At its heart it's a film about parents, children and family, and knowing where you come from. 
An accomplished filmmaker with several Emmys and an Academy Award nomination under her belt, Mira Nair is one of few female filmmakers to have made a global impact. The Indian born and US-based director first hit the limelight in 1988 with her gritty Oscar-nominated street saga, Salaam Bombay, and has since carved a career in multicultural movies, such as Mississippi Masala, Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love and Monsoon Wedding. In 2003 Mira helmed a Hollywood production of Vanity Fair starring Reece Witherspoon which failed to garner the acclaim of her previous projects. Back on familiar territory her latest film, The Namesake, is an adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiri's Pulitzer Prize winning novel about the culture clash experienced by two generations of the Gangulis, an Indian family who immigrate to the US in the 70s.
After Monsoon Wedding what made you want to tackle another Indian family drama like The Namesake?
This film was really inspired by grief and loss of someone I was very close to, and by the melancholy and finality of that type of loss, as opposed to the masti (mischief) and joy of Monsoon Wedding. But it's an interesting companion piece to Monsoon because it is also about family and that connection each one of us have.
The film is set in the US and India. How has it gone down in both countries?
I haven't seen any big difference in terms of the reactions of the Indian or American audiences. At its heart it's a film about parents, children and family, and knowing where you come from. But it's fascinting that in India it's not just the elite or intelligencia but the regular Bollywood filmmgoers who are seeing and appreciating this film. It's much quieter and calmer than what they are used to.
Everyone from critics to actors like Forrest Whittaker has been raving about Tabu's performance, especially since it's her first English language film. Does she have the potential to make a career in the west?
Of course! People are just knocked out by her. I met with Forrest Whittaker recently and he can't stop talking about her after having watched The Namesake. I'm interested in getting the two together. He proposed it and it's kind of got a bell ringing in my head.
With The Namesake, did you relate more to the character of Indian born Ashima or her American born son Gogol?
I'm in no way like Ashima or Gogol, but experientially I understand how it feels to look out of your window and instead of the Hudson River to see The Ganges. Or calculate time so you can wonder what your mother is doing right now back home.
Why did you choose Kal Penn to play Gogol, an actor better known for portraying crazy comic characters?
Kal had such a hunger and urgency to play this role that he literally broke down every door to make sure I saw him. It was my son Zohran, who is 15 and his biggest fan, who was the first one to tell me l that Kal is right for the part. But once I saw him and he auditioned I knew he was Gogol.
Is it fair to say you make films for and about Indians with a realistic sensibility most Bollywood filmmakers don't possess?
I've always done my own thing and the beauty is that with Monsoon Wedding Bollywood has opened itself to me and embraced me. I use a lot of talent from within that industry and my crews work in Bollywood, but I do have an alternative vocabulary without judgement.
Talking of Bollywood, you've recently persuaded its biggest star, Amitabh Bachchan, to act alongside Johnny Depp in your next film Shantaram. How did you do it?
It's all down to The Namesake. He was at the world premiere and was absolutely overcome by the film. With Shantaram the role of mafia don Kader Bhai is fantastic and in fairness you need to do an actor like Amitabh justice. You can't just mess around with him. You have to give him something substantial. But he immediately and very excitedly accepted the role. And let me tell you he's going to be mind blowing opposite Johnny Depp!
The Namesake opens in UK cinemas on Friday 30th March 2007.
