Bridgerton star Charithra Chandran cast as lead for ‘Song of the Sun God’ adaptation

British Tamil actress Charithra Chandran, star of Netflix’s show Bridgerton and Amazon Prime’s show Alex Rider, has been announced as being cast in the lead role of a six-part adaptation of Australian Tamil author Shankari Chandran’s novel ‘Song of the Sun God.’

Shankari Chandran’s novel follows the lives of three generations of a Tamil family, set in the UK, Australia and Sri Lanka. The miniseries will be a co-venture between the UK’s Synchronicity Films and Australian production company Photoplay Films. The author has also been signed on as creative consultant for the project.

Charithra Chandran has been cast in the lead role of Leela, a young Australian Tamil woman living in London, who finds herself on a global journey to uncover buried familial truths. Chandran has previously mentioned in Teen Vogue that her dream project would centre the Tamil genocide in Sri Lanka.

‘Song of the Sun God’ will be adapted for the screen by Olivia Hetreed, screenwriter for works such as 2003 film ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ and 2011 film ‘Wuthering Heights’. Speaking on the project, Hetreed says,

“Shankari Chandran’s novel is a poignant, and deeply moving story of the Sri Lankan conflict seen through the prism of one family. With its timely and universal themes, we feel the project will resonate with global audiences. We are excited that Charithra is both joining the cast and the producing team.”