Mira Nair Kal Penn struggles with cultural differences in "Namesake." Click photo for larger image.

At a party at his blond girlfriend's home, Gogol Ganguli (Kal Penn) is introduced as the "young Indian architect." A stranger asks how old he was when he moved to America.

He was born here, he politely responds, aware that he cannot deny his DNA even if he's as red, white and blue as anyone in the well-appointed room.

His parents were newlyweds when they left Calcutta for New York but Gogol lives in the shadow of their homeland, their dreams, expectations and sorrows, not to mention his father's taste in literature. He was named, after all, for Russian author Nikolai Gogol, although Gogol was to be his "pet name" used by family, not his "good name" for public consumption.

Even when Gogol reacts to his roots in distinctly American ways -- trying to jog while visiting family in India, lamenting the lack of air-conditioning -- he cannot help but be awestruck by the sight of the Taj Mahal. It will steer his studies at Yale.

"The Namesake," directed by Mira Nair and based on the 2003 Jhumpa Lahiri novel of the same name, takes the immigrant experience that has provided rich material for so many movies ("In America," "Avalon," "Big Night," to name just a few) and gives it a distinctively Indian flavor. The resulting movie transports us through cultures and generations with a gentle grace and dignity, much like Gogol's parents, since "The Namesake" is their story as well as his.

It is the tale of his mother Ashima (the single-named Tabu) and father Ashoke (Irrfan Khan), whose arranged marriage plants the seed for a true love affair.

They don't indulge in public displays of affection, but the devotion and passion are there. In a scene that proves less is more, Ashoke stands in line at the airport and subtly nods his head, beckoning his wife to join him as he's leaving for an out-of-town job. His eyes say it all.

		'The Namesake' Starring: Kal Penn, Tabu, Irrfan Khan, Jacinda Barrett. Director: Mira Nair. Rating: PG-13 for sexuality/nudity, a scene of drug use, some disturbing images and brief language. Web site: www.foxsearchlight .com/thenamesake/

"The Namesake" focuses on Ashoke and Ashima and, later, their son and, almost in passing, daughter. It follows the family from Yonkers to the suburbs, from puzzling over a subway map to navigating the streets behind the wheel of a car.

Gogol is introduced to another way of life by his wealthy girlfriend, Maxine (Jacinda Barrett), with her family's summer beach house and her mother's job at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her mother curates the sort of fabrics that Ashima wraps herself in each day.

"The Namesake" explores Gogol's reactions to the foreign and the familiar, especially when it comes to women such as Maxine and Moushumi (Zuleikha Robinson), the daughter of fellow Bengalis. The story comes full circle, but not in the way you might anticipate.

Nair, whose credits include "Salaam Bombay" and "Monsoon Wedding," has a fluid style, using bridges and rivers to convey journeys and similarities or differences between India and America. The passage of time is displayed subtly, as the Gangulis are shown in one bedroom and then another, the second with slightly nicer furnishings.

Sooni Taraporevala's adapted screenplay may not plow new ground but it reminds us of the universality of both the immigrant and adult experience -- being required to repeatedly spell a name, fearing an unexpected phone call must mean bad news. To its credit, it doesn't demonize anyone, even those who bring heartbreak.

If "Reign Over Me" allows Adam Sandler to tease tears from the audience, "The Namesake" allows one of the stars of "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" to move beyond his comic slacker stereotype.

Kal Penn may smoke a joint with high school pals, but he also must deal with regrets, sadness, time-honored rituals and the chance to start anew, as his parents did.

"The Namesake" is a lovely film that celebrates having wings and roots, being both footloose and in the comforting embrace of family and tradition.

Opens today at the Manor Theater.