What Love Got To With It?

What's love got to do with it? portrays India that is rarely seen on screen, an India of seemingly-westernized individuals grappling with the expectations of a traditional society. The conflict in this film is not overt, with parents bullying hapless young adults into marriage. Instead it is a subtle and insidious conflict, with parents rationally convincing their globe-trotting offspring into submission. It is a dynamic that erodes the individuals sense of self and reinforces gender, caste and class stereotypes. As the story unfolds we understand what compels these upwardly mobile individuals to choose their spouses as they would choose their next car: comparing and analyzing the various features. We see the unashamedly practical approach, where money and status are paramount. Through intimate conversations with young individuals and their parents, the film portrays a society in flux... the cost of which is often borne by young people whose individuality and aspirations are dismissed in the quest for societal acceptance. Shot in Mumbai and Pune, the film portrays characters who are intelligent and self-aware. Whether it is a US-educated woman who runs her own business, or a silicon valley returned venture capitalist with one failed arranged marriage behind him how do these individuals reconcile themselves to this very practical approach to marriage? An insightful and entertaining film, What's Love got to do with it? captures the undercurrents and strains that drive decision-making, that make the celebration of two people coming together into an accomplishment for the entire family.