site search by freefind
MotorBar
Indian Summers
Indian Summers“Highly watchable and a fascinating
  tale of life in India in 1932 under The Raj.
  With its exoticness, glamour, corruption,
  prejudices, pleasures and scandals,
  Indian Summers is a wonderfully lavish
  period drama series airing on Channel 4
  in the Spring telling of love, betrayal
  and power...”

THE STUFF OF DREAMS, India under The Raj for the British was privileged and exotic; but for the Indians themselves life was not always as sweet as for those who ruled them. Suffering prejudice and injustices, the natives saw freedom fighters rise among them; this was the time when the British Empire was losing its grip on India. Beneath the peaceful, wealthy veneer is underlying discontent.

Indian Summers is set in the Summer of 1932 in the small British colony of Simla at the foot of the Himalayas, where the wealthy and working British have gone to escape the heat of the city. India dreams of independence while the British cling to power and their way of life.

“As sumptuous as it is
exciting, the exotic
Indian Summers
is brought magnificently
to the small screen
with a terrific cast
portraying believable and
intriguing characters…
Absolutely marvellous!”
Ralph Whelan (Henry Lloyd-Hughes: The Inbetweeners; Anna Karenina), Private Secretary in the Civil Service, lives in the family house he grew up in and welcomes his sister Alice (Jemima West: The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones; Lines Of Wellington) and her small son, who have just arrived from England. Alice has left her husband and, to avoid scandal, claims to be a widow.

Other new arrivals are Sarah Rawarth (Fiona Glascott: Episodes; Clone) and her son Matthew (Julian Fenby). Sarah's husband Dougie (Craig Parkinson: The Mill; Line Of Duty) works at the mission caring for abandoned children of mixed parentage along with the lovely Leena Prasad (Amber Rose Revah: Silent Witness; What Remains), with whom he is in love.

Sarah's unhappiness will drive her to desperate measures as she seeks to be accepted. She befriends Alice but uses the discovery of Alice's secret against her.

What is the secret surrounding one of the children at the mission? Adam (Shachin Sailesh Kumar) finally hears from his mother Jaya (Hasina Hague), but who is his father and why would someone wish to see Jaya dead?

American Eugene Mathers (Edward Hogg) and his sister Madeleine (Olivia Grant: Lark Rise to Candleford; Strike Back) quickly become close to Alice and Ralph. Madeleine sets her sights on Ralph and they become lovers; but tragedy and the interference of a powerful woman is to threaten their happiness.

Presiding over The Royal Simla Club is larger-than-life Cynthia Coffin (a terrific portrayal by Julie Walters), a meddlesome, jealous and controlling Englishwoman. An old friend of Ralph and Alice's family, she tries to tamper with Ralph's life and fights to keep the club solely for white British.

Her loyal Indian servant Kaiser (Indi Nadarajah) is as devoted to her as she is to him but each knows their place. Club Secretary, Ronnie Keane (Rick Warden) is kind and not in the least racist and at times finds himself at odds with Cynthia.

Having recently started work in the Indian Civil Service, gifted artist Aafrin Dalal (Nikesh Patel: Bedlam; Honour) is to play a huge part in the lives of Ralph and Alice. He saves Ralph's life by taking a bullet meant for him and becomes attracted to Alice — a liaison that both are aware is very much frowned upon, possibly even by her seemingly unbiased brother.

Aafrin has brought his Parsee family to Simla: Mother Roshana (Lillete Dubey), father Darius (Roshan Seth) and his sisters, 14-year-old Shamshad (Ashna Rabheru) and Sooni (Aysha Kala), who joins the freedom movement, placing herself in danger.

Aafrin is secretly seeing Sita (Ellora Torchia), who is very much in love with him but who is afraid his family will disapprove of her. Unfortunately this fear threatens her relationship with Aafrin, who is in put in a perilous position when Sita fails to deliver a letter for Alice.

Ian McLeod (Alexander Cobb) has come to India to help his uncle Stafford Armitage (Richard McCabe) but becomes involved with trying to stop a terrible injustice that earns him the respect of the native Indian population.

As sumptuous as it is exciting, the exotic Indian Summers is brought magnificently to the small screen with a terrific cast portraying believable and intriguing characters. This wonderfully lavish period series sizzles with drama and romance and illustrates the gap between wealth and poverty; whites and natives.

Promises and hearts are broken as tensions simmer and freedom fighters rise up amid prejudices, tragedies and injustices. The beliefs in the British Empire remain strong but by the 1930s the days of The Raj in India are numbered. Absolutely captivating. Some scenes of a sexual nature.

Indian Summers is beautifully filmed in Penang, Malaysia, and also features: Patrick Malahide as Lord Willingdon; Sudershan Chandra Kumar as Mujinder Sing; Guy Williams as Superintendent Rowntree; Alyy Khan as Ramu Sood; Ayesha Dharker as Nalini; and Silas Carson as The Nawab.

Original Music is by Stephen Warbeck; Director of Photography is David Higgs, BSC; Costume Designer is Nic Ede; Created and Written by Paul Rutman; Additional Writers are: Nicole Taylor, Lisa McGee and Anna Symon; Produced by Dan McCulloch; Executive Producers: Charlie Pattinson, Elaine Pyke, Willow Grylls, Rebecca Eaton, Simon Curtis and Paul Rutman; and Directed by Anand Tucker with Jamie Payne, David Moore and John Alexander.

* A don't-miss lavish production from Channel 4, the sweeping saga of India in the 1930s Indian Summers is released on DVD in the UK by RLJ Entertainment's Acorn Label on 20 April 2015. Running Time: 580 Minutes on 3 Discs | Catalogue Number: AV3227 | RRP: £24.99.

"As sumptuous as it is exciting, the exotic Indian Summers is brought magnificently to the small screen with a terrific cast portraying believable and intriguing characters… Absolutely marvellous!" — Maggie Woods, MotorBar

"A Downton-esque Jewel In The Crown with lashings of sex and intrigue" — Daily Mail

"A vibrant, intense kaleidoscope of conflict" — The Independent