* WHERE: Regency Trolley Square Cinemas.

* WHEN: Opens today.

* RATING: PG-13 for sexuality/nudity, a scene of drug use, some disturbing images and brief language.

* RUNNING TIME: 122 minutes; in English, and in Bengali and Hindi with subtitles.

* BOTTOM LINE: A young couple leave Calcutta for New York, and their son struggles to balance both cultures, in this moving drama.

The Indian/American drama "The Namesake" is a glorious example of how the specific meets the universal - a story rooted in the cultural details of a Calcutta couple relocating to New York City, yet exploring the common emotions experienced in the evolving relationship between father and son.

The father in "The Namesake" is Ashoke Ganguli (played by Irrfan Khan), an academic who enters an arranged marriage with the lovely Ashima (played by the one-named actress Tabu) in 1977 and soon whisks her off to live in New York. Ashima must learn quickly how to deal with American customs, as she and Ashoke soon are welcoming their son - named Gogol, after Ashoke's favorite author, Nikolai Gogol (though the name's deeper importance is explained later).

As an adult, Gogol (played by Kal Penn in a departure from his comic roles in "Van Wilder" and "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle") is a rebellious American. He rocks out to Pearl Jam in high school, rejects his given name in college and even dates a rich white girl (Jacinda Barrett, from "The Last Kiss"). But the pull of family, and Indian tradition, proves to be strong.

Director Mira Nair is in her element here, having made a career of celebrating her native India ("Salaam Bombay," "Monsoon Wedding") and its cross-connections with America ("Mississippi Masala"). Nair and cinematographer Frederick Elmes ("Broken Flowers," "Kinsey") sharply differentiate the two worlds, showing Calcutta as a torrent of color and New York in steely grays and blacks.

Nair and "Salaam Bombay" screenwriter Sooni Taraporevala, adapting Jhumpa Lahiri's best-seller, neatly interweave three succinct stories: Ashoke's progression as a husband and parent, Ashima's struggle adapting to her American home, and Gogol's maturation and acceptance of his two cultures and of his father's love.

"The Namesake" is blessed with a talented cast, with Khan and Tabu (two faces familiar in India but mostly new to Americans) giving soulful performances spanning three decades. The big news, though, is Kal Penn, whose portrayal of the culturally conflicted Gogol is a revelation.

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* SEAN P. MEANS can be reached at movies@sltrib.com or 801-257-8602. Send comments about this review to livingeditor@sltrib.com.