A Suitable Boy (TV series)

This article is about the BBC television series. For the novel of the same name by Vikram Seth, see A Suitable Boy.

A Suitable Boy
GenreDrama
Based onA Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
Written byAndrew Davies
Directed byMira Nair
Shimit Amin
Starring
ComposersScore:
Alex Heffes
Anoushka Shankar
Songs:
Kavita Seth
Country of origin
  • United Kingdom
  • India
Original languages
  • Bengali
  • English
  • Hindi
  • Urdu
No. of series1
No. of episodes6 (list of episodes)
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Production
Executive producers
Producers
CinematographyDeclan Quinn
EditorsNick Fenton
Tanupriya Sharma
Production companyLookout Point TV
Original release
NetworkBBC One
Release26 July (2020-07-26) –
24 August 2020 (2020-08-24)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

A Suitable Boy is a British television drama miniseries directed by Mira Nair and adapted by Andrew Davies from Vikram Seth's 1993 novel of the same name. Set in the backdrop of post-independent India, A Suitable Boy follows four linked families in North India, where the story revolves around Mrs. Rupa Mehra who is in search of a suitable husband for her youngest daughter Lata. Meanwhile, the daughter is torn between her duty towards her mother and the idea of romance with her suitors.[1]

The series stars Tanya Maniktala as the main character Lata, with Tabu, Ishaan Khatter, Rasika Dugal, Mahira Kakkar, Ram Kapoor, Namit Das, Vivaan Shah, Mikhail Sen, Danesh Rizvi, Shahana Goswami, Ranvir Shorey, Vijay Varma and Kulbhushan Kharbanda in prominent roles, as its storyline features more than 110 characters.[2] It is the first BBC period-drama series to have a non-white cast.[3]

The adaptation of the series was officially announced by Charlotte Moore, the BBC's head of content, in May 2017,[4] with Mira Nair announced as directing the series. The principal shoot of the series took place in September 2019. The series were filmed across Lucknow, as the primary location, and also in Maheshwar and Kanpur. The background music for the series was composed by Alex Heffes and Anoushka Shankar, with Kavita Seth scoring music for the songs. It was photographed by cinematographer Declan Quinn, with Nick Fenton and Tanupriya Sharma, editing the series.

A Suitable Boy was premiered in the United Kingdom on BBC One, from 26 July to 24 August 2020.[5] It was globally premiered on the streaming platform Netflix (excluding North America and China), with all six episodes released on 23 October 2020.[6][7] In the United States and Canada, the series premiered on Acorn TV, on 7 December 2020.[8] The series received a mixed response from critics, who praised the performances of the cast and the settings, but criticised the stereotypical portrayal of India, and the writing and direction.[9]

  1. ^ Watson, Fay (13 August 2019). "A Suitable Boy BBC start date, cast, trailer, plot: When does A Suitable Boy air?". Daily Express. Archived from the original on 2 August 2020.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference bbc:p3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference indiatoday was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Feeds, P. T. I. (5 May 2017). "Vikram Seth's 'A Suitable Boy' to get series adaptation at BBC". India News, Breaking News | India.com. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  5. ^ Scroll Staff (11 July 2020). "'A Suitable Boy' trailer: Mira Nair's BBC One adaptation of Vikram Seth's novel out on July 26". Scroll.in. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  6. ^ "Series adaptation of 'A Suitable Boy' to premiere on Netflix on October 23". The Economic Times. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  7. ^ "Mira Nair's A Suitable Boy to stream on Netflix from October 23". The Indian Express. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  8. ^ Ravindran, Manori (27 October 2020). "Mira Nair's 'A Suitable Boy' Heads to Acorn TV in U.S. and Canada (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  9. ^ "A Suitable Boy review round-up: Mira Nair's BBC drama series feels 'uncomfortably old school'". Firstpost. 27 July 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2021.