Plot

American-born Gogol, the son of Indian immigrants, wants to fit in among his fellow New Yorkers, despite his family's unwillingness to let go of their traditional ways.

While traveling by train to visit his grandfather in Jamshedpur, Calcutta born, Bengali-speaking Ashoke Ganguli meets with fellow-traveler, Ghosh, who impresses upon him to travel, while Ashoke is deep into a book authored by Nicholai Gogol. The train meets with an accident, and after recuperating, Ashoke re-locates to America, settles down, returns home in 1977 to get married to aspiring singer, Ashima, and returns home to New York. Shortly thereafter they become parents of a boy, who they initially name Gogol, and a few years later both give birth to Sonia. The family then buy their own house in the suburbs and travel to India for the first time after their marriage. The second time they travel to India is when Gogol and Sonia are in their late teens, and after a memorable visit to Kolkata and then to the Taj Mahal, they return home. Gogol falls in love with Maxine Ratliff and moves in with her family, while Ashoke spends time traveling, and Sonia moves to California, leaving Ashima all her by herself. The Ganguli family will be destined to travel to India again soon - this time under very different circumstances - and after all have endured life-changing events.—rAjOo (gunwanti@hotmail.com)

In 1977, Ashima, a young Bengali woman, accepts Ashoke's marriage proposal. He's a student living abroad, so after the marriage she accompanies him to New York, where their temporary residence becomes permanent. We see her navigate and adapt to this alien land. They name their son Nikhil, with the pet name of Gogol, after Ashoke's favorite writer. We watch Gogol grow up American with roots he only begins to appreciate when he visits India in his 20s. A family death hastens his coming to terms with his name (and his roots) and Ashima's determination of where she will live once she has a choice.—<jhailey@hotmail.com>

Ashoke (Irrfan Khan) and Ashima Ganguli (Tabu) and first-generation immigrants from the state of West Bengal to the United States, and their American-born children Nikhil "Gogol" Ganguli (Kal Penn) and Sonia (Sahira Nair). Their story goes from Calcutta to New York City, and suburbs of New York City.

Ashoke and Ashima live in Calcutta. Ashoke is an avid reader. He was travelling by train with his wife and son, when the train met with an accident. On the train Ashoke met a stranger who suggested that Ashoke should try to live abroad and that he would never regret it. Ashoke lost his wife and son in the train and remarried to Ashima when insisted by his mother (Ruma Guha Thakurta).

Ashoke was doing PhD in New York in the field of fiber optics, when he met Ashima in an arranged meeting. After marriage, Ashima joins Ashoke in New York. Ashima lived in Calcutta with mother (Tanushree Shankar), grandmother (Supriya Devi) and her father (Sabyasachi Chakrabarty). Ashima misses her country and family culture and struggles to adjust to the isolated life in the US. Soon, Ashima gives birth to Nikhil.

Through a series of miscues, their son's nickname, Gogol (named after Russian author Nikolai Gogol), becomes his official birth name. Ashoke and Ashima wait for Ashoke's mother to pick a name for the boy. But the letter will take several days to arrive. The hospital refuses to release the baby without a birth certificate, which requires a name. Ashoke calls the baby Gogol and plans to change it on the birth certificate once they get the letter from his mother.

Ashoke convinces Ashima to stay in the US, as he calls the US the land of opportunity. Soon, Gogol is a toddler and Ashima gives birth to Sonia. Ashoke gets Gogol's name changed to Nikhil in the birth certificate, but he prefers to be called Gogol at school. Ashima is distraught when her father dies in Calcutta.

The story chronicles Gogol's cross-cultural experiences and his exploration of his Bengali heritage, as the story primarily shifts between the United States and Calcutta.

Gogol becomes a lazy, pot-smoking teenager who is indifferent to his cultural background. He is called "gargle" by his classmates in high school. Gogol is livid when his teacher Joshua Lawson (Linus Roache) teaches the class about the author Gogol. He says that Gogol died frustrated, paranoid, friendless, unmarried and with no children. Gogol meets Moushumi, the daughter of Ashoke's friend who just moved to New York from London. For his graduation, Ashoke gifts Gogol the short stories written by his namesake Nikolai Gogol.

Gogol resents many of the customs and traditions his family upholds and doesn't understand his parents. After a three-month long trip to India before starting college at Yale, Gogol starts opening up to his culture and becomes more accepting of it. Gogol sees how his family cares for him. They go together to see the Taj Mahal. Gogol decides to major in architecture after visiting the Taj Mahal.

Shortly after his eighteenth birthday, much to his parents' annoyance, Gogol legally changes his name to "Nikhil", (the name he had supposedly refused to be addressed by when he was in kindergarten). In college, Gogol uses his "good name" Nikhil (later shortened to Nick). He works as an architect and dates Maxine (Jacinda Barrett), a white American woman from a wealthy background, who is clueless about their cultural differences. Ashima now works as a librarian and has even learned to drive.

Gogol introduces her to his parents, who struggle to understand his modern, American perspectives on dating, marriage and love. They are hesitant and guarded when meeting her. Maxine holds hands with Nikhil in front of them, Gogol gets along with Maxine's family and feels closer to them than he does his own family. He celebrates his birthday with Maxine's family and ignores Ashima who tries to call him.

Before he goes to Ohio for a teaching apprenticeship, Ashoke tells Gogol the story of a nearly fatal train accident that he had suffered years ago back in India. Ashoke says that he was reading the book of Gogol at the time of the accident. And it was due to the stranger's advise that he decided to move to the US. Ashoke says that everyday since the accident has been a gift that is what Gogol reminds him of.

Shortly after, while Gogol is on vacation with Maxine's family, Ashoke dies of a massive heart attack, while on travel in Cleveland. Ashima is all alone at this perilous time of her life. Through experiencing his father's funeral rites on the banks of the Ganges, Gogol begins to appreciate Indian culture.

Grieving, Gogol tries to be more like what he thinks his parents want him to be and begins following cultural customs more closely. He grows distant from Maxine and eventually breaks up with her.

Gogol rekindles a friendship with Moushumi (Zuleikha Robinson), the daughter of family friends. They begin dating and soon after they get married. However, the marriage is short-lived as Moushumi, bored with being a wife, starts having an affair with an old boyfriend from Paris. Gogol divorces her, while Ashima blames herself for pressuring Gogol to marry a fellow Bengali. Gogol returns home to help Ashima pack the house when he finds the book (a collection of short stories by Nikolai Gogol) which Ashoke had gifted him on his fourteenth birthday. Searching for comfort, and accepting his new life alone, Gogol finally reads the stories written by his namesake on the train home.

Ashima's decision to move on with her life after Ashoke's death, selling the suburban family home and returning to Calcutta for part of each year, unifies and ends the story.