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Netflix to adapt Lahiri’s Unaccustomed Earth with Freida Pinto
Set in the Indian American community of Cambridge, Massachusetts, the series will explore themes of love, longing, and identity.
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Pranavi Sharma - Sun, 20, Jul 2025
- 02:15 EDT
- 12
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Freida Pinto / Netflix
Netflix is adapting Unaccustomed Earth, Jhumpa Lahiri’s acclaimed short story collection, into a drama series, with Freida Pinto cast in the lead role of Parul Chaudhury. The project brings together producer John Wells (Shameless, ER) and writer-showrunner Madhuri Shekar (3 Body Problem), under Wells' overall deal with Warner Bros. Television.
Set in the Indian American community of Cambridge, Massachusetts, the series will explore themes of love, longing, and identity. Pinto’s character, Parul Chaudhury, is at the center of a romance that disrupts her life as a devoted wife and unravels a scandal within her insular community.
Although based on Lahiri’s 2008 book, Parul does not appear in the original stories, suggesting the series will take creative liberties while retaining the emotional core of the source material.
Ritesh Batra (The Lunchbox) will direct and executive produce the first two episodes. In addition to Lahiri, the executive producers include Nisha Ganatra (Freaky Friday, Late Night), Erica Saleh, Erin Jontow, and Celia Costas. Freida Pinto called it “an absolute honour to be part of this incredible and formidable production” in a statement posted on Instagram.
This is Lahiri’s second major screen adaptation. Her debut novel The Namesake was made into a 2006 feature film directed by Mira Nair, starring Kal Penn, Tabu, and Irrfan Khan.
Unaccustomed Earth reunites Netflix, Warner Bros. Television, and John Wells, who previously worked together on Maid and the upcoming limited series Untamed.
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