By Ben Wheeler
It’s always refreshing to see something different and original make its way on to the big screen amongst the latest Hollywood and Bollywood big-budget franchise instalments. It was therefore with great joy that amongst the listings for February I spied Sanjane Koneshamoorthy’s Arranged Love arriving in cinemas across the Fiji Islands.
This genre-bending dramatic romcom of cosmic proportions had significant creative input from Fiji’s own Rah Sharma, who served as director of photography and in a recent interview singled out compatriot Sharleen Cornish as an essential part of his camera unit.
The story is as old as time and so, fittingly, is introduced by the gods who look upon humanity with benign bemusement as a love triangle unfolds across time and space (well, Brisbane), gradually colouring our understanding of the players and their motivations.
Merunasri (Fatema Khan) is professionally successful but yearns for romance and creativity; into her orbit comes handsome, romantic Rizwan (Aurnab As-Saber) and shy, dependable dentist Dhaventhiran (Atharv Kolhatkar).
Of course, Merunasri’s parents have their preference, but does our heroine’s heart lie elsewhere? You’ll have to watch to find out, as the narrative weaves in and out of their lives with wit and charm and twists and turns that will keep you smiling and laughing while perched on the edge of your seat.
There is something particularly authentic about the way that Arranged Love approaches its subject matter, an appealing subversion of genre mainstays that have become at best repetitive, at worst problematic. This is a delicate balancing act – we don’t necessarily go to the cinema for a dose of realism, but for escape after all – but Koneshamoorthy leans into some tropes for comedic effect, and a narrative framing device that sees the Hindu god Ganesh – male and female voices mixed to extraordinary effect – punctuates the action lifting the film into the realms of the fantastic.
Khan, Al-Saber and Kolhatkar are excellent in their roles as the emotional core, the suave smooth talker and the nice guy, and you really get the impression that they connect with the material and each other in the right way. The supporting cast that includes Ming Yang Lim, Mathew Swift, Christopher Chelliah, Jacqueline Michael, Lark Lee, Sam Liddell, Tonia Renee Hammerich, Pria Shiam, Georgia Kidd, Richard Rajasekar, Kamal Kaur and Matt Young, gives the film a multicultural melting pot vibe that both Aussie and Fijian audiences will surely respond to.
The whole story is underpinned by a sublime score by Beven Elankumaran, with the beautiful song Only For You (co-written by Koneshamoorthy) at its heart, and further elevated by sumptuous cinematography from Sharma, Cornish and team.
Arranged Love is a real treat, simultaneously fun and thought-provoking, and deserves to be seen on the big screen for its theatrical release.
So, grab your friends, grab your popcorn and get to the cinema!
Arranged Love will be screening in cinemas across Fiji from 21st February.
