'A Suitable Boy': US release date, plot, cast, trailer and all you need to know about post-colonial India tale
Vikram Seth’s magnum opus ‘A Suitable Boy’ most certainly needed a series for it to be adapted on the screen -- after all, no film could ever fit the gigantic story that the author penned in 1993. While the show has already aired in the U.K., this epic story set in post-independence, post-partition India in 1951 is soon to get a U.S. release. So, let’s take a look at all you need to know about it.
Release date
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.
Plot
Set in post-Partition North India in 1951, ‘A Suitable Boy’ follows 19-year-old Lata Mehra, a passionate literature student, and her meddling mother, who wants to find her a suitor. In the backdrop of rising sectarian tensions, as an independent nation prepares to go to the polls for its first democratic general election, Lata's story revolves around the choice she is forced to make between her suitors Kabir, Haresh, and Amit. But even as Lata embarks on a journey of love and heartache with the three very different men trying to win her heart, 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.
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’.
The show also stars Ram Kapoor, Vivek Gomber, Vivaan Shah, Shahana Goswami, Mikhail Sen, Namit Das, Randeep Hooda, Aamir Bashir, Ranvir Shorey, Vijay Varma, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Vinay Pathak, Manoj Pahwa, and several other Indian actors of repute.
Creator
‘A Suitable Boy’ has been directed by Mira Nair. The 63-year-old Indian-American filmmaker is perhaps best known for films like ‘Mississippi Masala’, ‘Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love’, ‘The Namesake’, ‘Monsoon Wedding’, ‘Salaam Bombay!’, ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’, and ‘Queen of Katwe’. Several of Nair’s films have explored South Asian identities in the backdrop of globalization. ‘A Suitable Boy’, thus, only makes sense to have her at the helm.
Trailer
The trailer for the show paints the appropriate picture. We see the sights and sounds of a historic India even as the show’s theme -- for Lata to find a suitor -- hangs heavy over it all. The trailer makes it clear that tensions between Hindus and Muslims in a post-partition India will play a huge role in the story. Other than that, it looks every bit like a period piece from the BBC would look and feel.
If you like ‘A Suitable Boy’, you will also like
‘Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India’, ‘Bride and Prejudice’, ‘The Namesake’, ‘Monsoon Wedding’, and ‘Bend It Like Beckham’.
