Siddharth to co-star with Freida Pinto in Netflix show 'Unaccustomed Earth'

New Delhi, Sep 11 (PTI) Actor Siddharth will feature alongside Freida Pinto in "Unaccustomed Earth", the upcoming series adaptation of author Jhumpa Lahiri's short story collection of the same title.

Described as an "epic, soapy, and culturally vibrant drama about a tight-knit Indian American community navigating love, desire, and belonging", the eight-episode project comes from streaming service Netflix, a press release said.

"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," the official logline read.

Pinto, known for starring in critically-acclaimed and award-winning movies such as "Slumdog Millionaire", "Rise of the Planet of the Apes", "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" and "Love Sonia", will essay the role of Parul Chaudhury.

Siddharth, who has featured in movies such as "Rang De Basanti", "Chithha" and "Bommarillu", will portray Amit Mukherjee, a warm-hearted Bengali American man, born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who wears his emotions openly and gives of himself freely, sometimes to his own detriment.

"The friend all his own friends turns to in a crisis, Amit is dependable in moments of need but struggles to find stability in work or love. Just as his latest relationship begins to feel promising, his carefully balanced world unravels with the unexpected return of his long-lost love," according to the character description.

The series will be written by John Wells, best known for developing hit American show "Shameless" and directing movies such as "August: Osage County" and "Burnt", in collaboration with Madhuri Shekar, who will serve as the showrunner.

Ritesh Batra, the director of "The Lunchbox" and "Photograph", will helm and executive produce the first and second episodes.

Filmmaker Nisha Ganatra, who had originally optioned the book and developed the series, will also executive produce.

Lahiri will executive produce as well, along with Erica Saleh, Erin Jontow and Celia Costas.

Her 2003 novel "The Namesake" was famously adapted into a 2006 film by Mira Nair, starring Kal Penn, Tabu, and Irrfan Khan.

"Unaccustomed Earth" will be produced by Warner Bros Television, where Wells is under an overall deal. PTI RB BK BK