself)
8. The 1987 IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards (1987) (TV)(Himself Presenter)
FILM EDITING BY
Allyson C. Johnson (as Allyson Johnson)
CASTING BY
Loveleen Tandan
Cindy Tolan
PRODUCTION DESIGN BY
Stephanie Carroll
ART DIRECTION BY
Suttirat Anne Larlarb
SET DECORATION BY
Lydia Marks
COSTUME DESIGN BY
Arjun Bhasin
MAKEUP DEPARTMENT
Lori Keith Douglas
unit production manager
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Avani Batra-.... -third assistant director: India
Michael DeCasper-.... -assistant director
Dylan Gray-.... -first assistant director
Eric Richard Lasko-.... -second second assistant director
Nitya Mehra-.... -second assistant director
Indra Nil-.... -third assistant director
Jay Jay Odedra-.... -second unit director: India
Akshay Roy-.... -second second assistant director: India
Art Department
Russell Barnes-.... -art department coordinator
Martin Bernstein-.... -construction coordinator
Jeff Butcher-.... -property master
Daniela Capistrano-.... -art department intern
Robert J. Currie-.... -assistant property master
Maus Drechsler-.... -props
Gerard V. Engrassia-.... -set dresser
Deborah Jensen-.... -additional art director
Aarthi Rayapura-.... -intern
Jeffrey Rollins-.... -set dresser
Sha-Sha Shiau-.... -set decoration intern
Greg Sullivan-.... -charge scenic artist
Tasayu Tasnaphun-.... -digital artist
Jessie Walker-.... -camera scenic artist
Sound Department
Brian Bowles-.... -dialogue editor
Rachel Chancey-.... -foley supervisor
John M. Davis-.... -music editor
Linda Murphy-.... -boom operator
Ed Novick-.... -production sound mixer
Dave Paterson-.... -sound re-recording mixer
Dave Paterson-.... -sound
Jay Peck-.... -foley artist
Dominick Tavella-.... -sound re-recording mixer
Damian Volpe-.... -sound effects editor
Joe White-.... -sound
Joe White-.... -utility sound
Doug Winningham-.... -sound effects recordist
Visual Effects by
John Dowdell-.... -2K digital intermediate colorist
Chris Gelles-.... -visual effects executive producer: & Company
David Isyomin-.... -visual effects supervisor: & Company
STUNTS
Allan Amin-.... -stunt coordinator
CAMERA AND ELECTRICAL DEPARTMENT
Garrett Boehling-.... -dolly grip
Kathleen Corgan-.... -second assistant camera: India
Abbot Genser-.... -still photographer
G. Monic Kumar-.... -focus puller: "b" camera
Anna Novick-.... -grip
Jay Jay Odedra-.... -director of photography: second unit
Neil O'Malley-.... -grip
Justin Panzanaro-.... -grip
Kelly Rutkowski-.... -electrician
Gerard Sava-.... -camera operator
Gerard Sava-.... -steadicam operator
Chris Silano-.... -first assistant camera: "a" camera
OTHER CREW
Patrick Andrews-.... -production assistant
Michael Barnes-.... -financial legal services
Ashley Bearden-.... -assistant production coordinator
Kenny Becker-.... -color timer
Ami Boghani-.... -assistant to director
Sara Clarke-.... -production intern
Linda Cohen-.... -music supervisor
Maurice Davis-.... -production intern
Thomas De Napoli-.... -creative executive
John Druzba-.... -location assistant
Karen E. Etcoff-.... -extras casting
James Feldman-.... -set production assistant
Thalia Harithas-.... -intern production assistant
Michael Hartel-.... -assistant location manager
Mo Henry-.... -negative cutter
Sean Hogan-.... -production accountant
Eric Kench-.... -location assistant
Saurabh Kikani-.... -production intern
John Larkin-.... -production assistant
Yana Collins Lehman-.... -post-production accountant
Peter Madamba-.... -script researcher
Bruno Michels-.... -production assistant
Kellie Morrison-.... -location manager
Urmilla Lal Motwani-.... -wardrobe supervisor
Frank Murray-.... -first assistant accountant
Sean Murray-.... -set production assistant
Hilary Niederer-.... -assistant costume designer
Lupita Nyong'o-.... -post-production intern
Sean Oliver-.... -adr loop group
Stephen Popernik-.... -location coordinator
Neta Pulvermacher-.... -choreographer
Justin Rosini-.... -location assistant
Ashley Rudden-.... -director of development
Mary Ann Santos-.... -production intern
Matt Schreiber-.... -casting associate
Payal Sethi-.... -additional casting
David A. Smith-.... -assistant editor
Himkar Tak-.... -production office intern
