Rohinton Mistry

Full Cast

Shernaz Patel

Neil Bhoopalam

Kenneth Desai

Anand Tiwari

Rajit Kapur

Zafar Karachiwala

A BBC Radio full-cast drama

A compelling dramatisation of Rohinton Mistry's Booker Prize-nominated novel about India's underclass 
 
India, 1975. Desperate to preserve her independence from her abusive brother, Parsi widow Dina Dilal turns her cramped city apartment into a sweatshop. But when her eyesight begins to fail, she hires two tailors - uncle and nephew Ishvar and Om, who have fled from caste violence in their native village. She also takes in a lodger - Maneck, a reluctant student from the mountains. 
 
Initially wary of each other, the four strangers soon form a close bond of friendship, loyalty and love. But their lives are about to be turned upside down, for India in the mid-1970s is in a state of crisis, riven by political turmoil and corruption. As Indira Gandhi's 'Emergency' measures come into force, civil liberties are suspended and human rights suppressed. In this climate of chaos, violence and injustice, Dina and her makeshift family find themselves struggling to survive and facing an uncertain future... 
 
Tragic, comic, poignant and redemptive, this heart-rending drama is a celebration of the human spirit under inhuman conditions. Adapted by Ayeesha Menon and Kewel Karim, it stars Shernaz Patel as Dina, Kenneth Desai as Ishvar, Anand Tiwari as Om and Neil Bhoopalam as Maneck. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Rohinton Mistry 
Dramatised by Ayeesha Menon and Kewel Karim 
Produced by Nadir Khan 
Directed by John Dryden 
Music: Sacha Putnam 
Sound Design: Steve Bond 
Production Manager: Niloufer Sagar 
A Goldhawk Production for BBC Radio 4 
 
Cast 
Dina - Shernaz Patel 
Ishvar - Kenneth Desai 
Om - Anand Tiwari 
Maneck - Neil Bhoopalam 
Rustom - Zafar Karachiwala 
Ibrahim - Rajit Kapur 
The Thakur - Jayant Kripalaini 
Ashraf - Darshan Jariwala 
Nusswan - Farid Currim 
Ruby - Anahita Uberoi 
Narayan - Vivek Madan 
Young Dina - Tirtha Kotrial 
Young Ishvar - Eshan Savla 
Young Narayan - Samar Uraizee 
Ensemble - Jim Sarbh, Abhishek Saha, Meherangiz Acharya-Dar, Faezeh Jalali, Shivani Tanksale, Nadir Khan 
Beggarmaster - Ankur Vikal 
Worm - Namit Das 
Rajaram - Jaimini Pathak 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 22 March-5 April 2015 
 
 
©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Rohinton Mistry

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