The Namesake - Its all about Parents

I probably am not the right person to comment about this movie but since i came back after watching this piece of perfection,my heart has been repeatedly asking me this one question.Have i done Justice to my parents for all the sacrifices they made for me,and constanly my mind has been trying to elude this question of my heart as a part of the escapism i usually take to when i know that i am wrong.Finally not being able to handle the pressure i did give the answer to the question breaking into a few drops of tears.
The movie is a splendid work of perfection as i already mentioned,hats off to Mira Nair for handling the story with astuteness,The movie kicks off with the arranged marraige of Ashima(Tabu) and Ashok(Irfan Khan).A special appreciation should go to both for actually potraying the ideals of a first generation indian couple trying to make their lives in the USA.The story however pivots on the name of Gogol Ganguli played by Kal Penn who has just fitted the bill.Ashima and Ashok have two kids and they try their best to give them everything that was probably not at their reach back in India,the kids as usual look at their parents to be autocratic leaders as most of us think.The adaptability problem with the Indian Kids is also potrayed nicely at the locality the fammily settles down.As Gogol grows up he faces a lot of intimidation from the other students about his name.
He eventually at one point even goes back to change his name to his other good name Nikhil which was decided a not until he was actually 6 years old.The name Gogol had to be given to him since he needed a name on his birth certificate before he could be discharged out of the hospital after birth.as a kid Kal Penn chooses between Gogol and Nikhil and it is his decision that made him to be called Gogol.Gogol decides to major in Architecture and also finds a white girl friend for himself.The real transitions of the culture was potrayed at this point when Gogol tells his girlfriend "you should know certain things,no kissing and no holding hands while we are at my place",this might be too hard to reason out and rationalize to arrive at a reason unless you are really a indian because still at a lot of places in India this is a common practice.Infact in one of the scenes when Ashima and Ashok are at the Taj mahal,conversing about the Taj Mahal itself with hands in each others and when their son approaches them you can clearly see them relieving the hands of each other.
Gogol still goes on to be some one who really does not understand the care and concern of his parents and stays aloof on their beliefs he brings home his girlfriend to send off his dad before he is to be off for a semester to ohio,its then when Ashok tells him all about the name Gogol why he was named that way and about the Train accident,which actually provoked him to venture out and explore this world.There was one of the dialogues that caught me where Kal Penn asks his dad if his name reminds him of the accident and Ashok answers saying that it reminds him of everything that happened after that,and says every day after that had been a blessing.Gogol goes to spend the week end with his girl friend,and thats when tragedy strikes Ashok passes away due to a heart attack.Thats when a lot of the reality strikes Kal penn.He really feels the pain of the loss of his dad and even tonsures his head voluntarily.A sequence of events actually cause a rift between Kal penn and his girl friend and they split up.
Gogol goes on with his life and then the concerned mom looks into a groom for him and asks him to meet her ,entry zuleikha robinson and she truns out to be the striking cosmo girl and like a perfect choice for Kal penn he starts dating her and they end up getting married,things go fine for a while and Ashima decides to leave back to india since both her kids were well settled.Again Gogol faces problem in his marital life and his wife leaves him for a old boyfriend.Ashima knowing of her sons plight offers to stay back,but Gogol pursuades her to go ahead with her plan and leave to india.Thats when he finds a book gifted to him by his father when he graduated from high school.Memories start playing back images in his mind and he thinks of this particular day where he and his dad were at the beach and they walk down a few rocks to get a better view,Ashok then realises he has left his camera behind and tells Gogol that there is no camera and he has to remember this picture inn his mind,since there is going to be no photograph.The inquisitive kid asks "How long do u want me to remember this? and Ashok answers saying "Remember this forever and alsoremember we both travelled a lot to come to a place from where there was nowhere to go"these lines just really made me feel the love of a dad.
I came out with tears rolling down,I might have been an emotional person but i cant really remember the last time a movie made me shed drops of tears, it could have been decades.I felt like shouting out loud Dad I love you......but i never did and i know my dad too does feel the same towards me but never gives his thoughts words.It really made me feel a lot guilty and i felt really useless for a few moments.The Name sake could have been about one couple who came abroad and stayed there thinking what is best for their children but i am sure it reflects each and every parent living even in India because i have simply seen in my dad and mom that urge to get whats best for me.Its only that i refused to realise that for a long time and still keep refusing it.I seriously dont have any idea why i do that ..................May be that was the Plan of the setup.