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The Namesake

Play trailer Poster for The Namesake PG-13 Released Mar 9, 2007 2h 2m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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85% Tomatometer 137 Reviews 79% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
After moving from Calcutta to New York, members of the Ganguli family maintain a delicate balancing act between honoring the traditions of their native India and blending into American culture. Although parents Ashoke (Irrfan Khan) and Ashima (Tabu) are proud of the sacrifices they make to give their offspring opportunities, their son Gogol (Kal Penn) strives to forge his own identity without forgetting his heritage.
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The Namesake

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Critics Consensus

An ambitious exploration of the immigrant experience with a talented cast that serves the material well.

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Critics Reviews

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Shubhra Gupta The Indian Express Mira Nair turns Jhumpa Lahiri's gentle, evocative novel The Namesake, into a gentle, evocative film. Jun 19, 2019 Full Review Namrata Joshi Outlook There are bound to be quibbles about whether they get their Bengali right or whether Nair captures the culture and ethos. But it still can't take much away from this humane, warm and elegantly crafted film. Rated: 3/4 Jan 24, 2019 Full Review Roxana Hadadi Pajiba The Namesake captures the interior struggle between centuries of history and the appeal of living only in the now, and it's grippingly beautiful and overwhelmingly moving. Aug 23, 2018 Full Review Paul Emmanuel Enicola The Asian Cut [The Namesake] understands that identity is not something one chooses definitively, but something fluid—reshaped by time, by experience, by the stories we inherit and the ones we create. Feb 16, 2025 Full Review Marya E. Gates Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack) The scene is filmed with such a light touch, but is bursting with such complete understanding that the deepest loves are often expressed with a small glance or a meaningful gesture, rather than anything showy or grand. Aug 9, 2024 Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia Indian director Mira Nair's film has noble intentions that become noticeable from the preamble, but to me it seems as a flat and very dull drama about family, immigration, and cultural traditionalism. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 4/10 Jan 6, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Faiz D Moving and beautifully shot. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/13/25 Full Review donnie m i LOVED this movie-so many messages about what love is and what it isn't Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/08/23 Full Review Ken R Director/producer Mira Nair (Vanity Fair'04) brings yet another deeply personal story to the screen - based on the book by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Jhumpa Lahiri, with a screen adaption by prize winner Sooni Taraporevala. Director Nair invests a great deal of effort into analyzing the generation gap in an Indian-American family, as they navigate their differences in moral and ethical issues, alongside their traditional family ties from the mother country. Irrfran Kahn (Life of Pi) gives us another superb performance as the father, while gifted Indian actress Tabu equals him as his dedicated wife. Together they try earnestly to connect with their adolescent son (Kal Penn) who's drifting towards a ‘modern' shallow existence - failing to connect with those who have dedicated their lives to supplying a loving family base. Cinematography and Music play an important part in guiding the audience's attention through the multi-layered issues that live within this quality, mature work. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/26/23 Full Review lanfranco c Is it possible to overcome the culture clash? Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member I read the book first, and recommend that, as there is much more content in the book that there isn't time for in the movie. But the movie added a wonderful taste of the flavor of the Bengali lives, and the actors playing the mother and father were superb and made those characters really come alive. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review nilufer e It was a pretty good generational drama. I enjoyed most of it, Irrfan Khan can make any movie watchable. I didn't like the pretentious son and his acting though. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Mira Nair

Director

Kal Penn

Gogol Ganguli

Tabu

Ashima Ganguli

Irrfan Khan

Ashoke Ganguli

Zuleikha Robinson

Moushumi Mazoomdar

Jacinda Barrett

Maxine

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Movie Info

Synopsis After moving from Calcutta to New York, members of the Ganguli family maintain a delicate balancing act between honoring the traditions of their native India and blending into American culture. Although parents Ashoke (Irrfan Khan) and Ashima (Tabu) are proud of the sacrifices they make to give their offspring opportunities, their son Gogol (Kal Penn) strives to forge his own identity without forgetting his heritage.
Director
Mira Nair
Producer
Lydia Dean Pilcher, Mira Nair
Screenwriter
Sooni Taraporevala
Distributor
Fox
Production Co
Mirabai Films
Rating
PG-13 (Brief Language|A Scene of Drug Use|Sexuality/Nudity|Some Disturbing Images)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 9, 2007, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 12, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$13.6M
Runtime
2h 2m
Sound Mix
Dolby, SDDS, DTS
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