Synopsis of the movie thus far

I have mixed feelings about the movie The Namesake thus far. While it has been largely entertaining, it does not follow the book at all. Though the scenes are in essence the same, they have been placed in a completely different order than they first appeared in the novel. This seems to really skew the perception of the novel, for I felt that the movie characterized Ashoke as a much more compassionate and emotional person than the book depicted. Also, I am very confused by Sonia’s ethnicity mix-up. I mean come on; the girl playing her is African American, not Indian. Why would they cast someone of the wrong ethnicity in a movie where her ethnicity is a major internal conflict? Then we get to Moushumi. That was quite an experience seeing her face for the first time. I’d like to quote Ms. Serensky here and say “I feel so bad for Gogol right now”. I mean let’s face it, what was the first thing everyone did when they saw her face? You screamed or laughed right? Maybe even both. So the casting choices continue to confuse me. And yet, I find myself greatly anticipating the rest of the movie. I am very curious to see how the director depicts the rest of the characters, and how Moushumi and Gogol appear when they are older.