Justin Bartha (Godfather of Harlem), Jayant Kripalani (Heat and Dust), Parveen Kaur (Manifest), Swayam Bhatia (Succession) and Palomi Ghosh (Typewriter) have joined the cast of Unaccustomed Earth, Netflix‘s upcoming drama series executive-produced by John Wells (The Pitt, Shameless). They join previously announced Freida Pinto, Siddharth, Sarayu Blue, Indraneil Sengupta, Adi Roy, and Iyla Sundarsingh Mckaig. Production on the series is underway.
Written by Madhuri Shekar (3 Body Problem, The Nevers) and directed by Ritesh Batra, the eight-episode Unaccustomed Earth is based on the Jhumpa Lahiri collection of short stories. It is described as an epic, soapy, and culturally vibrant drama about a tight-knit Indian American community navigating love, desire, and belonging.
Per the logline, “Rich with nuance, passion, and unforgettable characters, Unaccustomed Earth invites you into the elite and insular Indian-American community of Cambridge, MA. When a star-crossed romance between a devoted wife and her long-lost love comes to light, a scandalous affair is born, and new battle lines are drawn in this intensely interconnected immigrant community.”
Bartha will play Adam Weiss. Affable husband of Ruma, Adam is a sci-fi author and a proud stay-at-home dad to Hema. He loves his family, and despite his artistic dreaminess, can often be the grounding voice of reason to his high-powered wife, and emotional 16-year daughter.
Kripalani portrays Pranab Mukherjee, a Bengali Marxist who immigrated to the United States in his 20s. Pranab is a retired professor who now spends his days enjoying his garden, his family, and his books. When his wife passed away a year ago, Pranab thought he would be on his own forever, but he unexpectedly and inexplicably fell in love with a new woman… and is hiding it from his disapproving children.
Kaur is Nina Singh, a brilliant and driven Harvard med student, on her way to being valedictorian, with both beauty and ambition. Newly engaged to the man of her dreams, Amit, she’s determined to build a perfect life. When doubts arise, she realizes her fiancé may not be the man she thought she knew.
Bhatia plays Sudha Menon, Hema’s best friend and confidant. She is funny, confident, queer, and has never met an opinion she would not share.
Ghosh portrays Anjali Menon, the formidable dance teacher to the local Indian community, and one of Ruma’s close friends. She lost her husband a decade back, and has built back her life, her work, and her place in this community inch by inch, with tenacious grit. Has a rocky, combative relationship with her kids, but is genuinely trying her best.
Shekar serves as writer and showrunner and executive produces with Wells, Batra, Jhumpa Lahiri, Nisha Ganatra, Erica Saleh, Erin Jontow and Celia Costas. Batra will direct and executive produce the first two episodes. Warner Bros. Television is the studio.
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