A Suitable Boy stars on the BBC
An epic tale of life and love based on the classic novel by Vikram Seth.
Set in vibrant 1950s India, A Suitable Boy is an epic tale of life and love based on the classic novel of the same name by Vikram Seth, featured on BBC One and BBCiPlayer.
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…
Shot exclusively on stunning locations in India last year, A Suitable Boy is being internationally distributed by BBC Studios.
Production Credits
Director and Executive Producer – Mira Nair
Screenwriter and Executive Producer – Andrew Davies
Executive Producer – Vikram Seth
Executive Producer for Lookout Point – Faith Penhale
Executive Producer for Lookout Point – Laura Lankester
Executive Producer for Lookout Point – Will Johnston
Executive Producer and Producer -Lydia Dean Pilcher
Executive Producer and Producer – Aradhana Seth
Executive Producer for the BBC – Mona Qureshi
Pictured: Amit Chatterji (Mikhail Sen), Lata Mehra (Tanya Maniktala), Haresh Khanna (Namit Das)
Character Biographies:
Lata Mehra
Determined to do things her own way, Lata embodies the modern and newly independent India in which she is coming of age.
Resisting her mother’s attempts to find her a husband, Lata is torn between family duty and the possibilities of love and desire.
Maan Kapoor
Wayward Maan has little sense of responsibility, but the ability to charm everybody he meets, much to the despair of his politician father.
His romance with beautiful courtesan Saeeda Bai shows Maan determined to enjoy life – regardless of the consequences.
Mrs Rupa Mehra
Mrs Rupa Mehra is determined to find her daughter a husband. Lata is not as cooperative as her elder sister Savita, and it will take all of Mrs Rupa Mehra’s irrepressible energy, charm and determination to find her younger daughter a worthy match.
Kabir Durrani
Kabir is a handsome student and the star cricket player of Brahmpur University. After a chance meeting in a bookshop, Kabir and Lata begin a romance, despite the religious barriers they face.
Amit Chatterji
The eldest sibling in Calcutta’s sophisticated and eccentric Chatterji family, Amit has abandoned his legal career to become a writer.
A witty conversationalist, he forms an easy bond with Lata when he meets her at a family party. Slow to act on his feelings, and with her mother against the match, competition for Lata’s hand in marriage mounts against Amit.
Haresh Khanna
Self-starter Haresh studied shoe manufacture in England and now as two goals in his sights: a top career in the footwear industry and a match with Lata.
Self-assured and a bit of a flashy dresser, not everyone in the family is hopeful for his success.
Mahesh Kapoor
Mahesh Kapoor is a veteran politician who is marked by the years he spent in jail under British rule.
Determined not to let anything unbalance his political career at a crucial moment, he grows increasingly frustrated by the actions of his rebellious younger son, Maan.
Saeeda Bai
Courtesan Saeeda Bai has inherited her late mother’s gifted musicianship and captivating beauty. Experienced in entertaining wealthy men with both, Saeeda is surprised when her flirtation with a younger man develops into something deeper.
