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| The Namesake | 
 enlarge | Director: Mira Nair
Actors: Irfan Khan, Kal Penn, Jagannath Guha, Ruma Guha Thakurta, Tabu
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.98
Buy Used: $1.84
You Save: $18.14 (91%)
New (60) Used (57) Collectible (2) from $1.84
Avg. Customer Rating:  82 reviews
Sales Rank: 2357
Format: Ac-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), Hindi (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 122
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: FOXD2245608D
UPC: 024543456087
EAN: 0024543456087
ASIN: B000U2U0E4
Theatrical Release Date: March 9, 2007
Release Date: November 27, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: 100% Guaranteed!! Former rental, Has rental case with stickers. Click on my User ID to check out my other items!! Money Back Guarantee if not satisfied!! All my items are IN STOCK, your order will never be backordered or cancelled!
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| Customer Reviews:
 Indian Cinema January 9, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a peek into the dynamics of an arranged marriage and a son's relationship with his father and dual cultures.
Mira Nair returns... by bringing art back to cinema January 7, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
If "The Namesake" had just been your usual coming-of-age story, it would be easily forgotten. But director Mira Nair ("Monsoon Wedding," "Vanity Fair") has gone beyond the usual confines of such a story to present a portrait of three people, a husband and wife, and their son, who come to moments when they lose sight of who they are, only to find through difficult times that sense of identity again. The story begins in 1971 Kolkata, a time when foreign products dazzled us and visits by expatriate relatives were pretty much the event of the year. A young Bengali settled in the US, Ashoke Ganguli (Irrfan) marries a local girl Ashima (Tabu) and they migrate to the US. Some years down the line, Ashima gives birth to a son (Kal Penn). The basic premise of the film is this: How will this child survive in American society with a name as odd sounding and tongue twisting as Gogol Ganguli? Nikolai Gogol is Ashoke's favorite author. A brilliant and eccentric man, who penned literary masterpieces like The Overcoat, he eventually starved to death.
His modern-day namesake Gogol Ganguli experiences all the usual cliches associated with people with unusual names -- his American classmates poke fun at him during lessons on Russian Literature and women raise a quizzical eyebrow at the part when he reveals his name. He grows up, very annoyed. But also, sadly, with a misconception about the origin of his name. Little does he realize that it has a more profound explanation, than he could ever imagine.
Though the premise sounds flimsy, the film breathes life into the book's characters by leaps and bounds, expanding the central idea to encompass a whole lot more. It dissects the complex lot of the American Born Confused Desi and more importantly, their attitude towards India. But sans the caricatures and the cliches. It traces a troubled son's pilgrimage back to his family and the realizations that don on prodigal children only in the face of immense tragedy. In fact, the film is a tribute to one's parents, but tackles the subject sans the emotional drama of say, a Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. The accents, the sets, the costumes and the dialogues boast of an authenticity, which is often missing in Indian films set in a foreign country. And the cinematography boasts a host of frames rich in texture, especially in the scenes set in Kolkata.
Irrfan Khan brilliantly, effortlessly steps into the shoes (which read 'Made In USA') of the very Bengali, practical, cool-headed Ashoke, accent and all (though it slips in one or two places). The chemistry between Khan and Tabu is intense! Kal Penn has a meaty role and finally, an opportunity to act. And he does a smooth job of it. The rest of the cast measure up perfectly, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Though the film begins on a somber pace (and slips back off and forth), it gains momentum post Gogol's birth. Nair makes the search for one's identity both enlightening and entertaining- a journey, both internal and external, you won't regret taking.
 The Namesake January 7, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I'm a movie collector and just recently I started to buy "Hindi Movies." The Namesake I have to say is one of the best I've seen in a long time.I'm sure all women will love this movie and so far the men I've asked to watch the movie also liked it.I'm definately buying more Indian movies.
Read the book first! January 2, 2008
I read the book first and then watched the movie. The story is great, but the book contains so much that the movie left out. Throughout the movie, I kept having to explain to my husband what was happening based on what I remembered based on the book. I think it's still worth watching, just read the book first!
Excellent but little-known movie December 31, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I had previously read the book of The Namesake and was very impressed with it. I found it insightful and fascinating regarding generational and cultural differences and family members' attempts to live within both worlds. After reading the book, I was convinced that someone should make a movie of it but was not aware anyone had until I mentioned this to a friend who said she had seen a movie of it, causing me then to locate a copy of it on the internet and finding it at Amazon. I highly recommend the book and the movie of same, especially since the movie does not stray from the book's storyline.
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