Finding meaning in a name
Ashoke Ganguli (Irfan Khan) is a student in Calcutta when he is
in a terrible train wreck. As the only survivor, he decides to make
the most of the life he has been granted. He asks Ashima (Tabu) to
marry him, a girl he hardly knows, and he moves to the United
States to study.
Finding meaning in a name
Ashoke Ganguli (Irfan Khan) is a student in Calcutta when he is in a terrible train wreck. As the only survivor, he decides to make the most of the life he has been granted. He asks Ashima (Tabu) to marry him, a girl he hardly knows, and he moves to the United States to study.
When Ashoke and Ashima marry, he has already lived in the country for a while. He explains to her that here the houses have hot and cold water. They have gas all day for the heater and the stove. The Laundromat is down the street, but he will show her how to do laundry after he returns from class. The couple plans to stay in the United States while Ashoke works and then return to India with their families.
Director Mira Nair, known for the movie “Monsoon Wedding,” mixes mostly English with bits and pieces of the Gangulis’ native language. The two main characters are stoic in their homesickness. Ashima writes home that all is well and leaves out her slow adjustment to life in America. The couple rarely shows open affection for each other.
It is when their first child is born that they make the decision to stay in the United States. They have a boy, and per their Bengali tradition, they give him a nickname that he will have until he is given his “good name.” In their culture a child is not given their final name sometimes until the age of 6 and the eldest living family member has input on the name. Before the baby can be released, the hospital requires a name so Ashoke names him Gogol. Nikolai Gogol is his favorite writer, but there is another reason for his son’s name that is not revealed until the end of the movie.
When it is time for Gogol to go to school, his parents have chosen his good name of Nikhel. His younger sister Sonia gets off easy with an American name from the start. When he first starts school, the little boy refuses to use his good name in school so he goes by Gogol. Once he gets to high school, he rebels against his family’s Indian traditions and his odd Russian name.
Kal Penn plays the part of Gogol from the high school years into adulthood. Penn is best known as Kumar from “Harold and Kumar go to White Castle,” and anyone who has seen him in that movie might find it hard to take him serious in this film. Penn suffers a bit from the same syndrome as Keanu Reeves who never really got over playing the character Ted from “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.” Penn’s acting seems slightly limited compared to the strong performances given by Tabu and Khan.
Still the movie is as much about them as their son. Despite smoking pot and having really bad hair, he has gotten into Yale. The summer before he starts college, the family goes to India. The two teens are miserable visiting family and going from sight to sight. But when the family visits the Taj Mahal, revelations are made. Ashoke and Ashima find a way to express their feelings for each other. Gogol finds his future in the architecture of one of the seventh wonders of the world.
Still, Gogol continues to fit against his family history and his name. When he goes to college he becomes known as Nick. He dates a girl with blond hair and blue eyes, whose family has a beach house. He neglects visiting his parents. It takes a family tragedy and a revelation about his name for Gogol to reconnect with his culture.
But from there, the movie loses a bit of momentum. It goes on for about a half hour longer than it should, with the introduction of a new love interest. It is not clear why the writers felt the need to continue the film, but the very last part of the movie is the least engaging.
The movie is a good look at immigrant life, family connection and the ways in which people can show each other love without saying the words.
