CINEMATIC POTRAYAL OF THE NAMESAKE IN CONTEXT TO DIASPORIC LITERATURE

Abstract

Literature and film are two independent works of art and both are a medium to communicate to their audiences. The process of adaptation has always been central to filmmaking, from the beginning. The paper deals with the cinematic adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiri’sThe Namesake into a movie of the same name. When a literary text is adapted into an aural or oral medium, the process of translation deals with omission, contraction and exaggeration of various events and characters. Lahiri has portrayed the issue of diaspora and Mira Nair has successfully adapted the literature of diaspora on screen. Nair, through her film, effectively explores the mingling of east and west, quest for identity and feeling of alienation through her characters. Through the character of Ashima (Tabu) the director portrays the struggle of Indian immigrants living in a foreign land. The character of Gogol (Kal Penn) and Sonia (Sahira Nair) depicts the subject matter of search for identity and cultural assimilation. The film is a successful adaptation of the novel, The Namesake and the paper aims to focus on the diasporic analysis in the novel to compare the same in the film.