HBO miniseries The Night Of features the Sri Lankan-British actress as a junior lawyer working to prove a victim’s innocence, writes Zaharah Othman
IN episode 5, titled Season Of The Witch, junior lawyer Chandra “the prop” Kapoor advances into the centre court giving viewers hints of a more prominent role in the HBO criminal justice series The Night Of.
Sultry-looking Chandra, played by Sri Lankan-British actress Amara Karan, gets to do more than just sit demurely as an extra Asian cast in court and in the Khan’s living room.
At the same time, Naz or Nasir Khan, the main suspect embroiled in the sex, drug and gruesome murder case, also adapts to life as an inmate of the notorious Rikers Island, again, promising a more determined fight for survival and ultimately to prove his innocence.
Naz is relieved to see Chandra who utters the wise words, “if you’re guilty, then take the deal, but if you’re not, then don’t” and the storyline takes off.
Coincidentally, Amara knew Riz Ahmed, the Pakistani-born actor who plays Naz. They went to Oxford together and either by coincidence or design, they were to play opposite each other; both very British and both acting in a Manhattan setting, both assuming an American accent.
ROLES FOR WOMEN OF COLOUR
“After university, I worked in investment banking in the City, dealing with merges and acquisitions. But deep inside, I knew I didn’t want to live my life in an office in front of computers. I had always acted in schools and at university. You only live once,” said Amara during a Press preview of the series in London.
So, ears still ringing with her mother’s sobs, she went into acting, cutting her teeth in the Wes Anderson-directed The Darjeeling Limited in 2007.
“In this story about the American criminal justice system, it is brilliant to see everybody fighting for space, to fight for survival,” says Amara referring to the conspiracies from within the courtroom to the post-mortem table where evidence or expert statements could be changed and amended for the sake of winning a case.
“I was absolutely thrilled when offered the role. I was saddened there were not enough roles for women of colour. But to be given this role is just brilliant,” she adds, explaining the research that she went through included attending court cases, especially the arraignment court, where an accused enters his or her plea.
While the progress so far for both Naz and Chandra promises much more exciting developments in the episodes to come, this particular bit offers a glimpse of lawyer Stone (John Turturro) struggling with not only his severe eczema but also his sex life.
But it is not something that he will allow to affect his belief in Naz’s innocence. His detective work found him holed up in some dangerous backroom in search of a possible suspect—another added suspense for fans of this exciting series.
INTRICACIES OF A MURDER CASE
While we see Stone trying to defend someone with evidence stacked against him, he is at the same time trying to be a father to his son, whom we see fleetingly throughout the series.
The very experienced Stone, known to all as a precinct crawler, reminds me of Columbo in the Columbo detective series. Like Columbo, Stone never misses anything, despite his very irritating skin condition and constant male urges.
He observes keenly Naz’s journey into the dark side, blending in with Freddy and his gang of drug smugglers. This, plus evidence unearthed by Helen Weiss’ team about Naz, promises to make his defence case a much tougher one.
The series is based on the British drama series Criminal Justice.
The Night Of offers eight hour-long episodes created by Steven Zaillian (Schindler’s List and American Gangster) and Richard Price (The Color Of Money and HBO’s The Wire). Executive produced by Zaillian, Price, Jane Tranter, Peter Moffat and the late James Gandolfini, and directed by Zaillian (seven episodes) and James Marsh, from teleplays by Price and Zaillian.
The show delves into the intricacies of a complex New York City murder case with cultural and political overtones. The story examines the police investigation, legal proceedings, criminal justice system and Rikers Island.
The Night Of airs Mondays at 9am with a same day primetime encore at 9pm, on HBO (Astro Channel 411 & 431). This HBO Original miniseries is also available on Astro On The Go.