IMO Gogol is not the primary protagonist, despite the title. Gogol never comes to life, while Ashima is richly and warmly drawn. They each take up around half the book.

And Shyamalan is building a noveau Hitchcock niche, he hasn’t done this kind of film.

The whole book is about Gogol. Unless Nair’s movie is some kind of spin-off of the book. And if they can find someone the stature of Kal Penn (it’s Kumar!), I am sure they can find a second generation director. (Or are ABCDs first generation; and what is the difference between a first cousin and a second cousin). How about M. Night Shyamalan. Hmmm I see another movie in my mind — a Shyamalaneseque Namesake. Now that I would watch.

As far as I recall, the story centers on Gogol’s mother, not so much Gogol until the very end. Beyond which, there are no second-gen U.S. desi filmmakers of Nair’s stature yet. It takes time.

I have changed the Cambridge Massachusetts location in the book to New York.

I wonder if this is going to work. Part of the point is that he moves away and is on his own. He’s going to move from the Upper West Side to Brooklyn or something?