It’s fun to see a director known for a particular kind of film try something new. At the premiere for his film What’s Love Got To Do With It, Shekhar Kapur, best known for Elizabeth, joked about how he responded to being told that he doesn’t do rom-coms: “Watch me.” His latest is a joyous celebration of culture and heritage and the way they can serve to both unite and divide, offering many genuine laughs and some heartfelt commentary on what it means to stay true to family…
The setup is one that almost seems too simple: Kazim (Shazad Latif) and Zoe (Lily James) grew up living next door to each other. Kazim is a doctor and Zoe is a documentarian, and their parents are pressuring them both to get married. Zoe is surprised when Kazim tells her that he had opted for what he refers to as an “assisted” marriage (a modern term for arranged), and Zoe decides to pitch that concept to her finders as her latest project. With Zoe right there to watch as Kazim is set up with someone he has never met and then prepare to “walk into love” together, how can a romance between the two of them not develop?
However expected the ultimate ending of this film might be, the journey to get there is worth it. There is a great deal of insight offered about what values Kazim holds to related to his Muslim heritage, with entertaining commentary about the things he hides from his parents as well as the distinctions he makes clear to Zoe. He’s not an outright rebel, but as he semi-jokes, he does have to conted with leaving hours early for flights so he can be “randomly searched”.
This film has a truly endearing energy, and Kapur’s loving touch comes through in every scene. Hearing him introduce each member of his team at the film’s TIFF premiere, with adoring details about each producer or cast member, it’s easy to see why everyone likes working with him, including Shabana Azmi, with whom Kapur last collaborated nearly forty years ago on Masoom and here plays Kazim’s mother. Emma Thompson is also hilarious as Zoe’s overbearing mother, who gives Zoe’s CV to her vet in her own matchmaking effort. Latif and James are both superb, and this film is a sincere pleasure. B+
What’s Love Got To Do With It is screening as a Gala Presentation at TIFF and will be released in UK cinemas in January.