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The Namesake

Play trailer Poster for The Namesake PG-13 2007 2h 2m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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85% Tomatometer 136 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

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 06/19/2019
Mira Nair turns Jhumpa Lahiri's gentle, evocative novel The Namesake, into a gentle, evocative film. Go to Full Review Namrata Joshi Outlook 01/24/2019
3/4
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. Go to Full Review Roxana Hadadi Pajiba 08/23/2018
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. Go to Full Review Paul Emmanuel Enicola The Asian Cut 02/16/2025
[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. Go to Full Review Marya E. Gates Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack) 08/09/2024
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. Go to Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia 01/06/2021
4/10
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] Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Joan B @joanberri Jul 30 The Namesake is a spiritually beautiful film about gentle souls and family. I have not been so touched by any film in quite long time. Thank you all! See more Faiz D @RT95588871 May 13 Moving and beautifully shot. See more donnie m @RT64375194 08/08/2023 i LOVED this movie-so many messages about what love is and what it isn't See more Ken R @RT36478503 06/26/2023 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. See more lanfranco c @Lanfrancobz 10/13/2022 Is it possible to overcome the culture clash? See more 02/15/2022 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. See more Read all reviews
The Namesake

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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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The Namesake

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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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