Sawhney’s Soundtrack

By
Hilal Nakiboglu Isler
Published: April 2, 2007Posted in: Daily, Film, MusicTags:
nitin
Sawhney (Undergrowth.Org)

The Namesake continued its impressive showing at the box office this weekend.

To date, it has raked in just under $5 million at the (domestic) box office—not bad, given a limited release of just 237 theaters nationwide.

Based on Jhumpa Lahiri’s best-seller, the film has a fan in Stephen Holden of The New York Times, who feels Mira Nair’s “lush palette lends her films a throbbing physicality that invites you to step into the screen and embrace the sensuous here and now.”

And thanks largely to the efforts of Nitin Sawhney, the aural connections that link Calcutta to New York are just as rich and effective.

The Namesake soundtrack is worth a second listen (at least). The tracks manage to gently nudge the plot along, taking you from India (“Shoes to America”), to New York (“Mo’s Affair”), back to Calcutta again with an aching poignancy and tender ease. Says Nair: “I love Indian classical music and I wanted to link that classical sound with the pulsating New York sound of today.”

The London-based Sawhney is responsible for pioneering the Asian Underground movement. Go here to read about his experience recording The Namesake soundtrack with the Philharmonia Orchestra.

More: 21 things you didn’t know about The Namesake

About the Author