May I recommend

When I read several months ago that the novel – The Namesake written by Jhumpa Lahiri was being made into a movie…I was initially a bit skeptical as to whether the film version would retain the authenticity of the excellent story told in the book, then I learnt that it was going to be directed by Mira Nair , that put my mind at ease.

With rich color and warmth, Ms Nair brings to life characters created by Ms Lahiri who you will not forget in a hurry. The theatrical trailer for the Namesake gives a taste of the vibrant, emotional and deeply-moving story which centers around how something as simple as the name you are called can have a profound effect on several aspects of your life. If your name is Kehinde and by virtue of what part of the world you live people have called you Candy or your name is Tosin and you have been called Tracy, etc etc…you might find elements of this story are easy to relate to. It touches on a number social and cultural issues about having a sense of belonging to the land one has chosen to call home without losing sight of the land where your bloodline originated from.

If you read my previous blog entry, you’ll probably know that yours truly won’t see this until it is either on DVD, pay-per view or HBO or if by some miracle the studio execs approve of its release for download at a reasonable price….hey stranger things have happened.

Here’s my humble recommendation – please see the movie and/or read the book if you can and you might also want to pick up a copy of Ms Lahiri’s book of short stories called Interpreter of Maladies. She is an excellent story-teller.