Gully Boy actor Vijay Varma to work on Mira Nair’s adaptation of A Suitable Boy

In what would be his first ever international project, Gully Boy actor Vijay Varma has been confirmed as a cast member for the adaptation of the award-winning novel A Suitable Boy. Directed by Mira Nair, the series is developed by BBC World.

BBC was in talks with Netflix to screen A Suitable Boy, which broke down later. It is now negotiating with other potential American partners to stream the series.

Varma will play the supporting character of Rasheed, a student at Brahmpur University. Brahmpur is the fictional town in which much of A Suitable Boy is set. Rasheed also tutors Tasneem, sister of Saeeda Bai, in Arabic.

In a statement, Vijay said: “I am elated to be a part of a Mira Nair project. I’ve been a great admirer of her work and cannot wait to make this illustrious story come alive.”

As for playing Rasheed, Varma said: “During the screen tests, I read a few parts but it was the character of Rasheed that attracted me. I’m glad that this project came my way and I’m looking forward to working with a stellar team.”

The cast of A Suitable Boy includes Tabu, who Mira Nair directed in The Namesake, as well as Shefali Shah, Randeep Hooda and Vijay Raaz, all of whom appeared in Nair’s earlier venture Monsoon Wedding.

The shooting for the series will begin this year in September. There has been no further information on the casting of Lata, the protagonist herself and her three suitors – Haresh, Amit and Kabir. The casting for these roles has been kept under wraps.

A Suitable Boy follows a young woman, Lata, in her search for love and identity in a newly independent, post-Partition India. Lata grows up in northern India in 1951.

Torn between duty to her family and the excitement of romance, Lata embarks on an epic journey of love, desire and heartache as three very different suitors vie for her hand.

Mira Nair has said the six-hour $20m series- set against the backdrop of post-Colonial India- will start shooting on September for 16 weeks across Northern India.

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