Shekhar Kapur on Working With Lily James: ‘We Were Sharing WhatsApp Messages About the True Nature of Intimacy, the True Nature of Love’ (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

Naman Ramachandran After exploring a multitude of genres, renowned filmmaker Shekhar Kapur (“Bandit Queen,” “Elizabeth”) has turned his hand to a romantic comedy with Working Title/Studiocanal production “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” The film follows documentary-maker and dating app addict Zoe (Lily James), for whom 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 bride from Pakistan (Sajal Aly).

As Zoe films Kaz’s 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.

Kapur says that it is the character of Zoe that drew him to the project and the fact that dating apps have provided “true power for women” but also cause confusion at times. “If you’re getting addicted to dating apps like the main character played by Lily James – what is she looking for?” asks Kapur.