With the resurgence of romantic comedies and the growing presence of South Asian talent in global cinema, ‘Picture This’ is set to bring a fresh perspective to the genre. Directed byPrarthana Mohanand penned byNikita Lalwani, the film offers a vibrant, heartfelt, and humorous take on love, family, and identity—centred around an Indian wedding that defies the usual tropes.
In an exclusive conversation with ETimes, Mohan and Lalwani discuss their inspirations and the importance of nuanced South Asian representation, and they also dive into the film’s casting choices, the evolution of rom-coms, and the excitement of bringing actors likeSimone AshleyandHero Fiennes Tiffininto roles that challenge expectations.
Excerpts:
Picture This was such a refreshing and vibrant rom-com. What drew you to this project, and why did you choose to tell this story through the rom-com genre?
Prarthana: I think rom-coms are definitely making a comeback, which makes me very happy. I watched my fair share of it, but never got to see anybody that looked like me in it. I think the script was funny and there’s also a lot of interest around Indian weddings right now. Nikita’s script was so interesting and funny and it came from such a different point of view. The characters were lovable and they were also like the families I had grown up around. I thought that so much of the representation of this family was so non-traditional, while still having some of those really interesting quirks of us being Indian.
Nikita: I think that there’s so much that can happen in this genre and I was excited to do an exploded rom-com where you’re in the world of an Indian family, but all is not as it seems. You may be interested in love, but not necessarily in marriage, or you may want to be close to your family, but they drive you crazy. I think rom-coms at the moment is just so exciting, unconventional and diverse, that it is the perfect time to sort of realign some of those tropes.
ack in the Bend It Like Beckham era, there was a strong focus on the ‘ABCD’ (American-Born Confused Desi) narrative, offering characters that many from the diaspora could relate to. Did you see yourselves reflected in that wave of storytelling?
Prarthana: For me, Banded Like Beckham was very formative. I remember watching it so many times and thinking how it gave such an interesting window into British-Americans and the similarities. I also remember thinking that they’re so much more conservative than my family in India. It gave you a lens into the Indian diaspora and how they live in different countries and now that I don’t live in India anymore I see how different it is over there as well.
But when we made this, we wanted to make something that felt more modern and represented the way I think South Asian families are today. Of course, it’s not universal, and not everybody’s like this, but I think we don’t get to see a family like this. I know moms like Lakshmi who are traditional, but they have spunk and spark. They are go-getters and are funny and quirky. We don’t often get to see that on screen. Our moms are depicted in a very particular way and we really wanted to show two different sides of how Indian women can be.
Nikita: I think that for me, the kind of mischief that you see at play in, say, the British showGoodness Gracious Me, where you can poke fun at yourself and your own family, but also at the white community around you and how they interact with you or each other. That kind of confidence emerging in a generation is what I think you’re seeing in Picture This.
You’ve got a third generation emerging who have their own ideas about identity, about race, about sexuality, about all kinds of things. And they’ve got their own way of being. And it’s really delightful and exciting to see that sense of agency and that sense of movement and the desire to own your own fate.
Nikkita, since you wrote this film, can you share if you have any Indian film inspiration?
Nikita: I grew up on a lot of Hindi and Indian cinema. Everything fromSatyajit Rayto the ’80s Bollywood films like Aashiqui and Dil He Juman Tanehi. I love that sort of era of ’80s and ’90s, but I also really loved the films ofMeera Nair.
Prarthana, can you share insights into the casting process? You have two very strong lead actresses, Simone Fresh out of Bridgerton and Sidhu, who played Simone’s mom inSex Education. Was there any reason behind this casting, considering fans will be quick to draw comparisons between the shows?
Prarthana: Casting was a big part of this film. We wanted to find the right pieces that really would work. I think Simone brought a lot to the film. It’s also her doing a rom-com for the first time, so it was really exciting to see her sort of step into that genre. Then, we really wanted to build the right pieces around her. In my wish list of actors, Sidhu was top for mom because she’s so funny and she embodied the role we were going for – very traditional, but not stuck in her ways. There is also an element of her being modern as she became independent, not by choice, but by necessity. I think we know a lot of women like that.
But then we have all these other leads as well. And every single one, we thought a lot about it. And we were so excited when we actually got the folks we wanted, which was really exciting. So we were able to build this really fun ensemble cast around Simone.
Nikita: Mukesh is also playing a character who is contrary to expectations. His last role in Starstruck was that being a kind ofHollywoodromantic lead. And he’s playing something much more subtle and awkward.
How did Hero come on board for this role as the male lead?
Prarthana: This is a rom-com, so we want to go after somebody who really will get the audience excited, and he also wanted to do something that’s so different from what he’s done in the past. He brought so much sensitivity to this character and was so great to work with. Seeing Simone and Hero together was really fun and they make a great pair.
Nikita: The fact that there can be so much romantic and sexual tension that turns up in the film is amazing. And I think that Simone did a great job in having that with so many different of her dates, and with her best friend as well.

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