“A Suitable Boy” hit quite a few milestones on its way to Acorn TV. The miniseries adaptation of Vikram Seth’s bestseller is the first TV show Mira Nair has directed; it’s the first TV series to close TIFF; and it’s the first BBC production to be led by an all-Indian cast. Even so, the charming six-part story will be familiar to any fan of PBS’ “Masterpiece” or Nair’s oeuvre — and I say that with much affection.
“A Suitable Boy” is a groundbreaking project set during a significant point in history — India shortly after Partition — but it doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s an epic tale of love, politics, tradition, and change. In other words, it’s essentially a soap opera. (Again, no shade: “Anna Karenina” is a soap opera too.)
Though there are about a dozen or so main characters, the show’s overarching story follows the romantic and marital prospects of Hindu college student Lata (Tanya Maniktala), who is being pursued by three men: the Muslim student she loves, the kind shoe salesman her mother wants her to marry, and her sister-in-law’s poet brother. Like any good story about marriage-bound young women, “A Suitable Boy” offers various reasons why Suitor X is good and/or bad for Lata, and posits that what may make her most happy is staying single.
Meanwhile, as Lata tries to figure out who and what she wants, her carefree childhood friend Maan (Ishaan Khattar) falls in love with a courtesan (Tabu) and starts to wake up to his family’s political situation. His father (Ram Kapoor), an MP, is pushing his fellow lawmakers to protect and support India’s Muslim minority and the poor. At first glance, Rupa, Lata’s mother, seems to be Mrs. Bennet-esque comic relief: a silly busybody whose obsession with her children’s love lives does more harm than good. But, wisely, the show gives her extra depth. As a widow, Rupa’s status is much reduced. Not only is she bereaved and in a precarious financial position, her value is now solely judged on when and to whom she marries her children off.
In the tradition of “Downton Abbey” and other BBC fare you’re likely to catch on PBS, “A Suitable Boy” is a fun, warm series that nevertheless tackles some grave subject matter, from Hindu-Muslim conflict to class divisions to the conflation of a women’s worth with her marital status. If you’re looking for something light, but not Hallmark-level inconsequential, it’s well worth checking out.
The first two episodes of “A Suitable Boy” are now available on Acorn TV. New episodes will drop weekly through January 4.
