MovieChat Forums > The Namesake (2007) Discussion > In the beginning on the train...

In the beginning on the train...


Was Ashoke married before with a couple of kids? Who was that with him? Or was that his mother and siblings? I kept expecting to hear more about them but never did.

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Ashoke was traveling alone on the train, on his way to visit family. The other people in the train compartment were strangers to him.

If you liked the movie, you should really read the book. While there are some differences (such as the story taking place in Boston in the book as compared to New York in the movie), they aren't majorly important.

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What does the book achieve that the movie doesn't?

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A book will always give more depth and detail than a movie ever can. It's impossible for a movie to show every character's motivations and thoughts, as well as showing every storyline and every character the book features. Books are almost always better than the movies made of them.

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I think a more specific reply to naiad's question was requested. I would appreciate one, too.

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While I haven't read the book, I think maybe what they were trying to say was in the book it might have said something along the lines of "he was in a compartment filled with strangers" or something, so you would know that the woman next to him wasn't his wife. Even if there aren't huge chunks removed from the story when it transitions from book to movie, reading the book still offers a lot more details and insight into the characters and the storyline.

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