Anupam Kher to Play the Father-in-law in ABC Comedy Pilot ‘The Son In Law’
- The veteran Indian actor who is cast alongside Reema Sampat, Chris Sullivan and Meera Simhan, plays Om Mehta, the conductor of the New York Philharmonic.
Veteran Indian actor Anupam Kher has been cast as one of the leads for the ABC comedy pilot “The Son In Law,” alongside Reema Sampat, Chris Sullivan and Meera Simhan. Kher, who co-starred in NBC’s “New Amsterdam,” will be seen in the role of the father-in-law.
The plot of the pilot resembles any number of Bollywood productions, focusing on the family dynamics involving class conflict — a rich girl falls in love with a poor guy and the parents of the girl sneer at the match. It follows a salt-of-the-earth man, Jake (Sullivan), who finds himself seeking the approval of his new fiancée Asha’s (Sampat) sophisticated parents, including a difficult-to-impress father-in-law.
Deadline says Kher plays Om Mehta, the conductor of the New York Philharmonic who lives with his wife Khushi (Simhan) “in an 18,000-square-foot Fifth Avenue penthouse and hobnobs with an A-list circle of friends and celebrities.” Despite that, Mehta, “who was raised in relatively modest circumstances, is completely unaffected by the trappings of wealth,” Deadline says. He is well aware of Khushi’s controlling nature but loves her deeply and indulges her, knowing that it’s pointless to contradict her when she’s on a “mission.” And currently, her mission is to get their daughter Asha (Sampat) away from her boyfriend Jake (Sullivan), whom she thinks is beneath her. That’s a shame because Om likes Jake and has a lot in common with him. So when Jake asks his permission to marry Asha, Om immediately grants it.
The single-camera pilot from 20th Television is written and executive produced by Ajay Sahgal and executive produced by Jake Kasdan and Melvin Mar.
Kher was last seen in Vivek Agnihotri’s “The Kashmir Files,” which has triggered several debates and controversies. Kher, who also serves as the executive producer for the film, plays Pushkar Nath Pandit.
The actor recently scored a BAFTA nomination for best-supporting actor in the BBC’s “The Boy with the Topknot” and also has starred in “Bend It Like Beckham,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” “Sense8,” “A Family Man” and Netflix’s “The Indian Detective” as well as “Hotel Mumbai” and “Mrs. Wilson.”