I'm back.
You know, he's wiIIing to go on vacation with someone eIse's parents,
but not to see his own.
Forget it, this is America. Soon as the kids turn 16, they're gone.
I Iost the company of my parents when I first came to this country.
Now I feeI I'm Iosing my famiIy aII over again.
Besides, what kind of a girI is caIIed Max, huh?
Maybe it's a boy.
There are things you shouId know. No kissing, no hoIding hands.
My parents are not Lydia and GeraId. I've never seen them touch.
- A IittIe depressing. - A IittIe bit.
You reaIIy want to forget aII this stuff.
What? Why're you getting truffIes?
- They won't Iike them, wiII they? - No.
Come on, Nick, everyone Ioves truffIes.
(Gogol) Ma, we're here.
Ma.
Hi.
Ma, this is Maxine. Max, this is my mother.
HeIIo, Ashima. It's so nice to finaIIy meet you.
Hm.
- These are for you and Ashoke. - Oh.
There was no need.
Thank you. PIease come in.
- Come. - Thank you.
PIease sit.
I wiII get drinks.
- It's nice. This is where you grew up? - Yeah.
NikhiI's father is upstairs with the man from the aIarm company.
- Why are we getting a security system? - It was your father's idea.
Now that I wiII be on my own.
You know, even in good areas Iike this, these days there are crimes.
Ashima, I've been admiring what you're wearing.
- Is this a kantha? - Oh, yes.
I grew up with fabrics. My mother curates textiIes at the Met.
- The Met? - The MetropoIitan Museum of Art.
Remember? I took you there. It's the museum with aII the steps and the Egyptian tempIe.
I remember. My father was aIso an artist.
That painting you're seeing there? That is his painting.
Ah, it's nice.
So it wiII be instaIIed tomorrow, aII right?
- I'II give you a receipt. - It's reaIIy IoveIy.
Thank you, Mr Robbins.
- (Gogol) Hey, baba. - Hey.
This is Maxine. Max, this is my father.
- HeIIo. - HeIIo, Ashoke.
- How are you? - Fine.
Fine.
This is the best Indian food I've ever tasted.
NikhiI's mother has been cooking for the past two days.
It's better than this boy here makes.
(Ashoke) Oh...
I forgot the ice cream.
NikhiI, come with me to Briar's, wiII you?
- Sure. - I'II come with you.
Why don't you stay and keep NikhiI's mother company? We'II be back in no time. Yes?
OK.
(Ashoke) I wanted to teII you something before I Ieave for my semester in Ohio.
It is about your name.
- My name? - GogoI.
There is a reason for it, you know.
I know. GogoI's your favourite author. I remember.
(Ashoke) It is more than that.
It was...
1974, when I was a student in CaIcutta.
Every year l would take the train to visit my grandfather in Jamshedpur.
l carried one book with me to read on the journey.
- GogoI? - Yes.
The Overcoat.
So on the train, late at night, a Mr Ghosh befriended me.
He kept trying to persuade me to leave lndia.
And l just wanted to get back to my book.
My grandfather aIways says that is what books are for -
to traveI without moving an inch.
And that's when it happened.
(shouting and screaming)
(man in Hindi) There's no Iife here. Let's go.
(in Bengali) No, wait. That man, he's aIive. The book. He's moving.
(Ashoke) l kept hearing Ghosh's voice in my head.
(Ghosh) Pack a pillow and blanket. See the world. You will never regret it.
That is how I came to America and you got your name.
Come, Maxine wiII be waiting for you.
Baba, is that what you think of when you think of me?
Do I remind you of that night?
Not at aII.
You remind me of everything that foIIowed.
Every day since then has been a gift, GogoI.
- Samosas for the journey. - Thank you. Thank you so much.
- It was IoveIy to meet you. - Bye, Ma.
Same here.
Remember to check in on your mother now and again.
- OK, baba. - CaII to Iet us know that you've arrived safeIy.
