A chilling premiere for The Namesake

PIECE OF MY HEART: Mira Nair said when she read The Namesake, it possessed her like a fever.

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New York: It was freezing outside, so the red carpet premiere of Mira Nair’s The Namesake in New York was moved indoors.

Among those catching the attention of celeb spotters and the paparazzi were fashion designer Donna Karan, director Sofia Coppola and actress Patricia Clarkson.

There were also actors Willem Dafoe and Steve Buscemi and director Jim Jarmusch who attended the event as Mira’s special guests.

Actors Willem Dafoe and Steve Buscemi and director Jim Jarmusch. Special guests for a film that's special to its director.

“The Namesake is a piece of my heart, dil ka tukda. It's a film that just, when I read the book, possessed me like a fever and I dropped everything. Nine months later I was shooting. And I feel very pleased that at the end of the film, I love every frame, every piece of music, every sound,” said Mira.

The author of The Namesake, Jhumpa Lahiri, was there with her family for the premiere.

And her only regret with the way the film turned out was a little to do with the family connection.

“The only thing I would change is that when I was on the set one day, is that my daughter appears quite prominently. My son was in my lap and he was asleep so he didn't quite make it into the camera. So just for my own familial harmony over the years, it would have been nice to have a little shot of my son. But I'm sure he'll understand when he gets older why he wasn't in the movie,” Lahiri said.

Lead actor Kal Penn wasn't present but the two actresses who play his love interests showed up and gushed about working with Mira Nair.

“She's so warm and embracing. She does yoga on the set with everyone every morning. She's such a vibrant, creative spirit. It was really inspiring for me to see her work,” said Jacinda Barrett.

Actress Zuleikha Robinson added, “I loved every minute of it. I've been a fan of Mira's, as most people have, for a very long time so I feel very lucky.”

For now Mira Nair is hoping the US box office responds to her film just as the bestsellers lists did to Jhumpa Lahiri's original book.