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Award-winning director
talks about "The Namesake"
"The
Namesake" is the story of the Ganguli family whose
move from Calcutta to New York evokes a lifelong
balancing act to meld to a new world without
forgetting the old. Though parents Ashoke and Ashima
(played by Irrfan Khan and Tabu) long for the family
and culture that enveloped them in India, they take
great pride in the opportunities their sacrifices
have afforded their children. Paradoxically, their
son Gogol (Kal Penn) is torn between finding his own
unique identity without losing his heritage. Even
Gogol’s name represents the family’s journey into
the unknown.
"The Namesake" is based on the best-selling novel of
the same name by Pulitzer Prize-winning author
Jhumpa Lahiri.
In
the
March 2007 interview,
special correspondent Ray Alvarado talks to the
film's director, Academy Award®-nominated
Mira Nair. Along with Ms. Nair's
Sidewalks interview, a special featurette of
"The Namesake" is presented.
 Ms. Nair's
debut
feature film, "Salaam Bombay!" was nominated
for an Academy Award® for Best Foreign Language Film
in 1988, and won the Camera D'Or and Prix du
Publique at the Cannes Film Festival as well as 25
other international awards. "Mississippi Masala" won
three awards at the Venice Film Festival including
Best Screenplay and The Audience Choice Award and
"Monsoon Wedding" won the Golden Lion at the
2001 Venice Film Festival and was nominated for a
Golden Globe® for Best Foreign Language Film.
Additionally, Nair directed the HBO original film,
“Hysterical Blindness.”
Release: March 9, 2007
Directed by: Mira Nair
Screenplay by: Sooni Taraporevala
Based on the novel by: Jhumpa Lahiri
Produced by: Lydia Dean Pilcher, Mira Nair
Executive Produced by: Yasushi Kotani, Taizo Son,
Ronnie Screwvala
Cast: Kal Penn, Tabu, Irrfan Khan, Jacinda Barrett,
Zuleikha Robinson, Glenne Headley, Brooke Smith,
Sahira Nair
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