An epic mini-series finds love and lust in 1951 India
Sprawling across the emotional landscape, “A Suitable Boy” seems to be many things.
It’s mostly Jane Austen-esque, with a late dose of lurid soap opera. It’s indie cinema, expanded to near-epic proportions. It’s the work of two masters, trying something new at ages 63 and 84.
The former is Mira Nair, an indie-movie favorite for decades; the latter is Andrew Davies, who has written many of the best British mini-series. They linked for a tale that reaches the Acorn streaming service (www.acorn.tv) Dec. 7.; starting with two hours, it then has hours on four more Mondays.
Set in 1951 India, this centers on Lata (shown here), a college student whose widowed mother wants to find her a husband instantly; Austen would approve. But beyond that, it takes a few detours, some bad – oaf-ish villains throughout and some soap-style moments in the fifth episode – and some good. Read more…