Namesake, The

Aroview: Cutting right to the heart of the 'immigrant experience', this outstanding melodrama from the dir. of MONSOON WEDDING beautifully explores the generational gaps and bonds of an Indian family who settle on the east coast of America.

Among the uniformly excellent cast, comedian Kal Penn is especially good in a dramatic role as the American-born son caught between cultures of modern America and traditional India. The film effortlessly transends its familiar premise by avoiding stereotypes and offering a complex and authentic representation of family 'love', while also managing to condense its episodic narrative into two hours without jarring or skimping on detail.

Based on the best-selling novel by Jhumpa Lahiri.

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