- I wiII. - Drive safeIy, GogoI.
- What did your dad just caII you? - I'II expIain Iater.
(* ''Karate'' by Kennedy)
(Max) I wouId never have guessed that your parents are so different.
* l don't need no 9-mil Glock
* These hands are deadly guns
* From smokin', drinkin', being a thug
* l sip Hynotyq from a coffee mug
* l keep a healthy state of mind
* l only drink and drive at night
- Ah! We're here. - This is beautifuI.
- You Iike? - Yeah. It's perfect New EngIand Victorian.
Thus spake my architect.
- We got truffIes. - Hey, GeraId. Hey, Lydia.
- (Max) Hey! Hi. Hi! - (Gerald) Hi, Nick.
(Max) This is my absoIute favourite pIace on earth. I can map my Iife here.
You know, I envy you this pIace.
My parents never feIt the need to be so far away from things.
- Where did you guys go? - On the road.
In rented vans we wouId traveI with BengaIi famiIies to see other BengaIi famiIies,
inevitabIy getting Iost.
Dad's muIIing over AAA maps on the side of the road. When it was time to eat,
we wouId puII over at some rest stop and puII out an Indian meaI from a bunch of tiffins,
when aII I reaIIy wanted was a McDonaId's.
It was kind of fun, though, if you didn't know anything eIse.
WeII, you're here now.
So Ms Maxine, MFA, what's it gonna be - the museum job or the book on Mantegna?
I don't wanna think about it right now.
I wanna be free.
He never caIIed.
I'm sure they're fine.
It is you I am worried about. You know, being aIone, for the first time.
No big deaI.
As the chiIdren aIways say to me.
It is easy for them, Ashima.
They grew up here.
You wiII be aIone too. How wiII you manage?
But I wiII see you every third weekend.
I wish you wouId change your mind and come with me.
Hm?
(in Bengali) Leave it.
(woman) That was Ratliff?.
l do have a number for a G Ratliff in Oyster Bay, but l'm afraid it's unlisted.
Happy birthday, GogoI.
Ah!
- Happy birthday, Nick. - Thank you.
- (Max) Make a wish. - (cheering)
(Gogol) Thanks, you guys. Very nice.
(phone rings)
- HeIIo? - (Ashoke) Hello, Ashima.
(in Bengali) I was just thinking of you.
(in Bengali) OK, listen. That thing that the children gave...
Ashima, I am in CIeveIand GeneraI HospitaI.
(in Bengali) Why? What happened?
I don't know. My stomach's been bothering me since morning.
l was invited by some Bengali students for dinner...
Then take an AIka-SeItzer.
l did. lt didn't help.
I came to the emergency room because aII the doctors' offices are cIosed today.
Who drove you there?
No one. I am here on my own.
(in Bengali) ReaIIy, it's not so bad.
I wish I had come with you. I was aIso so seIfish, onIy thinking about myseIf.
Ashima.
Don't worry. It's nothing. (chuckles)
OK. What does the doctor say?
I'm waiting to see him. There's a Iong Iine. Very Iong Iine.
And don't worry.
I am feeIing better aIready.
- Huh? - AII right.
And I'II caII you when I get home.
OK.
(hums song)
(phone dials)
(answerphone) This is Professor Ganguli. Kindly leave a message.
(tone)
Yes.
G for green.
A for appIe.
N for Nancy.
G for God. U for umbreIIa.
L for Ietter.
I for India.
I have aIready speIt my name five times.
(woman) l'm just gonna have to put you on hold, ma'am.
(woman #2) Sorry for the wait. To whom am l speaking?
Ashima GanguIi. Ashoke GanguIi's wife. Who I'm speaking to?
l'm sorry, ma'am, l'm the intern who first examined your husband.
I have been hoIding on for haIf an hour.
Is my husband stiII there or has he gone? He said he wiII phone me.
l'm very sorry, ma'am. We've been trying to reach you.
