A Suitable Boy

He's a Muslim? Then let's go away.

If we go now, we don't stand a chance.

This is a great and much-needed reform,

and I commend it to the House.

The Raja of Marh has mounted a challenge to your Zamindari Act in the High Court.

You shouldn't get too deeply involved with Saeeda Bai.

No good can come from it.

But I love her, Baoji.

This is your last night in my house! Get out of here.

You must go with Rasheed to his village.

You've done nothing to find a boy for Lata.

Fortunately for you, you have a very clever wife.

I still don't understand why you're rushing off

to Uncle Sahgal's in Lucknow and leaving Lata behind with us.

It is Lata I am thinking of!

If you cannot help find her a suitable boy

here in Calcutta, I must look elsewhere!

I am going to stay with the Sahgals and Kalpana will meet me there!

She will help me. Bye, beta.

I must leave you now, Lata.

Memsahib?

Hello.

I was wondering if you'd like to do a bit of sightseeing.

I'd like to show you something of poetic interest.

Thank you. Yes, that would be lovely.

Rose Aylmer was only 20 years old?

Just about your age.

That's so sad.

What did she die of?

A surfeit of pineapple.

I know, I know.

Not very poetic, but poor Landor.

This has turned into a rather melancholy outing.

All my fault. I do apologise.

Let us quit this dismal scene,

and ride home in our limousine.

Of course.

And now your mother has left for Lucknow.

Yes, mysteriously.

Calcutta, I regret to say, was a complete waste of time.

But now there a number of good prospects for my Lata in Lucknow.

I am determined.

I won't give up in until I have found my Lata a suitable boy.

Do you know any?

Please send me photos.

My grandfather, keeping Bengal just.

Hello, Lata.

Hello there, my dears.

Hello.

Ah! My sister Kuku and her German nutcracker.

He has a lovely voice.

Are you fond of Schubert?

My father played him when we were young.

Ma prefers Indian classical music,

and my youngest brother, he can't get enough of...

Come on, let's go upstairs.

Let Amit and Lata have their own tete-a-tete.

Don't worry, Cuddles won't let them get up to anything naughty.

Shall we have some of this? I thought we were having tea.

This is Chatterjee tea.

Thank you.

You mustn't mind Bahadur.

He thinks I plan to marry everyone I bring home.

And do you?

Not so far.

But he doesn't believe it.

Bahadur sees me staring at the moon and he thinks getting married will cure me.

What a crazy family you are!

On the contrary, we're a hotbed of sanity.

Drink up.

What's that you're reading?

Quran-Shareef.

Any good?

Sorry.

Salaam'alaikum. Salaam, Laali Mian.

Are you happy to be home?

Yes and no.

Rasheed.

Do you love your wife?

It is my duty to love her.

She was my brother's wife, and when he died,

my mother asked me to marry her...

...and give her little daughter a father.

I'm so sorry.

I'm used to it now.

And I do care for my wife.

Rasheed, will you teach me some ghazals tomorrow?

When you've learnt your alphabet.

Sweet dreams.

Honestly, Ma, I didn't know they were like that.

I thought they were a decent family and that their son would be a fine match for Lata.

If my husband were alive,

he might have been chairman of the Railway Board.

We'd never have to lower our heads before anyone,

especially to people like these!

I'd never have put you through it if I'd known they wanted a dowry.

Don't worry. I have some other options to discuss with you.

I'm sorry, Ma.

You'd better show me suitable candidates

when we reach my cousin's home.

Rupa, where did you go in this heat?

Don't ask. This is Kalpana. She's like my daughter.

Pushkar. Greet Rupa Massi. Pushkar.

He's still a child.

Welcome, Kalpana.

You both can talk in the office.

Six feet two? He'd tower over Lata.

No, no, impossible. Next one, please.

Too dark, too dark.

It might just be the light in the studio, Ma.

Next.

He's very personable.

He was leading man in a play I was in at university.

Lady Windermere's Fan.

He's too rich, Kalpana!

This one won't want a dowry.

He's a good boy - meet him face-to-face at least.

He won't make Lata happy.

She would always be the poor relation.

If I liked him, it would only upset me.

Who's next?

I'm taking you to a book shop where I spend half my life.

One feels so bewildered among all these millions of books.

You mean I, not one. Kemon achhen dada?

You're such a pedant! No, it's important.

Just imagine if I were to say to you,

"One loves you."

Or worse still, "One loves one." Doesn't that sound idiotic?

Yes. That's all I meant.

I see.

Or rather, one sees.

I see one does.

Does a writer have to feel strongly about what he writes?

Not necessarily.

Sometimes I write best about the things I care about least.

And of course what is most frustrating is failing to

write well about the things or the people one cares most for.

I'll give you a book of my poems sometime,

and you can form your own opinion of how much or how little I feel.

I would love that.

But why not now?

I need time to think of a suitable inscription.

Hmm?

Hm.

He's nice!

No-one else?

Well...

There is one more we could try.

A very nice boy.

Haresh was at school with me in Delhi.

Acha? St Stephens.

Kalpana was debating champion!

And what did you do after that?

Well, after University in Delhi, I went to England

to study shoe manufacture.

At present I'm working for the Kanpur Leather and Footwear Company.

I've only been there a year,

but I have established a whole new department

and got them orders they didn't have the know-how to get for themselves.

Haresh, have you brought your certificates with you?

How clever you are.

Northampton College of Technology.

First in his class and a silver medal, that is very good.

You should be very proud.

Of course, my late husband was first in his class at Roorkee,

and a gold medallist. He was an engineer on the railway.

The railway! Mm-hm.

I wish I could have met him, Mrs Mehra.

I wish so too.

He waters our fields.

That's his whole life, serving my father,

farming land he will never own.

I hate to see the suffering here.

I keep trying to think what I can do to change it.

Perhaps your father's land bill will make a difference.

Perhaps. But my father will not allow it.

Zamindars, they do nothing

but make their living from other people's misery.

And they try to force their sons into the same

ugly mould as themselves.

And if their sons want to do anything else,

then they make life miserable for them, too.

So much poverty.

Suffering.

Ignorance.

We have to do something for my people here.

Rasheed?

Will you help me write a letter?

Arrey Maan Sahib!

There are many other sorrows in this world besides love.

Rasheed!

It will take years to teach you this beautiful language.

That's very good. Put that in.

You don't share my feelings for Saeeda. Do you?

Ah.

The sister, Tasneem.

Don't worry, your secret's very safe with me.

There's nothing... She doesn't...

You mean you haven't told her yet?

It's out of the question.