TIFF 2020: A Suitable Boy
BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR ON SEPTEMBER 21, 2020
This TIFF 2020 coverage is published in collaboration with the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival.
Still from A Suitable Boy. (Courtesy of TIFF)
Mira Nair is a legendary Indian American filmmaker and best known for her films Mississippi Masala, Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love, The Namesake, Salaam Bombay! and Monsoon Wedding. Her latest work is the BBC television miniseries A Suitable Boy, adapted from Vikram Seth's 1993 novel. The drama weaves the stories of four families from different social classes, religions, and backgrounds: the Mehras, Kapoors, Khans, and Chatterjis.
A Suitable Boy is set in 1950s India after the country’s independence, transition to democracy, and the partition of India and Pakistan. The miniseries follows university student Lata Mehra, portrayed by Tanya Maniktala. After Lata’s older sister gets married, Lata’s mother becomes invested in finding her a husband. Lata is resistant to marriage but falls in love with young Muslim student Kabir Durrani, portrayed by Danesh Razvi. Throughout the series, Lata struggles with her passion for Kabir, which her Hindu family does not approve of.
The other protagonist of the series is Maan Kapoor, portrayed by Ishaan Khatter. He is the youngest child of the Minister of Revenue. Maan’s recklessness often gets his family into trouble. He ends up falling in love with the performer Saeeda Bai. The relationship ends in tragedy with the prospects of a new beginning for Maan.
The six-part series is written by Welsh screenwriter Andrew Davies, who is best known for his work on the 1995 BBC series Pride and Prejudice as well as the original U.K. version of House of Cards. During this crucial time when the film industry has been criticized about its lack of diverse voices, there has been debate among fans of A Suitable Boy about Davies' inclusion as a screenwriter for the miniseries. This discussion extends throughout the filmmaking industry and critiques the lack of screenwriting opportunities for people of color in mainstream productions. Both director Mira Nair and the original writer Vikram Seth, however, have approved of Davies’ screenplay.
The storytelling of A Suitable Boy closely mirrors that of Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice and Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. The series moves back-and-forth between the lives of various families and follows traditional English romantic arches. The series straddles two storytelling worlds set in a time just after India’s independence from the British government. The South Asian influence within the story is seen in the history and beautiful set design. The series was created for the BBC so it is understandable that the lens would be a mixture of Indian voices and U.K. storytelling. Mira Nair herself has made a career from embracing cultural differences which can be seen in one of her best known films, Mississippi Masala.
A Suitable Boy follows Vikram Seth’s original ending, with Lata marrying ambitious shoe manufacturer Haresh Khanna, portrayed by Namit Das. While the series is a cultural hybrid, it left me questioning whether the screen adaptation went far enough. In the context of the twenty-first century, "the most suitable boy" for Lata actually just meant the safest bet. In the end, Mira Nair’s on-screen adaptation of A Suitable Boy did not push boundaries or make audiences reconsider or reexamine the past.
The miniseries will premiere on BBC and be available on Netflix next year.