Set in vibrant 1950s India, A Suitable Boy, an epic tale of life and love based on the classic novel of the same name by Vikram Seth made its screen debut on BBC One earlier this month.
Produced by Lookout Point (War And Peace, Les Misérables, Gentleman Jack), A Suitable Boy is a six-part drama adapted by Andrew Davies (Pride And Prejudice, War And Peace, Les Misérables) and directed by internationally acclaimed film director Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding, The Namesake, Queen of Katwe) in her television series debut.
Nineteen year-old university student Lata (Tanya Maniktala) seems to have her life already mapped out thanks to old traditions and an overbearing mother who wants to find her a suitable husband.
Torn between romance and responsibility and inspired by rebellious writers and daring new ideas, Lata is determined to decide her own future in a newly independent India, boldly breaking free of its past.
Connected to Lata through their siblings’ marriage, wayward Maan (Ishaan Khatter) wants every drop of excitement from life. However when he becomes infatuated with the glamorous courtesan Saaeda Bai (Tabu), the consequences could be catastrophic…
Mira Nair Director and Executive Producer said: “A Suitable Boy has been one of my favourite novels since the day it was written. I read it repeatedly and felt as if it was my best friend. I felt a sense of great companionship and understanding and a sense of evoking a time in India in which I longed to have lived. I just vowed to direct the adaptation of it, but it was too big at the time for me to get my hands on it.
It really gives me extraordinary pleasure and pride to have the privilege of directing this show, because it is something that has inspired me so much. It also gives me this vast canvas, as I have 113 actors in the show and six hours to let the story unfold. That’s the way to make this show, it’s not something that should be squeezed into a shorter story as it needs to unfold. It’s so full of surprises and rhythms, where things need their time and their pace. I feel really privileged.”
A Suitable Boy made its screen debut on BBC One on 24 July and continues til 28 August .
