Jhumpa Lahiri, author of the book on which the film is based, makes an appearance in the movie as the character Jhumpa Mashi.
Actor Kal Penn, a big fan of Director Mira Nair's films, wrote her a letter in an attempt to get her to consider him for the part of Gogol. Nair's own son ultimately helped to convince her to give Penn a chance, based on his love of Penn's starring role in "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" (2004).
Mira Nair turned down the opportunity to direct "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (2007) so that she could work on "The Namesake." Her personal connection with the themes in Lahiri's book drove her to want to take on directing the film version.