The Namesake (2006) on Netflix
Ashoke survives a train crash in India and moves to the United States to study. An arranged marriage brings Ashima, a classical singer, to New York, where their son Gogol is born.
- Netflix4.0/5
- IMDb7.5/1023,136 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes85%
Trailer
Plot summary
Ashoke Ganguli is riding a train in India when a fellow passenger, Ghosh, urges him to see the world. The train crashes, and Ashoke survives with a broken leg. He recovers at his parents' home, then travels to the United States to study. Two years into his doctoral work, his parents arrange a meeting with Ashima, who is trained in classical singing. The two like each other and marry. The pair leave Kolkata for New York City, where Ashima finds the new life difficult. Their son is born, and through a mix-up his nickname, Gogol, after the Russian author Nikolai Gogol, becomes his registered name.
Cast
- Sahira Nairas Sonia
- Jagannath Guhaas Ghosh
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Namesake (2006)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- A month before shooting began, Warner Bros. offered Mira Nair the chance to direct Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, but her 14-year-old son Zohran Mamdani persuaded her to make The Namesake instead, telling her that only she could make it.
- Nair said she was inspired to make the film after her mother-in-law died suddenly from medical malpractice, and that Jhumpa Lahiri had written of the melancholy of losing a parent in a foreign country, which she was experiencing herself.
- Mira Nair first considered Abhishek Bachchan to play Gogol, but cast Kal Penn after her son Zohran Mamdani, a fan of Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, strongly recommended him. Penn had read Jhumpa Lahiri's novel on the advice of co-star John Cho, and the two had discussed buying the film rights before learning Nair was already adapting it.
- Rani Mukerji was initially considered for the principal lead, but scheduling conflicts with Karan Johar's Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna meant the role went to Tabu.
