"We all came out from Gogol’s overcoat"! says an Indian parent to his “not-so-Indian-anymore” teenage kid, in stereotypical Indian accent. The kid as was expected shrugs it off “probably thinking that my old man is now going crazy”.
His father came to US for higher education, got married while he was a PhD student, soon got two kids and has been troubled ever since! He was a huge fan of a Russian author and gave his son that author’s name “Gogol”. Gogol’s mother is just as lost. Don’t refer to us as “guys” she shouts at Gogol every once in a while and kids (Gogol and his sister) just laugh it away. Husband and wife share a glance and then go mum. Trying to convince each other that lets not make a big deal out of it. Mother quickly changes the topic.
With the kids and the household she has hardly got any time to acclimatize herself with the new surroundings. She had left her family, her singing, everything, to come to US after marriage, some 20 years ago. But she still faces a language barrier, hardly talks to people other than one other lady at the workplace and few other Indian families. Her house is her world, her husband her only asset. Gogol’s father has been working hard to make the ends meet and give his family a comfortable living. That has never been enough! he still keeps trying though.
As life goes on Gogol falls in love with a white girl. His sister decides to marry an American boy, And their mother feels as if she has lost her family all over again. Her colleague tries to explain, that this is America, once the kids are 16 they are gone.. there is nothing we can do about it. Somehow her Indian self is never convinced. With kids hardly visiting her and her husband going out for lectures, she feels terribly lonely. Then one night when she is alone, and trying to reach her husbands cell phone (who was in Oklahoma, giving guest lectures) she gets the shattering news. Her husband had died off a massive heart attack. Shes devastated. With no one to talk to and the chilling weather outside she couldn’t do anything but to go out in the severe cold and cry, over the loss, and probably also over her utter helplessness.
This huge loss however brings the family a bit closer. Gogol goes to Oklahoma to identify his father’s body. He then goes to the his father’s apartment, he notices his bed with the usual scent of his father, he drops in his bed hides his face in the pillow and cries. He cries and asks for his father’s forgiveness. He then leaves to see his mother and sister.
But its America, soon he finds another girl, Bengali this time and gets married. But no later than a few months he comes to know that his wife is seeing some else and they break-up. By that time however his mother has already planned to sell their house.Suddenly everybody is lonely again.
While packing things up, Gogol finds the book his father had gifted him on his birthday. “Take a pillow and a blanket and go see the world, you would never regret it”, his father used to say. Gogol’s mother hears about his son’s breakup and is adamant to stay with him in this hard time. Gogol.. finally stops being selfish and convinces her to leave, to stay in her homeland, where even now her heart truly resides.
They depart after a hug, with wet eyes. In the end his mother is shown singing on terrace, on a quite Calcutta morning. She is sad and silent but calm. Probably its this music that would give her the strength to fight the huge loss. Gogol starts reading the book and suddenly his fathers words start reverberating in his head.. “we all came out of Gogol's overcoat, one day you would understand”. The movie ends with the family torn apart, but still having some reminiscences of worthwhile purpose to carry on. “As Gogol's mother said while bidding his son goodbye noticing the book in his hand..your father is still with us Gogol he made you find it.