Priti Trivedi-.... -production intern
Meghan K. Wicker-.... -production office coordinator
Mike Trinker-.... -digital intermediate editor (uncredited)
THE NAMESAKE TRAILER AND CLIPS MENU
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THE NAMESAKE [CLIP: I'VE BEEN THINKING A LOT ABOUT MY NAME]
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THE NAMESAKE [INTERVIEW: KAL PENN ON WHY THIS IS AN AMERICAN STORY]
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THE NAMESAKE [INTERVIEW: TABU ON IDENTIFYING WITH HER CHARACTER]
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THE NAMESAKE [INTERVIEW: IRFAN KHAN ON THE FILM'S STORY BEING UNIVERSAL]
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OFFICIAL SITES FOR The Namesake (2006)
Fox Searchlight Pictures [us]
Twentieth Century Fox [fr]
ADDITIONAL NOTES OR NOTES OF INTEREST:
Kate Hudson and Natalie Portman were considered for the part of Maxine.
Mira Nair initially wanted Rani Mukherjee to play the role of Ashima after she had seen her in Mani Ratnam's Yuva. Rani Mukherjee couldn't sign the film due to date problems. After that, Mira Nair wanted Konkona Sen Sharma to play the role. She couldn't commit due to her mother Aparna Sen's film 15 Park Avenue. After which the director signed Tabu for the role.
KAL PENN TO LEAD UNIVERSITY STUDIES
Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle star Kal Penn is set to add professor to his resume after taking on the chance to be a guest instructor at the University Of Pennsylvania next year. The Asian-American actor - real name Kalpen Modi - will teach two undergraduate courses, according to university director Grace Kao. The Namesake actor Penn received a bachelor's degree in sociology with a specialization in theatre, film and television from the University Of California in Los Angeles, and he is currently pursuing a graduate certificate in international security at Stanford University
Company Credits
ADDITIONAL REVIEWS:
1. Guardian/Observer
2. James Berardinelli's ReelViews
3. BBCi - Films
4. eye WEEKLY [Jason Anderson]
5. New York Times (registration req'd)
6. Reel.com [Tim Knight]
7. Rolling Stone [Peter Travers]
8. Salon.com [Stephanie Zacharek]
9. San Francisco Chronicle [Ruthe Stein]
10. The Village Voice [Ella Taylor]
11. Tiscali UK
12. The Onion A.V. Club [Keith Phipps]
13. critic.de (German)
14. The Cutting Room Blog [Yaseen-Ali Yusufali]
15. OhmyNews [Brian Orndorf]
16. Film-Forward.com
17. filmcritic.com
18. Rediff [T.P. Sreenivasan]
19. Chicago Tribune [Michael Wilmington]
20. Movieeveryday.com [Scooter Thompson]
21. Monsters and Critics [Brittany Sims]
22. Between Productions [Robert Cashill]
23. Cinefacts (German)
24. Cinema Blend [Josh Tyler]
25. Cinemattraction.com [Sarah Manvel]
26. DVDTalk.com
27. Eric D. Snider
28. EyeForFilm.co.uk
29. eye WEEKLY [Jason Anderson]
30. FilmFilm.it [Teresa Lavanga] (Italian)
31. FilmJerk.com [Brian Orndorf]
32. FlickFilosopher.com [MaryAnn Johanson]
33. Hollywood Jesus
34. The Lumière Reader
35. metacritic.com - Reviews and Scores from Leading Film Critics
36. Misstropolis
37. Montreal Mirror [Matthew Hays]
38. Moviefreak [Sara Michelle Fetters]
39. PopcornReel.com [Omar P.L. Moore]
40. Rediff [Merril Diniz]
41. Reel Film Reviews [David Nusair]
42. Reeling Reviews [Laura Clifford, Robin Clifford]
43. Reel Movie Critic [Pam and George Singleton]
44. ReelTalk [Jeffrey Chen]
45. Rottentomatoes.com
46. Scott's Movie Comments
47. Spirtuality & Practice (Frederic & Mary Ann Brussat]
48. St. Petersburg Times [Steve Persall]
49. TheCinemaSource.com [Michael M. Dance]
50. Steve Rhodes
In the capable hands of director Mira Nair (bouncing back from the critically and commercially disappointing "Vanity Fair"), Jhumpa Lahiri's wildly popular novel about two generations of a Bengali family receives a loving, deeply felt screen translation that should appease fans of the book while making many new converts. Bolstered by Nair's lush visual style and superb performances from ace Bollywood thesps Irrfan Khan, Tabu and "Harold & Kumar" star Kal Penn (in his first dramatic lead), Fox Searchlight can expect above-average arthouse business for this audience-pleasing March release.
