Vikram Seth's sprawling saga, A Suitable Boy, comes to life later this month on BBC. The six-part series, directed by Mira Nair, has a large ensemble cast of Indian actors featuring Tabu, Ishaan Khatter, Rasika Dugal, Vijay Varma, Ram Kapoor and many others.
The trailer introduces us to a few key players of the ambitious adaptation, mainly Lata Mehra, played by newcomer Tanya Maniktala, and her family. Lata is a young university student, coming of age in independent India recovering from the incidents of the Partition. Her family, especially her mother Rupa (Mahira Kakkar), wants her to settle down like her sister Savita (Rasika Dugal).
However, Lata has other ideas. She entertains the idea of not marrying, and flirts with the unsuitable Kabir (Danesh Razvi), while other suitors played by Namit Das and Mikhail Sen wait in the wings.
Ishaan Khatter plays Maan Kapoor, Savita's brother-in-law, who is infatuated with the lovely courtesan Saeeda Bai (Tabu), much to the dismay of his father Mahesh (Ram Kapoor).
Based on the trailer alone, the dialogues by Andrew Davies feel stilted, and it seems the actors are speaking in accentuated English. But Nair brings alive the mood and tensions of 1950s India along with the ambitions of a newly-emerged nation. The series, with an all-Indian star cast and Nair at the helm, has been keenly awaited.
The first episode of A Suitable Boy will air on BBC One on 26 July.
Watch the trailer below and let us know if you are keen to watch the series: