Netflix series' writer Andrew Davies and co-director Mira Nair adapt Vikram Seth’s 1993 tome with mixed results.
A Suitable Boy review: Weighty period drama saved by opulent production design and winsome performances
Cinestaan Rating
Release Date: 26 Jul 2020
Sonal Pandya | Mumbai, 25 Oct 2020 9:30 IST
The six-part series, A Suitable Boy, naturally, opens on a wedding in the fictional city of Brahmpur in 1951. Lata Mehra’s sister Savita is marrying Pran Kapoor, the son of the revenue minister Mahesh Kapoor. The bride’s mother Rupa is elated but now sets her sights on her younger daughter, a university student, who must marry a boy of her choice.
Thus begins the long-awaited adaptation of Vikram Seth’s 1993 tome of over 1,300 pages, which is condensed into six hour-long episodes for Netflix. The series originally ran on UK’s BBC One in July.
The opening episode hones in on the forbidden romances of Lata (Tanya Maniktala) and fellow university student Kabir Durrani (Danesh Razvi), and Maan Kapoor (Ishaan Khatter), Mahesh’s younger son and the courtesan Saaeda Bai (Tabu). While Lata and Maan are opposites in every way, they allow passion to take hold of their lives. However, both affairs are doomed from the start.
Written by Andrew Davies, who has successfully adapted several TV adaptations from Pride and Prejudice (1995) to Little Dorrit (2008), the series touches on many major and minor issues, from the country’s first elections to communal tensions in Brahmpur and beyond between Hindus and Muslims.
A Suitable Boy also gorgeously depicts early 1950s India, thanks to cinematographer Declan Quinn, a frequent Nair collaborator, with stylish interiors of homes and offices and exteriors of a recreated Lucknow and Calcutta. The production design by Stephanie Carroll and the art direction by Hemant Wagh, Prasad Surve and Sushant Panchal give the right feel and look of the period.
The costumes by Arjun Bhasin are exquisite, from the lovely saris worn by Lata and her sister-in-law Meenakshi (Shahana Goswami) to the stylish English suits worn by Arun Mehra (Vivek Gomber) and suitor Haresh Khanna (Namit Das).
The series has a distinct score by Alex Heffes, highlighted with marvellous sitar pieces by Anoushka Shankar. The sitar theme is more evident in the creative title credits, which hints at the story.
Nair has assembled a large ensemble cast comprising talented artistes from Indian cinema, past and present. Some actors, such as Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Randeep Hooda and Sheeba Chaddha, are on the screen for too short a duration. Others, such as Rasika Dugal as Savita and Ranvir Shorey as Waris Khan, have important parts but get lost in the narrative.
A Suitable Boy focuses more on Lata and Maan’s arcs, and the two leads who play them deliver. Maniktala, in her big breakout role, has the right charm and appeal as the undecided Lata, torn between three admirers who are seeking her hand. Khatter is a natural, and his scenes with the luminous Tabu are a highlight, especially since the pair tend to converse in Urdu rather than English.
The cast’s uneven accents, especially within families, are a concern as they detract from the overall enjoyment of the series. The English dialogue, at times, feels stilted. However, the story of A Suitable Boy moves smoothly with the six episodes, leading us to a resolution in Lata’s life.
Nair, who co-directs the series with Shimit Amin on one episode, deftly wades through Seth’s material, but it still feels overstuffed and rushed in the end. The series, even with Nair’s expertise, doesn’t click the way it should.
A Suitable Boy closes with events mirroring its opening, and while Lata goes off to her happy ending, we are still left a little unsatisfied.
Netflix is now streaming A Suitable Boy.