Sajal Aly’s upcoming film “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” is one of 2023’s most anticipated films. Hollywood stars Lily James and Emma Thompson star alongside Sajal Aly in the movie which boasts a script written by Jemima Khan. The film is about a filmmaker who decides to record his best friend’s arranged marriage.
Sajal was also asked about a scene in the film where the male lead speaks to Zoe (played by Lily James) of the pressures of being brown and belonging to a different religion in Britain. Aly responded by discussing how brown women are pressurized by their families to get married.
“A lot of what we explored in the film was the pressure brown women and men have to face to get married, no matter what. A lot of Pakistanis, and thousands of South Asian women would relate to my character. She’s the face of a lot of Pakistani and Asian girls and women out there. But the good part is that by the end of the film, she will have the courage to tell the family and her husband ‘no’,” the actor said during an interview with CNN News 18.
Sajal Aly also said that women face a lot of pressure to keep working on their marriages, regardless of their own happiness. She said that no woman should be forced to remain in a loveless marriage.
“If a marriage is not working out for both of you, then just part ways in a good way. You can still be friends, you know. So the way our society keeps pressurizing women to keep making adjustments and remain in loveless marriages, that’s not right. You should never stop living your life but by doing that you’ll stop living,” she opined.
Aly further emphasized that brown women are consistently told that marriage is suppose to the central purpose of their lives, when women should never stop dreaming or achieving their goals.
“Marriage is a beautiful relationship, but don’t make your life all about it. Make it a part of it, but not all of it. Because there is so much to see in your life. But we remain steadfast around this concept and then we keep following the same routine: marriage, babies, repeat. That too is okay. But women should never stop living and never stop dreaming.”
The journalist also asked her about the rise in strong female characters on the Pakistani entertainment screen, and Aly responded by saying that their goal was to empower women and girls through their art.
“A lot of Pakistani women are actors and producers and we are actively fighting for it. We try to kind of, empower our girls and women through the art as well,” she said.
“A lot of Pakistani women are actors and producers and we are actively fighting for it. We try to kind of, empower our girls and women through the art as well.”
You can watch the full interview below:
