A Suitable Boy: A lavish but flawed adaptation of 1950’s India

Although "A Suitable Boy" has been praised for bringing together Mira Nair and Andrew Davies, the BBC miniseries based on Vikram Seth's novel of the same title fails to create a lasting impression as it mostly caters to a White audience.

In the introductory scene, the protagonist Lata feeding a monkey and buffalo emerging out of a village lake only represents the Westerners' notion of India's "exotic culture". 

Watch the trailer of "A Suitable Boy" here 

There are bits and pieces of the characters interacting in Hindi and Urdu, but most of the dialogues are delivered in English. 

"A Suitable Boy" has an amazing cast and the screenplay and the sets were wonderfully crafted but the predictable story and the overstretched plotline made it quite unbearable after two or three episodes.

However, the crackling chemistry between the evergreen Tabu and the charming Ishaan Khatter was beautifully represented in the movie without appearing as perverted or awkward between the two fine actors. 

Plot

The movie basically revolves around Lata (Tanya Maniktala), a 19-year-old literature student who is constantly prodded by her mother, Rupa, to find a "suitable boy." 

The young lady has three charming men vying for her attention, there is the handsome Kabir Durrani, the famous writer Amit Chatterji, and the pragmatic Haresh Khanna. 

We see the mischievous but child-like Maan (Ishaan Khatter) whose lack of ambition gets him in trouble with his father Minister Mahesh Kapoor. 

The young and wild Maan falls in love with the endearingly beautiful but charming Muslim courtesan Saeeda. 

Maan's infatuation with Saeeda creates a rift between him and his father who is trying to contest in India's first democratic general election.

Communal disputes 

The newly independent India saw the tugs of communal dispute and the rise of tension between the Hindu and Muslim community. 

The establishment of a temple in front of a mosque and the outburst of violence in rallies between the two religions somewhat reflected the current conflicts in India. 

The movie alludes to the Babri Masjid demolition. Vikram Seth's novel was published in 1993, a year after the mosque was destroyed. 

Cast 

Newcomer Tanya Maniktala did a commendable job as Lata, her beautiful smile and expressive eyes made her role quite refreshing. 

The scene stealer in the series has got to be Ishaan Khatter and Tabu's love story. 

The exchange of shayari and ghazal between these two only heightened the intensity of their intimate scenes. 

The most wonderful and realistic acting was indeed done by Geeta Agarwal Sharma as Maan's mother. 

Her acting in the final scene will haunt you long after you finish watching the series. 

Tabu as the beautiful courtesan Saeeda Bai, oozes grace, strength, vulnerability and sensuality so naturally that it simply takes your breath away. 

Danesh Rizvi as Kabir also did a fabulous job in the series. He was able to beautifully depict Kabir's loneliness and his strong love for Lata. 

Unfortunately, some of the finest actors of this time: Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey, and Vijay Raaz were simply not utilised in the movie due to minimal screen time. 

The movie reflects the confusion and dilemma of post-independent India as it strives hard to find its own identity. 

Mira Nair's "A Suitable Boy" is predictable and its episodes can seem overtly stretched sometimes but the beautiful screenplay and credible acting by the protagonists make up for the flaws in the script. 

If you want to enjoy a beautifully shot movie with gorgeous locations and a touch of romance then you will surely enjoy the cinematic adaptation of Vikram Seth's novel "A Suitable Boy".