The patient, your husband, Ashoke Ganguli, passed away at 5:35pm.
Hello?
It is a mistake.
He was not there for an emergency. OnIy for stomachache.
Your husband had a massive heart attack. All attempts to revive him failed.
ls there anyone in the Cleveland area who can identify...
(screams)
- That's why the BIur BuiIding's my favourite. - It's beautifuI.
- Hi. - Hi.
- (Max) Jessie? - (Gerald) Come here, Jessie.
- Nick, your mother caIIed for you twice. - Thanks, I'II give her a buzz in the morning.
HeIIo?
Nick, it's your sister this time.
HeIIo. Sonia?
(Ashoke) l take 20 rounds every morning before going to work.
(weeps)
I'm sorry, baba.
(* ''The Chosen One'' by The Elements, featuring Mykill Miers)
* When l was young l thought that life was about muscle
* But it's really all about surviving and struggle
* On the block l learned life and death
* Sometimes it's hard to breathe so l fight for breath
* And where l'm from you don't know right from left
* Too many obstacles, so l watched my step
* Yeah, that's just the way l live
Baba?
* Cos l'm the chosen one The torch forever passed from old to young
* l've been on the ground for years This life's about pain, ain't no time for tears
* Yeah, man, l came from nothing
* l kept on hustling and now l'm something
* But the pain's...
(Sonia) Ma.
GogoI.
(in Bengali) You didn't have to do this.
(in Bengali) I wanted to.
Excuse me, have you seen Nick GanguIi?
Oh, he's over here. Somewhere.
So tragic about Ashoke. Him, going Iike that.
I'm so sorry.
- Panditji namaste, is bhabhi OK? - (in Bengali) Yes.
- Hey. - How are you?
Good. Thanks for bringing my stuff.
(woman) GogoI.
(in Bengali) Get some oiI from the kitchen.
Excuse me.
The ceremony is about to begin. Do you want to sit?
(Max) Thank you.
(man chants in Sanskrit)
So when are you coming back to the city?
I don't know.
They've given me a month. More if I want.
I miss you.
I know how hard this must be for you.
But you guys can't stay with your mother forever. You know that.
Listen,
I reaIIy, reaIIy, reaIIy, reaIIy, reaIIy want to come to India with you to scatter the ashes.
It's a famiIy thing.
I thought we were famiIy, Nick.
You are certainIy part of mine.
I have so many regrets, Max.
You're bound to.
Listen, why don't we stiII go away for New Year's, Iike we pIanned?
It might do you good to get away from aII this.
I don't want to get away.
What do you want from me, Nick?
I'm trying to be here for you, but it's Iike I don't even know you any more.
Max, this is not about you.
(in Bengali) Go carefuIIy.
Maxine, we wiII aII miss him, you know.
(man sings Bengali song)
(boatman sings)
(man chants in Sanskrit)
- (in Bengali) Your name? - GogoI.
- (in Bengali) Your father's name? - Ashoke.
(man chants in Sanskrit)
- (in Bengali) Your name? - Ashima.
- (in Bengali) Your husband's name? - Ashoke.
(boatman sings Bengali song)
GogoI, baba.
Maybe we shouId Iet bygones be bygones now.
What do you mean?
Make up with Maxine.
Ma, you never Iiked her, did you?
That is not the point, GogoI.
The point is that now you shouId move on with your Iife.
By the time I was your age, I had aIready ceIebrated my tenth wedding anniversary.
This is America, Ma. We'II have twins when we're 60.
Oh, GogoI, very funny.
Uh, do you remember Moushumi Mazumdar?
''I detest American teIevision.''
Don't be so rude. You think your accents don't sound funny to other peopIe?
Poor thing. TerribIe, terribIe tragedy.
She was supposed to have been married, but it was canceIIed at the Iast minute.
The invitation cards were sent out, the haII was booked, even.
She's aIso in New York. AIone, doing her PhD.
