Having recently played Davos in Marvel’s Iron Fist on Netflix, with the possibility that he’ll be back again in Marvel’s The Defenders later this year, Sacha Dhawan has confirmed on Twitter that he’ll be following it up with the lead for BBC 2 production, The Boy With The Top Knot. The feature length TV drama is an adaptation of Sathnam Sanghera’s memoir of the same name, transporting Dhawan from his previous New York location to life in Wolverhampton in the 1980s.
The details announced by the BBC haven’t confirmed when the 90-minute biographical dramatisation of the memoir will be going out, but with filming starting in and around the West Midlands in May 2017, we’re expecting it to be later this year. It’s based on a book that Sacha Dhawan describes as “beautiful… funny and immensely moving”, so it’s going to be interesting to see how it turns out.
The Boy With The Topknot is Sathnam Sanghera’s memoir of his childhood in Wolverhampton during the 80s, where he was born to Punjabi parents. It’s his story of growing up as a second generation Indian kid in the Midlands of Britain, spanning two decades from his early childhood into his 20s when he’s also had to come to terms with a number of family secrets. One of the most significant is his discovery that both his father and sister had suffered from schizophrenia, a severe and long-term mental health condition with symptoms that include hallucinations, delusions, muddled thoughts and changes in behaviour.
Sacha Dhawan will play the lead role of Sathnam, and the drama has also cast Joanna Vanderham (Man In An Orange Shirt) as his girlfriend Laura, who becomes an integral part of the story as he gets older with his decision to go against his family and wider community’s expectations for an arranged marriage. Anupam Kher (Silver Linings Playbook) and Deepti Naval (Lion) will star as his parents in his 20s, while Kiran Sonia Sawar (Murdered By My Father) and Sam Otto (Three Girls) will play them when he’s a child. The cast also includes Jaz Deol (Viceroy’s House), Vineeta Rishi (Line Of Duty), Kriss Dosanjh (This Is England) and Manpreet Bambra (Wizards Vs. Aliens).
The Boy With The Topknot TV film is being developed by Kudos and Parti Productions with Mick Ford (Single Father) adapting the screenplay and Lynsey Miller directing. Diederick Santer, Manda Levin, Christopher Aird and Nisha Parti are the executive producers.
While Sacha Dhawan was good as Davos in Marvel’s Iron Fist, he was even more impressive in the intensity of Sherlock Series 4 as A.G.R.A. rogue Ajay. Both are action based roles, but he definitely has a strong screen presence so it’s easy to see why he’s been picked for the role in The Boy With The Topknot. There’s still no word on whether or not he’ll be in The Defenders, but either way there’s definitely more to his Iron Fist adventure still to come with the end of the first series pitting him against Danny Rand.
