Mira Nair, director of both "Salaam Bombay!" and "Monsoon Wedding," has achieved recognition as an exceptionally talented and provocative filmmaker whose major works focus on stories of assimilating Indian and American cultures.
This Friday, Oct. 20, in Spaulding Auditorium, the Dartmouth Film Society honors the career of Mira Nair with the presentation of the Dartmouth Film Award and a special advance screening of her latest film, "The Namesake."
The event will feature a question and answer session with Nair in the Top of the Hop following the movie screening.
Nair's new film, an adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiri's bestselling novel, tells of one Indian family's thorny transition into the American lifestyle. The family's son Gogol, who was born and raised in the States, in particular struggles to balance American life with his family's Bengali heritage. Amidst his assimilation crisis arise issues of identity and racial hostility.
"The Namesake" will be released in March 2007. Tomorrow's event is an exclusive occasion to preview the highly-anticipated film, which received remarkable acclaim following its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this past September.
The premise of "The Namesake" -- namely a Bengali family's relocation to New York -- mirrors Nair's own immigrant experience. "The moment I finished reading the novel, I knew I had to turn it into a film," Nair said. "The story bears an uncanny resemblance to mine."
Perhaps because it is familiar territory -- or because it lends itself to discussion of important racial and gender issues -- cultural assimilation is a favorite subject for Nair. The bulk of Nair's films examine the struggle of marginalized individuals and groups to maintain personal and cultural integrity in an increasingly suffocating world.
"I often find those that are considered to be on the outside extremely inspiring. They are the people who see through the double standards," Nair said.
Predictably, themes of exile, interracial relationships, cultural adjustment, and prejudicial behavior populate Nair's other films. "Mississippi Masala," made in 1990, follows a young Indian woman who falls in love with a black man, triggering unhappy memories of the Indian family's expulsion from Uganda many years ago. Ethnic discord also appears in 1995's "The Perez Family," a film fictionalizing the difficult adjustment of the 1980 Mariel boatlift immigrants to their new home in Miami.
American audiences are probably most familiar with Nair's 2004 high-profile film "Vanity Fair," starring Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon.
In considering her substantial accomplishments and renowned ability to balance Bollywood and Hollywood sensibilities, Nair credits her family.
"My own family is vital to me. They give me the roots that keep me anchored and the wings that allow me to fly." Tickets for the tribute are on sale at the Hopkins Center Box Office.
