What’s Love Got to Do with It? movie storyline. How do you find lasting love in today’s world? For documentary-maker and dating app addict Zoe (Lily James), swiping right has only delivered an endless stream of Mr. Wrongs to her eccentric mother Cath’s (Emma Thompson) dismay.
For Zoe’s childhood friend and neighbor Kaz (Shazad Latif), the answer is to follow his parents’ example and opt for an arranged (or “assisted”) marriage to a bright and beautiful bride from Pakistan. As Zoe films his hopeful journey from London to Lahore to marry a stranger chosen by his parents, she begins to wonder if she might have something to learn from a profoundly different approach to finding love.
What’s Love Got to Do with It? is a 2022 British romantic comedy film directed by Shekhar Kapur, from a screenplay by Jemima Khan. The film stars Lily James, Shazad Latif, Shabana Azmi, Emma Thompson, Sajal Ali, Oliver Chris, Asim Chaudhry, Jeff Mirza, Alice Orr-Ewing and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.
What’s Love Got to Do with It? premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2022, and, at the Rome Film Fest the following month, won Best Comedy (the Ugo Tognazzi award). It was nominated for 9 awards at the 2023 National Film Awards, winning 4 awards: Best Screenplay, Best British Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor. It was released in the United Kingdom on February 24, 2023 by StudioCanal to positive reviews.
About the Story
Set between London and Lahore, a filmmaker Zoe Stevenson, documents her childhood friend and neighbor Kazim “Kaz” Khan’s arranged marriage to a bride from Pakistan.
Adamant on getting married in an arranged setting to keep his parents happy, Kaz insists that such kind of marriages do work out, when questioned by Zoe. Eventually, a Muslim ‘matchmaker’ Mo, sets up a Skype call between Kaz and Maymouna, a girl from Pakistan. Kaz likes the girl, but she seems to be hesitant.
Eventually both Kaz and Maymouna’s family agree to marry their kids, and Kaz prepares to go to Lahore. Zoe, documenting the entire process from start to end follows them to Pakistan, and learns more about Pakistani culture and traditions along the way. She is constantly nagged by her mother for failing to find a suitable guy for herself, and so through this trip she hopes to learn more about whether someone chosen by her parents could work.
In Pakistan, Kaz is getting ready for his wedding and is constantly interviewed by Zoe about intricate details of his feelings towards the girl and the marriage. Kaz is determined that if he keeps a positive attitude, the wedding would work out. However, on the inside he seems to have his doubts too. Zoe mentions their first kiss in a treehouse behind their homes and he instead bashes her for failing to find someone because she is too focused on finding the perfect person, and doesn’t allow anyone to get close to her.
On the henna night, Kaz observes Maymouna smoking marijuana and dancing all over the floor, and realises she is not the girl he was expecting her to be. He leaves the event with Zoe in frustration and stumbles upon a qawwali performance in the inner streets of Old Lahore.
As Kaz explains to Zoe what the qawwal is singing about, he realises that his ideas of love align with Zoe too, and that he has chosen to ignore them. On return, both Kaz and Zoe try to explain their feelings to each other, but cannot seem to do so.
Kaz gets married to Maymouna on the next day, and Zoe witnesses an emotional rukhsati. On return to London, she finally gets done with her film and the Khan family is invited to the premiere of the rough cut. On the same night, Zoe’s boyfriend breaks up with her because he thinks she is in love with Kaz and he’s just a Plan B for her.
Zoe gets angry at her mother for setting her up with the guy in the first place, and accuses her of judging Zoe for her choices. Her movie ends up annoying the Khan family for invading their privacy and gets rejected by her supervisors due to it having been filmed through a ‘white lens’. However, Maymouna loves it and tells Zoe it is beautiful.
What’s Love Got to Do with It? (2023)
Directed by: Shekhar Kapur
Starring: Lily James, Shazad Latif, Shabana Azmi, Emma Thompson, Sajal Ali, Oliver Chris, Asim Chaudhry, Jeff Mirza, Alice Orr-Ewing, Iman Boujelouah, Pakiza Baig, Shahid Khan
Screenplay by: Jemima Khan
Cinematography by: Remi Adefarasin
Film Editing by: Guy Bensley, Nick Moore
Costume Design by: Caroline McCall
Set Decoration by: Annie Gilhooly, Sarah Whittle
Art Direction by: Tom Coates, Andrew Rothschild, Chris Stephenson
Music by: Nitin Sawhney
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for strong language including a sexual reference, some suggestive material and brief drug material.
Distributed by: StudioCanal, Shout! Studios
Release Date: September 10, 2022 (TIFF), February 24, 2023 (United Kingdom), May 5, 2023 (United States)
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