‘What’s Love Got to Do with It?’Everything or Maybe Nothing at All.

‘What’s Love Got to Do with It?’ an award-winning crosscultural comedy starring Lily James and Pakistani actress Sajal Ali, nally hit UK theatres on the 24 February.

e comedy is said to be inspired by writer and SOAS Alumni Jemina Khan’s own experiences when she moved to Pakistan a er her marriage. Directed by Shekhar Kapur, the movie stars Lily James as Zoe and Shazad Latif as Kazim, better referred to as ‘Kaz’.

Zoe is a successful documentary lmmaker who embodies the “modern” independent woman. Meanwhile, Kaz, the boy next door, is every Asian parent’s dream - a doctor. So when Kaz decides he wants to get an arranged marriage, Zoe sees it as an opportunity for her next project and convinces him to allow her to lm the journey. Zoe follows Kaz as he has a humorous encounter with the matchmaker and then is introduced to Maymouna, an aspiring civil rights lawyer in Pakistan. is process provides insight into the bustling Pakistani environment and lively wedding scene.

is rom-com is an excellent example of British humour. ere is a show of Pakistani comic references in the form of Asim Chaudhry as the matchmaker and Kaz’s grandmother. Zoe’s mother, Cath (Emma ompson), is a source of laughter as she deepens her knowledge of Pakistani culture through her interactions with Kaz’s family. Cath, unlike her daughter, immerses herself in participating and admiring the culture of her neighbours. e movie refers to topics that are less lighthearted in tone. Beautifully done, the lm explores identity in a scene where Kaz is forced to explain to Zoe that “Britishborn” is not the same as “British” and explains the impact of Islamophobia in the media. In various instances, Kaz attempts to explain cultural distinctions to a ba ed Zoe, who cannot grasp the signi cance of these di erences. ere is no clear response as to what the lm is seeking to emphasise about arranged marriages. However, it implies that they are not as terrible as some people may believe. Like love marriages, there are examples of both failures and successes, indicating that it is not the type of marriage that de nes its happiness, but the people in it.