Where the heart is; Mira Nair brings pathos and pageantry to Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake.

Byline: John Powers

Early in The Namesake, Mira Nair's colorful, heartfelt adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiri's best-selling novel, a Bengali student named Ashoke Ganguli (Irr_fan Khan) is reading in a crowded train when a stranger utters words that will change his life: "Pack a pillow and a blanket . . . see the world, you will never regret it." Seconds later, the train flies off the rails. Ashoke survives, but the accident forever alters his destiny, propelling this young Indian man to pack a pillow and

pursue the American Dream.

After an arranged marriage to the radiant Ashima (Tabu), Ashoke moves from Calcutta to a dingy New York apartment. Although seventies America offers the couple new amenities-the gas is on 24 hours a day!-the early years are hard, especially for Ashima, who's left alone as her husband studies engineering. What keeps them sane is the birth of their son, Gogol, named after the Russian writer whose book of stories Ashoke thinks miraculously saved him during the train crash. (He's played by Kal Penn, best known for the comedy hit Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle.) As Ashima and Ashoke strive to find a balance between their Indian roots and New World prosperity (their big, comfy house in the suburbs is filled with the spicy scent of Ashima's cooking), Gogol becomes a spoiled princeling-smoking dope, demanding to be called "Nick," and ignoring his adoring parents while pursuing his own pleasures. He burns to be American, not Indian-American.

Lahiri's tale of the immigrant experience seems tailor-made for Nair, who's lived such a story herself. Her most successful movies-especially Salaam Bombay! and Monsoon Wedding-have been messy, bighearted crowd pleasers. And ...