What’s love got to do with it is a Bollywood romantic comedy written by Jemima Khan and directed by Shehkar Kapur. It was rated at 6.6 on imdb and has a runtime of 109 minutes.
The plot is simple and commonplace but the execution of the storyline is beautiful. The film is focused on a love triangle between Kaz, Zoe and Maimoona.
Kaz (Shahzad Latif) is a British Pakistani and hence suffers from an identity crisis. Zoe (Lily James) is a British award winning film-maker who records her best friend Kaz’s wedding. Maimoona (Sajal Aly) is the girl Kaz gets married to.
The film is a realistic portrayal of how in the desi community the family pressure to get into an arranged marriage is immense. It is an ‘insisted’ marriage rather than an ‘assisted’ one.
Often the consequences of forced marriages are bad. And the same happens with Kaz and Maimoona.
Meanwhile the plot shifts to Zoe and James (Oliver Chris). As Zoe’s mom forces her to date James, the relationship fizzles out as it is not based on love.
The primary thematic concern of the film is ‘love’! If love is present in a relationship it is more likely to flourish.
The line ‘fake it till you make it’ is relevant in the Pakistani context. This is reality. And Kaz and Maimoona break this image, this pretence by divorcing each other.
The audience laugh uncontrollably at the matrimonial bureau and the questions it puts forward. The demands are unrealistic and someone calls out ‘did you bring a colour chart?’ taunting the prerequisites of being a wheatish complexion or fair skinned!
The line:
‘To walk into love’ sums up how love should happen! To take it slow and steady and not to act on impulse is the essence of how to fall in love!
Do Kaz and Zoe get together or not? What is the reason behind the fall out between Kaz and Maimoona? These are questions I will leave for the audience to find out upon watching the film.
The film was shot in London and the Pakistani ambience were sets and not the country in itself. The sets were indeed remarkable for not once did the audience realise that the film wasn’t shot in Pakistan.
Shahbana Azmi as Aisha Khan played the role of Kaz’s mother. She is very involved in brainwashing her son on how he should only marry a muslim. And in stressing that she can be held responsible for her son’s unhappiness and broken marriage. The episode is very much focused on how desi parents think. They endorse their mindset on their children, thereby unintentionally making their children suffer and bear the brunt of their decisions.
On the whole, a great experience! The film judged by the Pakistani standards was excellent. Hats off to the entire cast and crew for coming up with a bold and realistic film! A great watch! So grab your tickets before they run out!
