Not Coming to a Theater Near You

The Namesake / India/ USA / 2006

While I was growing up I wasn’t really allowed to watch movies, so the few films I did watch as a child usually had a big emotional impact. However, I have to admit I rarely identified entirely with everything that was presented on-screen, since I was always watching the lives of Caucasians as the traversed through the typical events within western cultures. No matter how often I related to certain moments within a film, there were usually at least a handful of moments where I felt severely disconnected. Of course, even though I watched a great deal of Amitabh Bachchan action films when I was a kid, since I grew up in North America, most East-Indian (ie. Bollywood) films seemed even more foreign and slightly ridiculous (I swear that every 2nd Bollywood film somehow incorporates a zoom to a woman holding a shotgun on a hill. Don’t ask me why. It’s just a rule).

While watching Mira Nair films, I’m always struck by how effortlessly familiar and comfortable they feel, without becoming shrill. Though I probably wouldn’t call her methods subtle, Nair is able to exhibit East-Indian culture smoothly, in a manner which feels natural, while avoiding the brash delivery or contrived scenarios that directors such as Gurinder Chadha seem to apply so easily. Nair is actually one of the only filmmakers that my parents pay close attention to, so we usually watch her films as a family.

I wouldn’t characterize The Namesake as an entirely successful film. Though Nair’s films hardly ever follow a typical structure in terms of western story-telling conventions, her latest narrative seems particularly scattered. Also, though I’m a huge fan of his comedic talents, I never really bought into the casting of Kal Penn. Penn’s charm is that he’s slightly unscrupulous, devious, and juvenile. Unfortunately he appears considerably uncomfortable while attempting serious drama, as if he is barely suppressing his goofy antics.

However, there is an endearing quality to The Namesake, simply because it’s about the closest reflection of my life that I’ve watched on film. Nair includes an abundance of recognizable moments, from the uncomfortable interaction with Western culture, to the necessity of calling every adult “uncle” or “auntie.” She even includes the requisite yelling during long-distance phone conversations to India.

Truthfully, the highlight of the film is the acting of Irfan Khan and Tabu, as Mr. and Mrs. Ganguli. Their weary demeanors were almost painfully familiar and often reminded me of similar somber looks of exhaustion, apprehension, and disenchantment that I’ve witnessed flash across my parents’ faces. Their performances were also reminiscent of Ben Kingsley’s work in House of Sand and Fog, particularly the scenes in which the disgraced commander he portrays displays a defeated and drained expression as he tends to his convenience store counter. Much like Kingsley’s quite moment of humility, Nair is able to use the expressions of her actors to exhibit the sacrifice and disillusionment these parents are willing to endure for the benefits of their children, which often goes unnoticed by the world around them.

Of course, though this was one of the few films my father was able to stay awake through, my mother thought this film was a piece of crap. Somehow, I wasn’t surprised.

by Chiranjit Goswami | Source: Fox Searchlight 35mm Print
02 Apr 2007 7:16 PM | Submit Comment