It's a long time since I wanted to talk about this wonderful movie. Only a 7.4 imdb rate, this is one of the outstanding Mira Nair's creations. I think I'll review all of her movies, one by one, but not right now and not quite in order. This here is an adaptation with a screenplay masterfully transgressed on the screen by Sooni Taraporevala. The actors are perfectly chosen, the directing does full justice to Jhumpa Lahiri's novel. Kal Penn (as Gogol), Tabu (as Ashima), Irrfan Khan (as Ashoke), Jacinda Barrett (as Maxine), Zuleikha Robinson (as Moushumi Mazumdar), Brooke Smith (as Sally). Much like Monsoon Wedding, another famous Mira Nair' signature, this is a visual and lyrical film. It is an essay on home, and on going home, not the physical place, but the state of mind. It is an enduring story of love, courage and struggles faces by a pair of Bengali, Ashoke and Ashima, coming to live in America, Ashoke being an engineering student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Through a series of mistakes, their son's nickname, becomes his official birth name, an event which will shape many aspects of his life. The film chronicles Gogol's cross-cultural experiences and his exploration of his Indian heritage, as the story shifts between the United States and … [Read more...]
