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***Possible spoilers ahead for those who haven’t read the book***

I had the fortune of attending the red carpet premiere of “The Namesake”, directed by Mira Nair, and based on the novel by Jhumpa Lahiri this past Wednesday. It was the opening night screening of the IAAC film festival in NY, and Mira Nair and Kalpen Modi were in attendance, along with a few other people in the crew. Jhumpa herself was busy with another event down the street, and was unable to attend.

I’d like to first say that I haven’t read the book… but everyone I’ve talked to who has (minus one, who resides here on PFC as well), has loved it. So what do I have to go on, really? Buzz. Hype. Kalpen’s blog was a curiosity factor for me, as I had been following it from time to time. Mira Nair at the helm, directing actors like Irrfan and Tabu, easily among the best artists India has to offer, along with the biggest South Asian actor to come out on his own in Hollywood. The biggest puller of course, was Irrfan, without a doubt. And the trailer looked pretty good too. And so far, the word of mouth from people who told me the book was mindblowing was generating curiosity in me. Fine. But then why was the movie blowing my mind?

The movie runs at a very fast pace… in fact, I really wanted to thank Allyson Johnson - the editor of the movie - who was in attendance as well, but I lost her in the crowd after the screening. Ashoke Ganguli (played by Irrfan) and Ashima (Tabu) had been married and already had their second kid 20ish mins into the movie. By the half hour mark, Gogol (Kal) had grown up and graduated. So far, so good. Somehow the idea of a newly wedded couple coming to the States and getting used to the lifestyle here seemed like it had been beaten to death, but I fail to recall what other movies have showcased that. So in that sense, I’m glad it showcased the parents and not the confused desi youth struggling to find a balance between their culture/parents’ wishes and their own respective “americanized” life in this country. In fact, one of the plus points would be the fact that it didn’t dwell on the culture clash between the parents and their children. It was refreshing to see that the parents didn’t impose their beliefs on the kids, and that the kids were given the liberty to choose who to date, and choose their own name. The credit here goes to Jhumpa, of course.

Here’s the thing though. From everything I had heard about the book, I expected the audience to be reaching for napkins throughout the movie, and to be honest, I more than just expected it to tug at my heart strings. I almost wanted it to test my tear glands. It came close, but no cigar. The only noteworthy scenes were Irrfan’s dialog with Kal in the car on the way to the ice cream store and Tabu’s breakdown at Irrfan’s death. Irrfan had this twinkle in his eye while explaining to his son where he got his name, which didn’t fully develop into a tear… and I just watched him deliver his lines with my mouth agape. Kal was good in this scene, because had it been anyone else who is familiar with Irrfan’s work, they would’ve been too mesmerized with the way Irrfan delivered. While on the phone with the hospital, Tabu conveyed her vulnerability as she hears the news perfectly, and the strength that she portrays throughout the rest of the movie really defines her character. Again, the credit goes to Jhumpa here for fleshing out the character, which I imagine could’ve only made the job that much easier for Mira. An amazing job that really could not have been brought out by any other actor but Tabu. I’m glad Mira chose her over Rani and Konkona.

Kal is doing good work. His “Harold & Kumar” may be one for the college crowd, as will be the case with the Van Wilder spinoff, “The Rise of Taj” and the sequel to Harold & Kumar. Unfortunately he’s in a place where it’s hard to slot a South Asian actor, so I can’t blame him for taking up the projects he has, and to be doing these movies as a lead itself deserves a LOT of credit. He tries his best to do a dramatic turn in “The Namesake” but falls short. The comedic scenes come to him very naturally, but maybe he needs to take up smaller projects that can really bring out the “actor” in him. (or can the indies no longer afford him?) Mira, in her post-screening Q&A claimed that Kal wrote her a “seductive” letter wanting to be part of the project, which is why she auditioned him, where he proceeded to “blow her socks off”. Strong words - but I didn’t see that type of a performance from him. Apparently it was upon her son Zohran’s insistence, that Kal was even initially considered to audition.

I discussed this point with a couple of other filmmakers at the festival, and we agreed that were it not for the name “Mira Nair”, Fox Searchlight probably wouldn’t even be distributing the film. So true. And as for the nudity in the film… totally uncalled for. Not sure why Mira felt the need to include it… something I would’ve loved to ask her, among other things. But the audience didn’t even get a chance to ask her questions. The Q&A was moderated by Peter Herbst, editor-in-chief of Variety magazine, and really took away from the one-on-one feeling that could’ve been achieved otherwise with the audience.

I had certain expectations from the movie, but overall, I felt it lacked the soul and the sentiment that probably had been brought out in the novel a lot more. I was looking for this soul throughout the movie, and just when I’d thought I’d found it, I was left searching for it all over again, which is what blows my mind. Those who read the book are going to watch it no matter what - and those who haven’t will watch it too, probably for some of the reasons I did. I look forward to their comments when they do. Watch this one for Irrfan and Tabu, if nothing else. I think I might just read the book regardless, to see what I missed out on. For now, I think I’m better off playing the trailer in loop mode for 2hrs - it has a lot more soul than the movie itself.

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