'the namesake'

after much persuasion, i went to see mira nair's 'the namesake' yesterday. not that i needed the persuasion though. as an indian living in the u.s. i felt almost obligated to. i liked the movie, and didn't fall asleep during - not for a second - as has been the recent norm. so that says something.

the acting by irfan khan and tabu was spectacular. the kids did their part well too. i wish they had chosen someone else to play the french-wannabe moushumi, but the cast was overall quite convincing. i liked the cinematography and was happy that india seemed much like india and u.s. suburbia seemed much like u.s. suburbia. the direction was lacking in places and poor in places. the character development could have been better, for almost all characters in the plot. as for the plot itself, the mystery behind the significance of the name was a tad disappointing. i've also, unfortunately, had enough of movies that elaborate the lack of respect american kids have for indian parents and for india.

but i was deeply moved by many of the scenes - like at the taj mahal, the airport, and when gogol wears his father's shoes (in fact, notice that shoes make a symbolic appearance at many points through the movie)... tabu's facial expressions as she sang were too perfect for words. i'd say i'm glad i made my once-in-3-month visit to the theatre to watch this movie.