TLI Staff
New Delhi: Tanya Maniktala who plays Lata Mehra in Netflix original series A Suitable Boy, directed by Mira Nair, worked as a copywriter before venturing into acting and unexpectedly landed a role in the series that gave her a dream debut.
“Before becoming an actor, I used to work as a copywriter and I was very happy with it. One day a friend called me and asked me to come for an audition without telling me what it was for. I showed up at the audition and it was for A Suitable Boy, for Lata’s character and I was shocked. A few days before the audition, my friend and I were talking about the novel and about Lata and Malti’s relationship, because we could relate with it. It was sudden but it was the most memorable audition of my life,” said Tanya about how she got to portray the character.
Tanya swiftly slipped into the role of young and petite 19-year-old Lata Mehra, whose beauty lies in her simplicity, honesty and humility. Lata embodies the modern and newly independent India which is coming of age.
Resisting her mother’s attempts to find her a husband, Lata is torn between family duty and the possibilities of love and desire. Recently, Tanya was chosen as the Rising Star by TIFF 2020 for her role in the series and received accolades for her magical performance.
Mira Nair’s series hit the streaming service on Oct 23, 2020. The series, dramatically laid out in 6 episodes, showcases the journey of the protagonists Lata Mehra and Maan Kapoor, essayed by debutant Tanya Maniktala and talented actor Ishaan Khatter, respectively.