Here is a detailed look at the cast, creators, and what to expect from Netflix’s adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiri’s Unaccustomed Earth which stars Frieda Pinto, Siddhartha and more.
What is Unaccustomed Earth
Unaccustomed Earth, a short-story collection written by Jhumpa Lahiri, explores the lives, family bonds, identity, love, and longing of Indian-American characters, often set in diaspora. Netflix is transforming it into a series and not a movie, bringing these interwoven stories into a dramatic, episodic form.
Key Players: Cast & Characters
- Frieda Pinto stars as Parul Chaudhury, a devoted wife whose life is overturned when a past love reappears.
- She is joined by Amit Mukherjee, played by Siddhartha, Parul’s long-lost love. Amit is described as a warm-hearted Bengali-American man raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is open with his emotions, but bearing inner stability in work and relationships that unfold when Parul returns into his life.
Its supporting cast includes:
- Indraneil Sengupta as Jai
- Adi Roy plays Kaushik
- Iyla Sundasingh Mckaig as Hema
- Sarayu Blue in the role of Ruma
Creative Team & Production
- John Wells is known for ER, and Shameless serves as showrunner and executive producer.
- Madhuri Shekhar of 3 Body Problem fame is co-writer and executive producer,
- The first episode will be directed by Ritesh Batra, who is also an executive producer.
- Jhumpa Lahiri herself is involved as an executive producer along with Nisha Ganatra, Erica Saleh, Erin Jontow, and Celia Costas.
Setting & Plot Premise
- The setting of the series is in Cambridge, Massachusetts, within an Indian American immigrant community.
- The core plot revolves around love, despair, and belonging, emphasizing on Parul Chaudhury’s marriage, her connection with Amit Mukherjee (her former love), and the tensions and scandal that arise from that affair.
Release & Status
- The adaptation will be an 8-episode series.
- No release date has been announced yet.