The Inheritance of Loss. Review on Namesake

Our existence, in a way comprises of two life spans. One is the life that we actually live. The other is the life when we remain in the heart and mind of our off springs. The story of Namesake, reiterate that fact, spanning three generations of a Bengali family. Characters of each generation set forth in their own journeys, but somehow could not get rid of the baggage of the previous generation.

The Namesake, if peeled off from all its hype and marketing sheen, is essentially a small but intimate movie about real people experiencing life as it comes. For me the movie is basically about loving your parents and acknowledging their invisible sacrifices.

As I have not read the book, my reaction will be solely based on the movie. Mira Nair is surprisingly restrained in the movie and uses her cinematic skills to weave a tale of languid pace. Her language is humane and inward looking with obvious inspiration from the Satyajit Ray school of film making.

*The Story

Ashoke Ganguly, after a miraculous escape from a rail accident, decided to leave his familiar environment and experience the world out there. He landed up in New York and soon had Ashima, as his life partner, through an arranged marriage. Parenthood for the couple beckons with a son and then a daughter, whom they brought up with lot of love and care. Gogol, the son is the main protagonist and the title of the movie derives from his continuous struggle to come in terms with his name. The movie graphs the subtle and not so subtle  changes, which occurs in the world around, with time, in the life of Ashima and then Gogol. Sometimes the narrative is of Ashima and sometimes it is that of Gogol. It ends with Ashima taking a decision to return to her homeland and Gogol finally putting all the pieces of his jigsaw identity in place.

The Actors

All the actors delivered. Irfan Khan is outstanding. His scenes with Gogol will definitely touch a chord with all sons, who went to see Namesake. He and his director obviously made an effort to bengalise his body language and accent. Tabu is a competent actress. She displays immense control in the climatic scene where she gave a farewell speech in a party. However she doesn’t seem to cross the fine line between Tabu the actress and Ashima the character. Kalpen Modi identification with the character Gogol is complete(he is known as Kaal Penn in the US movie circles). His scene with Irfan, when he understand the real reason behind his name and Tabu in the end  during the party is pretty heart rending.

The Rest of It

The movie is shot in New York, Agra and Kolkata. All the cities are integral to the story and have characters of their own. The newly wed Ashima arrives in New York during winter. The cold and the dreary weather act as the perfect contrast to hot and humid Kolkata. It reflects her emotional distress of leaving her homeland and the cold lonely new environment she suddenly finds herself captive to. The same city appear happier and livable with time when the later scenes are shot in autumn.

Why does Arnab Ghosh like Namesake?

I enjoyed the experience of Namesake because it reminded me of my parents and the memories associated with growing up. The story is not only about understanding one own’s identity but also crossing the bridge between generations. We are end of the day what we are because of our parents.

As all good movies, the movie had its own share of special moments. My favourite is the scene where Ashok holds little Gogol in his hand and guides him over rocks to reach the end of a narrow strip of land jutting out in the ocean. The weather is cloudy and the water is lashing against the rocks. After reaching the tip, Ashok realizes he had left his camera behind.(Irfan is absolutely a treat to watch in this scene). So he bends down and says to Gogol that since the camera is not there, little Gogol need to just remember everything. Gogol asks him for how long he need to remember. Ashok said Gogol should remember for ever that he and his father came to a point from where there is nowhere to go further.

The cold uncluttered apartment where Ashok returns, while he is away from Ashima also conveys a sense of sadness which is difficult to articulate. Gogol also relives his father’s last days when he arrives at the apartment to collect his things. It somehow helps him to realize how much he loved his father, now that he is longer with him.

Shunyo e buke, pakhi more phire aai phire aai.

Bengalis who have heard this familiar Nazrul song hopefully will smile in their mind while they read the above lines. For others, I will loosely translate it as ….Come back, come back to my empty heart….oh sweet bird of memories. This is the song, which was not leaving me while I was leaving the air conditioned multiplex.