CAST: Lily James, Shazad Latif, Sajal Aly, Emma Thompson, Shabana Azmi, Asim Chaudhry, Taj Atwal, Mim Shaikh, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Sindhu Vee, Oliver Chris, Jeff Mirza

DIRECTOR: Shekhar Kapur

Produced by Jemima Khan (nee Goldsmith) (No one should mention the very forgettable exes they had) and written by her too – this is a multi-cultural rom-com that does not go beyond the surface but does tell a slice of the life story of how the expectations of families may sometimes clash with the lives their children choose for themselves.

Kaz ( Shazad Latif) is a doctor born to a conservative Pakistani Muslim family. Being born in London does not make him feel British enough because of how he struggles to make his dual identity his own. His parents ( Shabana Azmi, and Jeff Mirza) are as conservative as they can get- even giving up on their daughter when she chooses to marry a white guy.

Their ideas about the kind of girl their son needs to marry are evident to their obedient son when they visit Mo,, the matchmaker ( clearly one of the best characters in the movie), played perfectly by Asim Chaudhry, as they try to define the kind of daughter in law they would want. Not very vocal, or extremely focused on her career. Demure and not very dark-skinned. Some of the criteria Kaz’s parents roll out will make you definitely roll your eyes, but Kaz, though a bit uncomfortable with the expectations, goes ahead with them.

Because nice Muslim boys must.

WATCH REVIEW

Recording all of this is his childhood friend Zoe ( Lily James), who has been their neighbor, living with her mother Cath( Emma Thompson), for a documentary on “assisted marriages” she has promised her two bosses. Having grown up with Kaz, Zoe is aware of his family’s expectations but questions his propensity not to be true to his feelings.

Kaz’s mother sets up for him a Skype call with a girl in Lahore called Maimoona ( Sajal Aly), and lo and behold, Zoe, is told that Kaz is already engaged.

Then starts this realization between Kaz and Zoe that they may have feelings for each other, and as the families travel to Lahore for the wedding, neither Zoe nor Kaz vocalizes the evident.

Kaz marries Maimoona, and Zoe moves on with a Vet ( Oliver Chris)with a sense of humor.

We are not going to reveal what happens next in the movie because, for that, you must watch it.

There is nothing new in a movie about love. Still, there are subtexts in the movie about being brown in the UK, the Muslim community and the family’s inability to reinvent itself, the frustration of identity crises every brown person born outside of brownland has, and the familial systems that are so supportive yet embedded in your life and decisions.

Shekhar Kapoor expertly tells a story that does not dwell deep into these issues but keeps its focus on the evolution of the relationship between the characters. The movie fleetingly questions the characters’ choice of life for themselves, but it is very clear that the movie’s objective is not to be serious but to rejoice in the humor such situations bring.

Shazad Latif is great as Kaz. His chemistry with Lily James does not burn the screen but instead makes you comfortable for what is to come of their relationship.

Parts shot in Pakistan are dark-hued and less colorful than the sub-continent normally is. A token appearance of Sufi singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is a blink-and-miss of a song in a movie that otherwise disappoints in terms of hummable tracks. Would have loved for Shekhar Kapur to experiment with the abundance of desi independent musicians splattered across India, Pakistan, the UK, and the US – who train across genres and languages and produce some real musical gems.

Sajal Aly looks taken by surprise in some scenes, and the editing in those scenes of what transpires between the couple is somewhat missing in translation.

Emma Thompson’s character is somewhat too excited about the Asian customs that it seems she just woke up to reality instead of having lived with the neighbor’s food and customs for decades.

What really works for What’s Love got to do with it is its family dynamics. There was a certain multicultural rom-com missing this year, and this movie fills the gap nicely.

Watch it in theaters in North America from May 5.