I toId her parents, ''Don't worry. GogoI wiII caII her.''
- Hey, hey, Ma. - (Sonia laughs)
You don't have time for one cup of tea, GogoI?
Her parents came to baba's funeraI. This is the Ieast we can do.
OK, time out.
Let's say that I take her out to tea, OK? Then what? What are we gonna taIk about?
- She doesn't even speak. - OnIy reads.
- Weird French stuff, Ma. - Bye, Ma. Later, GogoI.
See you Iater.
- This is her number. - Ma...
CaII her if you want. Don't caII her if you don't want.
OK, thank you.
(woman) NikhiI.
Yes.
As opposed to GogoI?
Yes.
- Excuse me. SingIe maIt, pIease. - OK.
- I've never done this before. - What's that?
Gone out on a bIind date engineered by my mom.
It's not a bIind date exactIy.
- No? - No, we sort of know each other in a way.
- Here you go. - I don't remember our ever taIking, reaIIy.
ActuaIIy, neither do I.
Does your famiIy stiII Iive in the same house I used to visit?
Yeah.
I remember the kitchen. It had these very bIue cupboards.
Yeah, those are stiII there.
I was sorry to hear about your father.
How's your mother getting aIong?
She's aII right. Sonia's been Iiving with her, so that heIps.
Why did you Ieave Paris? WouIdn't you rather study French Iiterature in France?
I moved here for Iove.
SureIy you know about my prenuptiaI disaster?
Not reaIIy.
WeII, you ought to. Every other BengaIi Iiving on the East Coast does.
So, shouId we make our mothers happy and see each other again?
Maybe.
- Give me a caII. - OK.
I know why he went to CIeveIand.
He was teaching me how to Iive aIone.
(* ''Riviera Rendezvous'' by Ursula 1000)
* Bonjour, monsieur
* Bonjour, madame
So of course my mother is appaIIed that I'm not cooking you Indian food.
You toId her I was coming over?
She caIIed today. What about you? Have you been giving your mother updates?
Sort of.
Oh, God, I need to add more Iiquid.
- You aII right? - God!
Yeah. CouId you pIease heIp me with my gIasses? Take them off and...
* Comment allez-vous, monsieur?
* Bien, merci Et vous-m¨ēme?
- God, did I reaIIy say that? - (Gogol) You sure as heII did.
No wonder you never taIked to me.
I tried. You were the one who used to treat me Iike an untouchabIe.
Where'd you get so sexy?
- Paris. - Paris.
After years of convincing myseIf I'd never have a Iover,
I began to have affairs.
How many?
- How many what? - Lovers.
You don't wanna know.
But you must understand. Without fire, this ceremony is invaIid.
I'm sorry, sir. I cannot aIIow you to Iight a fire anywhere within the hoteI premises.
(Ashima) ''l wandered lonely as a cloud
That fIoats on high o'er vaIes and hiIIs,
When aII at once I saw a crowd
A host, of golden daffodils''
You're next, Sonia. Cutie.
(man chants in Sanskrit)
(* ''Ye Mera Divanapan Hai'' by Susheela Raman)
Mm-mm-mm?
(Moushumi giggles)
(Gogol in Bengali) Leave me aIone. Leave me.
(in Bengali) This marriage cannot happen.
101 from the Bannerjee famiIy.
OK. That brings the totaI to 7,035.
- Not bad, Mr GanguIi. - I'd say we made a kiIIing, Mrs GanguIi.
HoId it, hoId it. Ms Mazumdar is the name.
We've aIready discussed this.
Yeah, but I thought, you know, both names?
Do you know how many Ietters that is?
Imagine speIIing that over the phone.
I've begun to pubIish under my name. No one wouId know me.
Come on, NikhiI.
What if somebody asked you to change your name?
I aIready have, remember?
Forget it. I was just being siIIy, Ms Mazumdar.
- It's our anniversary. - So we'II ceIebrate.
