The Namesake

Near the beginning of "The Namesake", the new film from Mira Nairbased on the novel by Jhumpa Lahiri, a young woman named Ghosh(Jagannath Guha), returns home from a day in Calcutta and isimmediately told to prepare herself for guests who await herappearance. A look of curiosity mixed with dread crosses her face butprepare herself she does and is soon face to face with a young man,Ashoke (Irfan Khan) who her parents have brought over. Before entering that room though, she spots a pair of shoes with the words"Made in the U.S.A." on the insole. Making sure she is not beingwatched, she slips the shoes on, paces the hallway for a moment, posesand smiles. It is a radiant smile, displaying both the sensuality ofan adult and the playfulness of a child. She knows where she going,she knows what awaits her, and it makes sense for her to take the timeto enjoy the moment before entering into what could possibly be herfuture. The innocent act seemed to contrast the seriousness of thesituation and her unknown future.

The gesture threw me for a moment. I expected some unwillingness onGhosh's part. Perhaps some rebellion. But she removes the shoes,enters the living room, recites a poem and on the basis of a smile(Ashoke's is brilliant) they are wed. After the wedding, Ghosh whisks her off to the United States where he has been living and they build alife together. We later learn that that Ghosh did not have to sayyes. She had been introduced at least two other men who she did notchoose to marry and by the time Ashoke came along, she was just happyto find someone she liked. This is about as un-Romantic an idea asyou can get and I have to admit it made me uncomfortable.

The meat of "The Namesake" deals with their Americanized son Gogol(Kal Penn) and his struggles to come to terms with his Indianidentity, but the soul film rests firmly in the heart of his parentsrelationship. The film does a great job establishing their courtshiponce their marriage begins. Ashoke takes her to his shabby apartmentin Brooklyn (I think) and teaches her, against her serving instincts,how to use the stove while making her a cup of tea. ("This is howAmerican men do it," he says). She risks a culturally gruesome tripto a laundromat to reassert her wifely duties, only to shrink all hisclothing. She comforts him when he wakes with a start from anightmare. He patiently explains the labyrinthine New York Citysubway system to help her find the fish market. Each episode movesthem closer together until one night as they lay in bed, his fingersfind her and they embrace. It is the first and only time we see themtogether as man and wife.

The film also does a good job showing the growth of their relationshipas they deal with their American selves and try to understand theirtruly American children. The beauty of these and their other scenesin the film come from their glances and shared silences, which come toillustrate the depth of their feelings towards each other. They arenever depicted as overbearing stereotypes and they place very littlepressure on their children to live up to their Indian heritage. Theyare thoughtful and accepting parents who take pride in theirchildren's independence who also feel the pain of their growingindependence.The film is less successful as Gogol strives to combine his Americanupbringing with his Indian heritage. This is not an easy thing topull off without hammering its audience over the head with "a message"and to its credit the film doesn't come close. But ironically enough, it is the film's low-key approach to Indian culture: since the cultureis never forced, we never get a clear picture of what he's strugglingagainst. His motivation is never clear and neither are the rewards ofhis heritage. His struggle is never as immediate as the depth of hisparents' relationship.

Near the end of the film, Ashoke accepts a semester long teaching postin Cleveland. (Poor guy) He tries to convince Ghosh to join him butshe has too much to do at home. She accompanies him to the airportand she he waits in line to board the plane, a red-sweatered man amongblue-suited men, he looks at her with what can only be described asadoration, and nods his head, beckoning her to join him. She smilesflirtatiously, radiating joy, and waves to him. He nods again, shewaves. Nod, wave, nod, wave, smile. The line begins to move. Ashokepicks up his bag, Ghosh waves and Ashoke makes his way to the gate.As he got on the plane, my heart did this bursting thing. It was thefirst time since they met that they had been apart. I wanted him tocome back. I wanted them to be together. I imagine it was only atenth of what they felt. The movie was worth it for that.