Arranged marriage isn't such a thing of the past: Shabana Azmi on new film

London: A new film shot in London which releases in India on Friday will make audiences think a little deeper about arranged marriages and how they aren’t necessarily a thing of the past, says award-winning actor Shabana Azmi who plays a key character in the romantic comedy.

"What's Love Got to Do with It?", which is directed by Shekhar Kapur, revolves around the concept of “assisted marriage” and is scripted by British writer-producer Jemima Khan based on her own experiences of life in Pakistan as the ex-wife of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan. Azmi plays the character of Aisha, a London-based mother of the film’s male lead who seeks assistance to arrange his marriage.

"Firstly, this isn't an arranged marriage in the traditional sense as we understand it. It's more like an assisted marriage, which is basically to assist the couple to meet and then it would actually depend on their choice,” Azmi told PTI in an interview here.

“Now, this has been looked upon traditionally as a very unprogressive thing to do and I think what the film is trying to say is, maybe we need to look a little deeper and see if we can find some elements that we have missed. It doesn't poke fun but just looks at it in a very affectionate kind of way and I think that's the success of the script,” she said.

The film, which has been playing in UK cinemas since last week, has attracted praise for its light-hearted cross-cultural take on relationships. In contrast to Azmi’s traditional 'desi' mother is well-known actor Emma Thompson as a more quirky British mother of the film’s female lead, played by Lily James.

“Emma is somebody I've admired so much, not just for her acting but also for her human rights work. So, I was ready to be in awe of her, but she demolished that in one second. She was warm, and funny, and generous, and I hope I'm not speaking out of turn if I say that, in Emma, I found a friend for life,” recalls Azmi.

For a film that was shot in London during the COVID pandemic lockdown, the actor recalls the trepidation with which the project was approached by all. But eventually, it turned out to be a fun-packed shoot which was wrapped up by Shekhar Kapur in record time.

“We adhered to a very strict protocol, of course, because we knew the stakes were so against us. But it just happened, and we had a lot of fun along the way,” she said.

On being reunited with the director behind her 1980s hit ‘Masoom’, she adds: “I felt as if there had never been a gap. The success of Shekhar as a director is that he makes his actors feel that it's a collaborative effort between the director and the actor.” Azmi is now finishing the shoot for the second season of the Paramount series ‘Halo’, in which she plays Admiral Margaret Parangosky – a character she describes as a triumph of colour blind casting.

“For a long time, Asian actors have been saying we need colour-blind casting. Why do actors have to be limited by their ethnicity? And ‘Halo’ is doing that in a very big way. So, although I'm playing Admiral Parangosky, I'm not asked to put on an accent, I don't have blonde hair, I speak exactly the way I am,” says Azmi.

The actor has a mixed bag of releases lined up for the year, with Karan Johar’s "Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani" and R. Balki’s "Ghoomar". Meanwhile, Azmi is excited to see what Indian audiences make of "What's Love Got to Do with It?" and its humorous take on assisted marriages. PTI AK BK BK