I wish we didn't have to go. Tonight of aII nights.
- We promised. - No, no. We didn't promise. You promised.
- Bought you a gift. Have you bought mine? - I'm not buying it. I'm making it.
I'm designing a dream house for you, so you're just gonna have to wait.
So we're thinking ''Prescott''.
- Sorry. Prescott? Why? - It's a famiIy name.
What does it mean? A name shouId mean something.
What does ''Moushumi'' mean?
A damp southwesterIy breeze.
Stop worrying. If he doesn't Iike his name, he can aIways change it.
I'd never change my name. It's my grandmother's.
- NikhiI changed his. - ReaIIy?
- What do you mean, he changed his name? - NikhiI, it wasn't the name he was born with.
What name were you born with?
GogoI.
(laughter)
- As in The Overcoat?. - Yes.
Ah, I get it. NikoIai GogoI.
ExactIy.
What in the worId made your parents choose that name?
My father was a fan.
What I toId you about my name was personaI.
Nobody cares.
It's notjust some joke. And for you to bring it up in front of these peopIe...
These peopIe happen to be my friends.
You know, I had a Iife before I met you. You can't wish away my past.
You know I can't read French.
It's an offer to teach, at the Sorbonne.
Don't worry. I turned it down.
I'm going to be a good BengaIi housewife and make samosas every Thursday from scratch.
It's so hard to know what to do sometimes.
I was Iooking at this Joseph CampbeII book the other day,
and he says when you feeI Iost,
you shouId cIose your eyes and think of when you were most happy.
Not thriIIed.
Just deepIy happy.
It's caIIed ''foIIowing your bIiss''.
You wanna try it?
WeII?
Ashima, are you aII right?
I've been thinking of Ieaving.
Is that very seIfish of me?
You know, I thought now that the chiIdren are both weII settIed.
(man) Un jour, j'esp¨¨re que tu tomberas sur ce livre,
et que tu te souviendras de moi.
Ton Pierre.
You don't know how happy I am that both my chiIdren have found their Iife partners.
You don't mind that Ben's not Indian?
Times have changed.
No, I don't mind. He's a very good boy, you know.
And he makes Sonia very happy.
She's foIIowing her bIiss.
You've been reading Joseph CampbeII.
(* ''Riviera Rendezvous'' as ring tone)
Ah, c'est toi.
Je cuisine des samosas avec ma belle-m¨¨re.
Et toi?
A tout ¨¤ l'heure. Bisous.
- Can't beIieve my sister's getting married. - You better beIieve it, GoggIes.
(Ashima) I have something to say.
GogoI, I did not want to teII you on the phone.
I have decided to seII the house.
I am going to do what your father and I had aIways pIanned.
Six months in India and six months here, with aII of you.
Then I can go and start my singing again in CaIcutta.
That is if any guru wants a 45-year-oId student.
Of course he wiII.
I want to be free.
- Like your name. - (Gogol) What do you mean?
''Ashima'' means ''without borders, IimitIess''.
(phone rings)
- Mo. - No Mo. Your ma.
Hey, Ma, what's up?
- Gogol, there's a buyer for the house. - Are they meeting your price?
- Yes. - Then do it, Ma.
l have told them they will have to wait until after Christmas.
- Both of you are coming? - Of course.
lt will be the last party at Pemberton Road.
I know.
I don't see it.
- So, this year... - Mm-hm?
..they're renting a house in the Pyrenees for the summer,
and I toId them we mightjoin them.
Astrid and DonaId for an entire summer? Can't.
But the Pyrenees are so beautifuI. Pierre says it's possibIy...
Who's Pierre?
Are you having an affair?
Are you?
Who is he?
Someone I've known a Iong time.
Why?
I saw myseIf becoming my mother. I saw myseIf stuck.
Maybe it's not enough that we're both BengaIi.
That's not why I Iove you.
So, when are you giving us the good news?
Just because your mother's going, don't forget us.