Though the condensing of Lahiri's episodic, decades-spanning narrative into two compact hours of screen-time makes for a pic occasionally overstuffed with incident, "The Namesake" remains a richly compelling story of family and self-discovery.
Tale begins in Calcutta in the late 1970s, where a young man, Ashoke (Khan), who has recently survived a horrific train accident, enters into an arranged marriage with the beautiful Ashima (Tabu), whom he has never met before. Together, they travel to New York City, where they settle in a ramshackle cold-water flat and begin their new American lives.
Despite all the modern conveniences of a big U.S. city -- in one scene, Ashima excitedly writes home that, in America, one can use the gas 24 hours a day -- the adjustment is a difficult one, and these early scenes are particularly impressive for the subtlety with which Nair and her actors map out the lives of two people who are strangers to each other acclimating to life in a strange land.
When Ashima gives birth to a baby boy, she and Ashoke are informed that, counter to Indian custom -- where years sometimes pass before a child is given a proper name -- the baby must be named before it can leave the hospital. So, they settle on the "good name" of Nikhil and the "pet name" of Gogol, after Ashoke's favorite writer.
But several years later, on Nikhil/Gogol's first day of elementary school, the boy decides to continue going by Gogol, in effect making that his "good name." It is a choice that reverberates throughout the rest of the film, as the sense of a name -- and the history it carries with it -- becomes a lyrical metaphor for the character's own struggle to assert his identity.
Cut to a modern-day high school classroom, where Gogol (now played by Penn) is a moody, shaggy-haired, pot-smoking senior, predictably furious at his parents for giving him such a dumb name. This Gogol is as American as they come, as evidenced by his bratty behavior during a family vacation to India, where he consistently disparages the country for its evident backwardness; and later, by his romance with a WASP-y Manhattan princess (Jacinda Barrett), who invites Gogol (now known as "Nick") for weekends at Oyster Bay and says things like "Everyone loves truffles."
Culture-clash moments like those border on cliche, especially since Barrett's character isn't developed much beyond her surface of moneyed privilege. Better drawn is Gogol's subsequent girlfriend, a fellow Bengali named Moushumi (sultry Zuleikha Robinson), who, like Gogol himself, finds herself torn between obeisance to tradition and pursuing her own desires.
If that conflict isn't exactly new in cinema, it's nevertheless rendered by "The Namesake" with a sensitivity and emotional resonance that elude most films on the subject of cultural assimilation. That's largely thanks to the delicate balance Nair and screenwriter Sooni Taraporevala strike between the story's two generational threads, so that Ashima and Ashoke remain significant presences in the second half, even after the primary focus shifts to Nick/Gogol.
Penn -- who has long seemed one of the brightest and most likable young comic talents around -- shows serious dramatic chops as he takes us on Nick/Gogol's expansive odyssey from the proverbial American-Born Confused Desi to a confident young man with a sure sense of his past, his present and his future.
Shot on location in New York and India, pic boasts excellent tech contributions on all fronts, particularly the warm, rich colors of Frederick Elmes' cinematography and Stephanie Carroll's production design, and the varied Western and Eastern influences of composer/DJ Nitin Sawhney's original score.
