Review: Namesake

One always listens about the bad effects of holding a credit card. There are some good, too. Since in job, I started getting a lot of calls regarding credit cards. Got a few of them. One of them is Manhattan, best thing about this card is, on every Thursday you get to see movie in INOX at half the price (if you manage to get a partner :).

I was waiting for Namesake since long. The story appealed me. Cross-culture and all that, based on a Pulitzer Prize winning novel, I liked all that.

So, I desperately wanted to watch this movie. Tried to persuade a lot of people, nobody agreed. Had to watch anyway, so went.

The movie delivered more than I had expected. Not at an art movie at all. Acting wise movie is just superb. Each and every character has done their job with utmost sincerity. May it be Irrfan Khan, whom I like a lot since since 'Haasil' or national award winning actress Tabu. I heard that Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukherjee were about to do this flick, I don't think they could have done a better job apart from some media publicity. Kal Penn from 'Harold & Kumar' pulls off very nicely. As a young boy, stranded between two opposing culture, he has done a great job. Struggle in his mind is well reflected on his face. Scenes of real Kolkata add lots of originality to the movie, someone should show this to Hindi film directors that one does not need to go to Switzerland just to shoot a movie and all that. Well, one more thing, the movie uses lots of Bengali, of course subtitle is provided. But, I understood most of them without reading, thanks to some very good Bengali friends, I made in Kolkata J.

Overall, Namesake is a very beautifully crafted movie. Kudos to Mira Nair for such a nice effort. This poster is also intriguing. Kal Penn is shown coming out of past memory, basic theme of the movie.

My rating: ****