“What’s love got to do with it?” is called in by Jemima Khan. The high point of her journey
In addition to being Jemima Khan’s “love letter” to Pakistan, What’s Love Got to Do with It? is also a celebration of the collaboration of artists from all nations and cultures. There was, of course, a special screening for her kids Sulaiman and Kasim, and their response made the entire ordeal worthwhile for the English filmmaker, even though we might have to wait a bit to get our hands on the tickets.
She explained to Geo News why their acceptance meant so much to her in an interview. “The best part of my entire experience has without a doubt been seeing their response. They are my worst critics because they don’t enjoy romantic comedies and don’t watch those kinds of movies. They are obviously Muslim children from Pakistan, so whether or not they approved of it was quite important to her, she added.
“I brought them in to see it, and I could see them becoming a little teary towards the end. They were saying, “Amma, we’re very proud of you,” and I also overheard them laughing, she continued, adding that they were aware of how hard she had worked on the film. I actually said to myself, “Oh well, this is the time to be proud of if no one loves it”.
Khan also discussed her motivation for undertaking this initiative. “I decided to take it on as a personal challenge, and I also wanted to make a movie that honoured Pakistan. In contrast to the Pakistan that we frequently see on Western televisions, I wanted to depict the vibrant, lovely, and joyous land that I know when I was in Pakistan. She spoke. The director cited Zero Dark Thirty and Homeland as instances of films where Muslims and Pakistanis are portrayed as “the baddies” and Pakistan is described as “a really horrible, dark place.”
She highlighted why Pakistan holds a special place in her heart and that she wanted to showcase and celebrate it. “I’ve hoped from the start that it will be read as my love letter to Pakistan, the country where I feel like I was raised. I went there when I was 20 years old, I left when I was 30, and I feel like it somehow shaped who I am today. I have a great deal of love for the nation, a large number of Pakistani friends, and I continue to receive a lot of support from Pakistan. I’m very fortunate and appreciative of it, and I sincerely hope Pakistanis like it,” she continued.
Khan narrated the entire story, every character, and every line even though it wasn’t a biopic. “It is unquestionably based on things I witnessed or encountered, and it also reflects my path and my knowledge of what an arranged marriage is.” She compared the woman who relocated to Pakistan to the one who left, claiming that there had been a significant change in her way of thinking.
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