Life, love & liberty

Stars Tanya Maniktala and Tabu on a Sunday-evening epic set in 1950s India

- Elaine Reilly

Prepare for a heady cocktail of passion, politics and stunning scenery as we’re transported back to 1950s India in BBC1’s sumptuous new Sunday-night period drama, A Suitable Boy.

Filmed on location last year, the epic six-parter – based on Vikram Seth’s acclaimed novel and adapted by Andrew Davies (War & Peace, Les Misérables, Pride and Prejudice) – charts the fortunes of four interwoven Indian families as the country embraces its newfound independence from Britain.

This week’s opening episode introduces the parallel stories of free-spirited literature student Lata Mehra (played by newcomer Tanya Maniktala) and enchanting courtesan Saeeda Bai (Bollywood movie legend Tabu).

Lata’s widowed mum Rupa (Mahira Kakkar) is determined to arrange the perfect marriage for her 19-year-old daughter – but Lata has other ideas and soon has three potential suitors vying for her attention... Meanwhile, Saeeda finds herself falling for impulsive bad boy Maan (Ishaan Khatter).

Here, Tanya, 23, and Tabu, 48, tell TV Times what to expect…

Can you describe your characters?