Tabu makes the road to Oscars

As per reliable sources, Tabu could well be having a neck to neck competition with the cream of internationally acclaimed actors if her THE NAMESAKE director Mira Nair has her way.

Impressed with the reception this award winning film has got in both India and overseas with special mention reserved for Tabu, who plays the central protagonist in the film, Mira Nair is all set to work towards getting Tabu nominated for Oscars this year.

From the time since she completed the shoot of the film, she had great comments reserved for Tabu. Always confident about the fact that Tabu's act had cut across boundaries, she was sure that her performance would be widely recognized.

Now after the immense commercial success of the film and the name that Tabu has managed to earn worldwide since the release of the film, Mira Nair appears to be quite confident that she would be able to showcase Tabu's talent to the rest of the world as well.

About THE NAMESAKE

The Namesake is a tri-generational story of a Bengali family.

The film starts with the beautiful Indian singing of Ashima (Tabu). Her initial goal in life is to become a great artist/singer. But family concerns override her plans as she returns home to find a marriage arrangement being put forth for her. Her parents introduce her to her future husband, Ashoke (Irfan Khan), an architect who's been studying and living in America.

The marriage takes place and Ashima accompanies her new husband to New York ("Half a world away"). She immediately begins missing her family but her forlorn attitude is whisked aside as Ashoke teaches her the ways of the City. She becomes pregnant with her first child, Gogol.

The naming is tricky because normally it is done by an elder from within the family (all of whom are still in India). So Ashoke names him after one of his favorite authors (Nicholas "Gogol", a famous Russian writer). Gogol bares the name with disdain, never fully realizing its importance (one of Nicholas Gogol's books actually saved Gogol's father's life after a fatal train accident in India many years before). Gogol eventually changes his name to Nick, thus ending his family's tradition of keeping an appropriate Indian name.

It is this Americanization that is most troubling throughout the film. It invades the very fabric of what Gogol's family represents. Although not entirely without merit (America does give him a good education and a nice job), the culture of his parents seems stilted and un-cool. As Gogol (and eventually his sister) grow into adulthood, they search for love in America, and find it via Americans.

This is also another blow to Ashima and Ashoke (Gogol's mother and father). Americans live in the fast lane and often have to choose between one spouse's family over the other. This comes into sharp contrast as Gogol begins dating a beautiful blonde American named Maxine (Jacinda Barrett, POSEIDON).

Maxine's pull is strong and forces Gogol to drift farther away from his roots. His parents call and call but never hear back. It takes a devastating family event to get Gogol back on track and it is this that gives the film its emotional heft.