Media Magick

Mira Nair is known for her distinguishing style of storytelling. Whenever Nair’s name comes under discussion films like Salaam Bombay, Monsoon Wedding, The namesake and The Reluctant Fundamentalist come under the spotlight. Mira Nair has the art of touching uncomfortable topics very serenely. Mira Nair’s latest venture is A Suitable Boy. A Suitable Boy is based on Vikram Seth’s novel with the same name, published in 1993. The 6 episodic web-series is adapted by Andrew Davies and directed by Mira Nair for BBC. The web series features a plethora of profound actors in pivotal and small yet essential characters.

What Makes A Suitable Boy A Definite Binge-Worthy Series

The story of A Suitable Boy revolves primarily around a young, confident and English literature enthusiast 20’ish year old Lata Mehra (Tanya Maniktala) who experiences emotional and mental tides in life. Her mother Mrs. Rupa Mehra (Mahira Kakkar) wants to marry her to “a suitable boy”. The backdrop is set around newly liberated India from British rule, so there are strong traces of political alliances, religious elements highlighting Hindu-Muslim tiff and friendly philosophies here and there with a lot of romance, poetry, obsession and love towards Urdu and colonialization. Interesting isn’t it? How Rupa meets her suitable match after going through experiencing relationships and friendships with three charming, legitimate and passionate boys is what the entire show is all about, besides dramatic and political-socio-drama.

- Mira Nair’s Pitch Perfect World

Mira Nair creates a staging that reminds of newly freed India by showing archaic buildings, shops, verandas, old cycle carts, clubs from the ‘40s and how people used to interact with their viewpoints strongly imposing their ideologies on others. There are, however, some misses than hits that can be viewed in the series but if you look with an open mind for the sake of grasping the message, storytelling and character buildups, you will enjoy and understand what the maker is trying to showcase.

- Politically Entwined Romance

There are always sane minds out there who value repute, righteousness and family name more than the passion or interest, irrespective of the fact that in their younger days they experienced and went through the same. Similar situations are depicted in A Suitable Boy. Mahesh Kapoor (Ram Kapoor) and Nawaab Sahib (Aamir Bashir) play the part of sensible and mature custodians of traditions and powers whereas their sons Maan Kapoor (Ishaan Khatter) and Firoz (Shubham Saraf) respectively play the part of young boys exploring the possibilities to bring newness to the world and experiencing passion by falling for a Kothewaali Sayida Bai (Tabu) and Tasneem (Joyeeta Dutta). The contrast between The Congress Party and others are also highlighted in the web series and there are some effective scenes actors like Vinay Pathak and Manoj Pahwa who will take you by surprise because of their fascinating acts. Interesting thing is that the climax is a mixture of both, political change faced by India and a girl’s goal to start her life with a suitable contender who helped her to experience and explore her by giving respect, love and devotion. Poetic!

- Religious and Societal Depiction

A Suitable Boy also highlights the unspoken and never to be discussed norms of the society. The double faced standards that Hindus and Muslims followed for years but never willing to voice them out in the public. The series also highlights how stronger strengths were enjoyed by minorities and majorities on the root level but misinterpreted politically. The depiction of Diwali, Eid, Holi and Ashura are just a few examples that are fleetingly portrayed but they are all effective in narration and presenting the point to ponder.

- Aesthetically Visual Treat

From the first scene to the last, Mira Nair impresses her audience with her aesthetics and the art of visualizing the era by bringing it on the canvas. There are colors, gloominess, vibrancy and simplicity all wrapped in one. From the outdoor romance blossoming scenes to the indoor confrontations, A Suitable Boy shows the emotional turmoil and peace at heart meritoriously. It’s a decent watch for your lazy days when you need to just relax and want to take a peek in the past.

Linguistically Triumphant

The use of English and Urdu is aptly scattered throughout the web series. There are contrasts between the high societal interactions, communications taking in the village or at the Kotha and between the friends (senior and junior Kapoors and Nawabs). Even the language used and the diction style by 3 contenders Haresh Khanna (Namit Das), Amit Chatterji (Mikhail Sen) and the Muslim boy are nicely penned, representing their social class, profession and passion.

With pluses, there are minuses as well in A Suitable Boy. The 6 plus hours long Web series has some Bollywood-ish style incorporated in to the storytelling that might put a few viewers disappointed. Those who are ardent history lovers and readers will perhaps have a different opinion that will not align with the way Nair served the series to her audience.

A Suitable boy is releasing on 23^rd October, 2020 on Netflix. Watch it if you want to invest roughly 7 hours in something intriguing, interesting and unconventional in today’s times.