Nikesh Patel interview for Indian Summers

28 January 2015

What appealed to you about Aafrin and Indian Summers?

I’ve not had many opportunities to be in a period drama, especially one with the scope of Indian Summers, and this is telling a story that my generation hasn’t really seen. Aafrin goes on this great journey, and the position he occupies allows me to be in most places where the story happens. It was a no-brainer, really.

 

How would you describe Aafrin?

Quite unassuming. He’s been working in the Indian Civil Service for the Raj for a couple of years and he’s a bit of a pen-pusher. He’s the family breadwinner and there’s no real excitement to his life, although you see flashes of where his passions lie when he’s sketching and doodling at work. If anything, he’s a creative spirit locked in a machine, but it’s a job and a good job.

 

Does he have political leanings?

No, he’s quite apolitical at the start. He wants to support his family and, although he can’t help but be aware of the growing cause for independence, to pay too much attention to that would be at odds with his job. As the story unfolds, that sense of duty gets tested time and time again.

 

How does Aafrin get on with his sister?

Sooni [Aysha Kala] is a firebrand and I don’t think Aafrin would take too long to admit that she’s smarter than him, but as eldest son he occupies a position of some influence. He doesn’t want to disrupt the status quo, and she really tests that by getting into trouble for what she believes in, which is independence. He’s part of the machine that she’s fighting against. Everyone can understand that family dynamic: siblings that get on each other’s nerves, everyone loving each other but kicking to find their own space.

 

How did you enjoy working with Roshan Seth and Lillete Dubey, the legends of Indian cinema who play your parents?

It was amazing – Aysha and I were thrilled and terrified in equal measure. Gandhi is one of my dad’s favourite films, so to say that Nehru [played by Roshan Seth in Richard Attenborough’s 1982 film] was playing my dad carried real kudos!

 

Is it fair to say that Aafrin’s love life is pretty contentious?

Yeah. I think he’s a romantic soul. There must be a streak of danger in him, a Parsi, having this relationship with Sita [Ellora Torchia], who is a Hindu. It’s caused gossip, and in an Indian community that can have serious social consequences. The Dalals wonder how much they can turn a blind eye before it becomes a scandal. And then Aafrin is designated to deliver something to the viceroy’s private secretary and gets pulled into Ralph’s [Henry Lloyd-Hughes] orbit, which also means encountering Ralph’s sister, Alice [Jemima West]. I don’t think any of them are prepared for the ramifications of what ensues. Aafrin starts off as an innocent but, over the course of the series, has his eyes opened personally, politically and professionally. He has to grow up a bit and make some really difficult decisions.

 

How much did you know about the era and the story beforehand?

I’d just come off a play called Drawing the Line at the Hampstead Theatre, set just before Partition in 1947. For Indian Summers, I had to turn the clock back 15 years. Henry and I met before filming so we could get to know each other a bit, and we went to the British Library archives. Just to see these black and white photos from the period gave us a sense of Simla. There was a lot of pomp and entertainment, all at odds with the job at hand, which was to run the country. They’re more concerned about which party they’re going to rather than what the growing call for Indian independence might signify.