Two desperate Indian mothers, two very different lesbian daughters, one determined matchmaker. Love is only one charade away
Indian Delights - a salon in London where Indian women compare blow drys and the holy grail - whose child is next to get married. Pinky, the owner, has an uncanny ability to match the young men and women of the local South Asian community. But when Sonam needs a match for her daughter Deepa, Pinky is thrown. Why? Well, Deepa’s gay… Pinky accepts the challenge but struggles to find a match - until Lata offers up her daughter. Radhika has no interest in a set up, but is pushed to meet Deepa - it’s sexy biker girl meets demure homebody, with entire families in tow.
Still, Deepa’s humour draws Radhika in - except Radhika made a previous escape plan with a blonde on a motorbike…leaving Deepa mortified. Both mothers seek refunds from Pinky and that might have been it - but Radhika offers dinner to apologise for her behaviour that night…
Reluctantly, Deepa accepts. They get each other’s humour and Deepa’s impressed by Radhika’s talent as an artist - but Deepa hates the nightlife Radhika loves, and Radhika’s repelled by Deepa’s dreams of babies. But Radhika is under pressure from her family to settle down, or join her dad’s business in India. The young women agree to pretend to date, to buy Radhika time.
So - Radhika brings flowers. They go to each other’s family dinners. And Deepa’s family is invited to a family event in Mumbai…Deepa agrees to one last charade. And although Deepa deepens her friendship with Radhika, at the big party, chaos descends. As Pinky arranges damage control and Radhika gets an inadvertently drunk Deepa to her room - where despite a moment of intimacy, Radhika does the right thing.
Next morning, Deepa’s humiliated. Radhika uncovers truths Deepa doesn’t want to face and Deepa calls Radhika out on being a rebel without a cause. Radhika shuts herself away until her father forces her to face the true obstacles in his daughter’s way. But Pinky has bowed to pressure from a heart-broken Deepa to arrange a new union, fast, with an Indian doctor who needs a British visa…
With Deepa’s wedding just a day away, time is short for Radhika to win Deepa back. But Deepa hasn’t forgotten the hurt she’s endured and Radhika will have to prove she’s turned over a new leaf to win back the girl she was in love with all along.
Writer and director Shamim Sarif is an award-winning novelist, screenwriter, feature film director, and director for premium series, including the latest season of YOU for Netflix/Warner. Shamim’s latest feature film as a writer/director and co-producer, Polarized, debuted at Berlin’s EFM in Feb 2023 and won the Audience Award at the Canadian Film Festival in April 2023. Her latest books, The Athena Protocol and The Shadow Mission, (HarperCollins), are action thrillers focused on a team of undercover women agents working privately for their own brand of justice. Her previous features as writer/director include Despite the Falling Snow, starring Rebecca Ferguson and Charles Dance. The film garnered 13 awards. Her first feature film as writer/director, ‘I Can’t Think Straight’ debuted at Palm Springs Film Festival and won 11 awards. Her follow up movie ‘The World Unseen’ debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival before garnering 23 awards internationally. She is currently lead director on a new Netflix show FINDING HER EDGE, Other series directing credits include You (Netflix), Sort Of (HBO Max), The Way Home, SkyMed(Paramount+), Moonshine (eOne) and Diggstown (CBC/Fox) Shamim is of South Asian descent and identifies as LGBTQIA+. Her work has always focused on diversity, feminism, social impact and humanism. An accomplished speaker, Shamim has spoken at TED events worldwide, at the INK Conference in India and DLD in Munich.
Producer - Hanan Kattan
Director - Shamim Sarif