Yes. You must come over. You shouId not feeI shy.
- We're your famiIy aIso and we're stiII here. - Thanks.
I am never gonna remember aII these names.
It's aII right. You don't have to. Just caII everyone ''auntie'', you'II be fine.
Where's Moushumi?
(man) Ashima, moraIs, moraIs.
(all talk at once)
You are not far wrong if you think...
And considering our evoIutionary stage...
About moraIs we care a hang...
(singing from downstairs)
(sings comic song)
We aII came out of GogoI's Overcoat.
One day you wiII understand.
- Hey, GoogIy. - Hey, Ma.
And baba?
Everything is OK?
Between Moushumi and you, hm?
Ma, Moushumi found someone eIse.
Some... some oId boyfriend. A French guy named Pierre.
For once somebody eIse's name bothered me more than my own.
It is aII my fauIt.
- I'm sorry, GogoI. - Ma...
Ma, it has nothing to do with you.
We're different peopIe. We wanted different things.
I wiII not go back to India now.
I cannot go.
You have to go.
Listen to me.
You know, I know that I'm supposed to be devastated everybody's gone, but...
I know this is gonna sound crazy, but for the first time in my Iife, I actuaIIy feeI free.
Look.
Look what I found.
It's baba's graduation gift from high schooI.
See.
(Ashoke) For Gogol Ganguli.
The man who gave you his name from the man who gave you your name.
There are no accidents, GogoI.
Baba made you find it.
He is with us.
Don't go so far that I cannot see you. He's too IittIe.
Jump. Jump.
(in Bengali) Are you Iistening?
Oh, baba, the camera. It is in the car.
AII this way and no picture.
Huh?
(in Bengali) What shouId we do?
We just have to remember it, then. Huh?
WiII you remember this day, GogoI?
How Iong do I have to remember it?
Remember it aIways.
Remember that you and I made the journey,
and we went together to a pIace where there was nowhere Ieft to go.
(Ashima) For 25 years, l missed my life in lndia.
And now I wiII miss my Iife here,
and aII of you who became my famiIy.
I wiII miss Iiving with my daughter,
and the surprising friendship we've found.
I wiII miss phoning my son at aII times of day or night.
And I wiII miss this country,
in which I had grown to know and Iove my husband.
And though his ashes are scattered in the Ganges,
it is here in this house, in this town,
amongst aII of you,
that he wiII continue to dweII in my heart.
(man) Hear, hear.
- Long Iive Ashima. - Cheers.
- Cheers.
Cheers.
Thank you.
(man) ''After several minutes, blushing all over, he began reassuring them,
quite simple-heartedly, that it was not a new overcoat at all.''
''That it was just so. That it was an old overcoat.''
''Finally, one of the clerks, even some sort of assistant to the chief clerk, said:
'So be it. l'll throw a party instead of...'''
(Ashoke) Pack a pillow and blanket. Go, see the world.
You will never regret it, Gogol.
(woman singing)
(* ''The Same Song'' by Susheela Raman)
* How many roads have l wondered?
* None and each my own
* Behind me the bridges have crumbled
* No question of return
* Nowhere to go but the horizon
* Where, then, will l call my home?
* Nowhere to go but the horizon
* Where, then, will l call my home?
* How many roads have l wondered?
* None and each my own
* Behind me the bridges have crumbled
* Where, then, will l call my home?
* Where, then
* Will l call
* My home?
(* ''Falling'' by Nitin Sawhney)
* Someday
* The wind will change and you will see me
* Clearly
* One day
* But that's a million somedays from today
* Lately
* The sunshine makes a different shape
* Around me
* Lately
* My music has a different sound
* To show me
* Oh, lately
* l ask questions of the world
* But no one's listening
* Falling, falling
* Falling
* Or am l flying?
* Flying, flying
* Flying
* Or am l falling?
* Falling, falling
* Falling
* Or am l flying?
ENGLISH SDH