Gogol becomes a lazy, pot-smoking teenager indifferent to his cultural background. The story chronicles Gogol's cross-cultural experiences and his exploration of his Indian heritage, as the story shifts between the United States and India. Through a series of miscues, their son's nickname, Gogol (named after Russian author Nikolai Gogol), becomes his official birth name, an event which will shape many aspects of his life. The story begins as Ashoke and Ashima leave Calcutta and settle in New York City.
The film takes place primarily in Kolkata, New York City, and suburbs of New York City. The Namesake depicts the struggles of Ashoke and Ashima Ganguli ( Irrfan Khan and Tabu), first-generation immigrants from the East Indian state of West Bengal to the United States, and their American-born children Gogol ( Kal Penn) and Sonia (Sahira Nair).
