Multiculturalism in movies
These days not only social anthropologists and sociologists, but also film-makers are dealing with ‘multiculturalism’ in their projects. Mira Nair is one of those filmmakers. In her latest film ‘The Namesake’ she tells the story of a family who goes to the US from India to start a new life. Below is the full review from http://hoyts.ninemsn.com.au/movie/2254.asp
‘Spanning two generations, two clashing cultures and two very different ways of life, THE NAMESAKE is the latest film by Mira Nair, the acclaimed director of MONSOON WEDDING and VANITY FAIR. In her most personal film to date, Nair brings to the screen a poignant and transporting version of Jhumpa Lahiri’s best-selling novel, which won reader’s hearts across the world with its exploration of the ties that can both tangle and bind global families.
Jumping between the equally colourful and vibrant cities of Calcutta and New York, THE NAMESAKE is a moving drama which follows the Ganguli family, who come to the U.S. from India in order to experience a world of limitless opportunities – only to be confronted with the perils and confusion of trying to build a meaningful life in a baffling new society. On the heels of their arranged marriage, Ashoke and Ashima (Indian stars Irrfan Khan and Tabu) jet off from sweltering Calcutta to a wintry New York where they begin their new life together. Virtual strangers to one another and with Ashima now living in a new and very strange land, their relationship takes a positive turn when Ashima gives birth to a son. Under pressure to name him quickly, Ashoke settles on Gogol, after the famous Russian author – a name that serves as a link to a secret past and, Ashoke hopes, a better future.
As a first-generation American teenager, Gogol (Kal Penn) must learn to tread a razor-thin line between his Bengali roots and his American birthright in the search for his own identity. It’s a difficult journey, full of both comic and painfully revelatory consequences . . . until Gogol begins to see the links between the world his parents left behind and the new world that lies in front of him. ‘