Camera (Deluxe color), Frederick Elmes; editor, Allyson C. Johnson; music, Nitin Sawhney; music supervisor, Linda Cohen; production designer, Stephanie Carroll; art directors, Suttirat Larlarb, Tanmoy Chakroborty (India); set decorators, Lydia Marks, Sharmishta Roy (India); costume designer, Arjun Bhasin; sound (Dolby/DTS/SDDS), Ed Novick; supervising sound editor, Dave Paterson; associate producer, Dinaz Stafford; assistant directors, Michael DeCasper, Dylan Gray (India); second unit camera, Jay J. Odedra; casting, Cindy Tolan; India casting, Tess Joseph. Reviewed at Telluride Film Festival, Sept. 2, 2006. (Also in Toronto Film Festival -- Special Presentations.) Running time: 122 MIN.
(English, Bengali, Hindi dialogue)
plot summary
Fun Stuff
PHOTOGRAPHS
Ultimate Images - Image Gallery
Trailerdownload.net - Image Gallery
Buzz Cinema - image gallery
mysan.de media center - Gallery
About.com Photo Gallery
OutNow! Image Gallery
Rediff - NY welcomes The Namesake (Mar 2007)
Cinema Blend Stills Gallery
CinEmpire - Photo Gallery
IndiaGlitz - Premiere in Mumbai
Nexbase.net - Photo Gallery
MIRA NAIR'S AWARDS
Reviews A Portrait of the Film Based on the Novel by Jhumpa Lahiri Introduction by Jhumpa Lahiri and Mira NairPhotography by Frederick Elmes, Nemai Ghosh, Milan Moudgill, Mira Nair, Dayanita Singh, Sooni Taraporevala
http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2021/stories/20031024000908400.htm
Hardcover $30.00, published March 2007, ISBN: 1-55704-741-3144 Pages10 1/2" x 7"92 Color PhotographsFilm and Television/Newmarket Pictorial Moviebooks
Synopsis
The book: In her essay "Writing and Film," the Pulitzer Prize- winning novelist Jhumpa Lahiri writes about the experience of seeing her novel "transposed" from paper to film. "Its essence remains, but it inhabits a different realm and must, like a transposed piece of music, conform to a different set of rules...To have someone as devoted and as gifted as Mira reinvent my novel...has been a humbling and thrilling passage."
Mira Nair's essay, "Photographs as Inspiration," begins with a provocative comment: "If it weren't for photography, I wouldn't be a filmmaker." She explains how photographs help her crystallize the visual style of her films and which particular photos influenced her vision for The Namesake.
These two essays, written exclusively for this Newmarket Pictorial Moviebook, introduce an amazing panoply of images of people and places shot mainly in New York and Calcutta during the making of the movie, accented by excerpts from Lahiri's bestselling novel. SIX INDIAN AND AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHERS' WORKS ARE REPRESENTED.
The film: Brilliantly illuminating the immigrant experience and the tangled ties between generations, The Namesake tells the story of the Ganguli family, whose move from Calcutta to New York evokes a lifelong balancing act to adapt to a new world while remembering the old. The couple's firstborn, Gogol, and sister Sonia grow up amid these divided loyalties, struggling to find their own identity without losing their heritage. Kal Penn (Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, Superman Returns) stars as Gogol.
This immensely pleasurable film is...a saga of the immigrant experience that captures the snap, crackle, and pop of American life, along with the pounding pulse, emotional reticence, volcanic colors and cherished rituals of Indian culture.
The film: Brilliantly illuminating the immigrant experience and the tangled ties between generations, The Namesake tells the story of the Ganguli family, whose move from Calcutta to New York evokes a lifelong balancing act to adapt to a new world while remembering the old. The couple's firstborn, Gogol, and sister Sonia grow up amid these divided loyalties, struggling to find their own identity without losing their heritage. Kal Penn (Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, Superman Returns) stars as Gogol.
This immensely pleasurable film is...a saga of the immigrant experience that captures the snap, crackle, and pop of American life, along with the pounding pulse, emotional reticence, volcanic colors and cherished rituals of Indian culture.
