Immediate Assimilation

The Namesake, starring Kal Penn, who most people recognize as Kumar (Harold and Kumar 2004) was an interesting movie, not something so special that I would necessarily recommend it to many other people, but not bad. The story carries value in that it reinforces family, love, and reality. This film is based on the novel The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, directed by Mira Nair and was originally screened at film festivals in New York and Toronto, where it apparently did pretty well.

The Namesake is a film based on first generation Indian immigrants, their children, and their assimilation into western culture. Near the beginning of the film an arranged marriage is portrayed, as Ashima and Ashoke are to start off their lives together and immediately move to the United States. Ashoke takes his newfound wife, Ashima, out of I believe Calcutta and over to New York, a world apart.

This film is a good example of cross cultural assimilation, as the story truly follows Gogol and his journey growing up. Gogol was named after his father’s favorite author, the Russian, Nikolai Gogol. This childhood nickname of Gogol was set to only be temporary until a proper name could be arranged at an early age, I believe five years old. Gogol decided at a young naïve age that he likes the name Gogol, and he will stick with it instead of choosing a ‘proper name.’ The growth throughout the story portrays Gogol ideologically diverting from his parents’ views of family, love, dating, and most domestic relations. We are introduced to two of Gogol’s lovers, Maxine and Moushumi, and his understanding of his role is different in both relationships. At one point in the movie Gogol brings his Caucasian (blond haired) girlfriend over to his parents’ house, which he is obviously quite skeptical of. Gogol warns Maxine that they cannot touch, kiss or be physical in any way, he warns of the traditional stance his parents have stuck to.

The story turns from an informative romance to tragedy when Ashoke drops dead of a massive heart attack while in Ohio for several months teaching at a university. Ashima is left with two children who have moved out of the house and are deep in their own relationships, and no true extended family in the area, only an empty home to embrace. The film I feel like was a bit slower than it could have been, and I truly would have liked to seen more of a comparison between Gogol’s life and that of his sister, Sonali’s. All in all it was a good movie that was more interesting than most movies, but not one that  I would opt to see again. This is a picture of the family, notice how assimilated Gogol looks.