'A Suitable Boy': Meet Ishaan Khatter, Tabu, Ram Kapoor and the rest of the cast of this Indian period drama
Vikram Seth’s magnum opus ‘A Suitable Boy’, adapted by BBC into a limited series, is soon coming to the U.S. This six-part series, directed by critically acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair, is set in post-partition North India in 1951, in the backdrop of rising sectarian tensions, as an independent nation prepares to go to the polls for its first democratic general election.
‘A Suitable Boy’ follows 19-year-old Lata Mehra, a passionate literature student, whose meddling mother wants to find her a suitor. Lata's story revolves around her choice as she embarks on a journey of love and heartache, trying to decide between Kabir, Haresh, and Ami, three very different men trying to win her heart. At the same time, a happy-go-lucky youngster called Maan falls head over heels for courtesan singer Saeeda Bai, causing scandal. In many ways, it is a coming-of-age tale for both Maan and Lata.
This ambitious show comes backed with a robust cast of Indian actors, several of whom are household names in Bollywood. Let’s take a look at the cast:
Tanya Maniktala as Lata Mehra
The 22-year-old Indian actor’s biggest role so far has been the lead in ‘A Suitable Boy’. She also appeared in another Indian web series called ‘Flames’.
Rasika Dugal as Savita Kapoor
The 35-year-old Indian film and television actor is best known for her roles in ‘Qissa’, ‘Delhi Crime’, ‘Made in Heaven’, ‘Mirzapur’, and ‘Manto’, among other works.
Tabu as Saeeda Bai
The 49-year-old Indian actor is an icon of Indian cinema. Tabu’s body of work encompasses almost all genres of cinema. Some of her more notable works include ‘Maachis’, ‘Maqbool’, ‘Haider’, ‘Hu Tu Tu’, ‘Astitva’, ‘Chandni Bar’, ‘The Namesake’, and more.
Ishaan Khatter as Maan Kapoor
The 25-year-old is the son of actors Rajesh Khattar and Neelima Azeem. Khatter’s more notable roles include films like Majid Majidi's drama ‘Beyond the Clouds’, ‘Khaali Peeli’, and ‘Dhadak’.
Ram Kapoor as Mahesh Kapoor
The 47-year-old Indian television and film actor is most popular for his roles as Jai Walia in the television series ‘Kasamh Se’ and as Ram Kapoor in ‘Bade Achhe Lagte Hain’. His film roles include, ‘Bahut Hua Samman’, ‘Baar Baar Dekho’, ‘Humshakals’, and more.
Vivaan Shah as Varun Mehra
The 30-year-old Indian actor, the younger son of actors Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak, has made a niche for himself as a character actor. His notable roles include films like ‘7 Khoon Maaf’, ‘Happy New Year’, and ‘Bombay Velvet’.
Shahana Goswami as Meenakshi Mehra
The 34-year-old Indian actor is perhaps the most famous for her role as Debbie in ‘Rock On!’, and as Muneera in ‘Firaaq’. Her other films include ‘Jashnn’, ‘Break Ke Baad’, ‘Midnight's Children’, ‘Tu Hai Mera Sunday’, ‘Gali Guliyan’, and more.
Namit Das as Haresh Khanna
The 36-year-old Indian film, television, and theatre actor is the son of reputed ghazal singer Chandan Dass. His notable performances include films like ‘Wake Up Sid’, ‘Ghanchakkar’, ‘Ankhon Dekhi’, ‘Hamari Adhuri Kahani’, and television series like ‘Sumit Sambhal Lega’, and ‘Pancham’.
Randeep Hooda as Billy Irani
The 44-year-old Indian actor and equestrian is well known for his macho roles. His more famous films include ‘Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai’, ‘Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster’, ‘Jannat 2’, ‘Jism 2’, ‘Highway’, ‘Rang Rasiya’, and ‘Sarbjit’.
Ranvir Shorey as Waris
The 48-year-old Indian actor is best known for his roles in independent films like ‘Bheja Fry’, ‘Mithya’, ‘Khosla Ka Ghosla’, ‘Titli’, and ‘No Smoking’. His other film roles include ‘Pyaar Ke Side Effects’, ‘Ek Tha Tiger’, ‘Gali Guliyan’, ‘A Death In The Gunj’, and more.
Kulbhushan Kharbanda as Kishen Chand Seth
The 76-year-old Indian actor is again a household name in Bollywood. With a career spanning almost 50 years, Kharbanda’s more famous roles include films like ‘Fire’, ‘Haider’, ‘Manorama Six Feet Under’, ‘Pinjar’, ‘Midnight's Children’, and more.
Vinay Pathak as L.N. Agrawal
The 52-year-old Indian theater and film actor is best known for his roles in ‘Khosla Ka Ghosla’, ‘Bheja Fry’, ‘Island City’, ‘Johnny Gaddaar’, ‘Jism’, and ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’.
Manoj Pahwa as Raja Of Marh
The 57-year-old Indian film and television actor is perhaps best known for his role as Bhatia in the comedy series ‘Office Office’. His notable film roles include ‘7½ Phere’, ‘Being Cyrus’, ‘Singh Is Kinng’, ‘Dabangg 2’, ‘Jolly LLB’, ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’, ‘Mulk’, and ‘Article 15’.
The show also stars Vivek Gomber, Mikhail Sen, Aamir Bashir, Vijay Varma, Danesh Razvi, Joyeeta Dutta, Sharvari Deshpande, and several other Indian actors of repute.
The six-part series originally aired in the U.K. on BBC and ran from July 26 to August 24. The series found a global release (excluding the U.S., the U.K., Ireland, Canada, and China) on Netflix on October 23. In the U.S., ‘A Suitable Boy’ is set to premiere on December 7 on Acorn TV.
