What’s Love Got to Do with It? trailer: Lily James and Shazad Latif star in a romance about arranged marriage and forbidden desires

In Shekhar Kapur’s What’s Love Got to Do with It? trailer, Lily James and Shazad Latif document the journey of an assisted marriage.

Last Updated on November 21, 2023

Arranged marriage is a foreign concept to many, though it’s a proud tradition in other parts of the world. Sharing a life with someone you’ve never met can be scary, but it can also lead to true love. In today’s What’s Love Got to Do with It? trailer, Zoe (Lily James) and Kazim (Shazad Latif) document Kazim’s journey from bachelor to husband-to-be after his parents arrange for him to marry a stranger. As Lily follows her best friend’s assisted marriage, she learns more about his Pakistani heritage, her attitude toward relationships, and the feelings she’s been keeping hidden from others.

Award-winning filmmaker Shekhar Kapur (Elizabeth) directs from a script written and produced by Jemina Khan (Impeachment: American Crime Story). What’s Love Got to Do with It? stars Lily James (Pam & Tommy), Shazad Latif (Star Trek: Discovery), Shabana Azmi (Halo), Academy Award and BAFTA winner Emma Thompson (Matilda), Sajal Aly (Yakeen Ka Safar), Asim Chaudhry (Black Mirror: Bandersnatch), Jeff Mirza (Eternals) and Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan as himself.

What's Love Got to Do with It?, StudioCanal, Lily James, Shazad Latif

Here’s the official synopsis for What’s Love Got to Do with It? from Shout! Studios:

How do you find lasting love in today’s world? For documentary-maker and dating app addict Zoe (Lily James), 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 bright and beautiful bride from Pakistan. As Zoe films his hopeful 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.

What's Love Got to Do with It?, StudioCanal, Lily James, Shazad Latif

Today’s What’s Love Got to Do with It? trailer presents a heartwarming cross-cultural comedy. The film has enchanted audiences worldwide since premiering at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival and winning Best Comedy at the 2022 Rome Film Festival.

Love exists in many forms and can crop up in unlikely places. I’ve seen assisted marriages flourish, and I like the idea of a movie reminding people to broaden their horizons and embrace different cultures and traditions. If it’s consensual, go for it and give love a chance!

What’s Love Got to Do with It? arrives in theaters nationwide on May 5, 2023.

What's Love Got to Do with It?, poster StudioCanal, Lily James
Source: Shout! Studios

About the Author

Born and raised in New York, then immigrated to Canada, Steve Seigh has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. He started with Ink & Pixel, a column celebrating the magic and evolution of animation, before launching the companion YouTube series Animation Movies Revisited. He's also the host of the Talking Comics Podcast, a personality-driven audio show focusing on comic books, film, music, and more. You'll rarely catch him without headphones on his head and pancakes on his breath.