Picture This Movie Review: Simone Ashley's rom-com is blurry than focused

Whenever the West decides to ‘represent’ the non-resident Indian community on screen, Indians instinctively reach for a pinch of salt—sometimes, a whole fistful. There are only two ways to react: either be mildly pleased that we made it into the film at all or groan at how they have managed to get everything wrong, despite clinging to every possible stereotype. For a change, Prime Video’s latest British rom-com, Picture This, mostly steers clear of the usual clichés when it comes to Indian representation. At first, the film sets up an intriguing premise, stacking conflict after conflict onto our protagonist Pia’s (Simone Ashley) already overloaded plate. But just when things seem promising, it takes the most predictable route to resolution. In the end, what could have been a refreshing take on the genre settles for being just another rom-com, serviceable at best.

Director: Prarthana Mohan

Cast: Simone Ashley, Anoushka Chadha, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Anoushka Chadha, Sindhu Vee

In Picture This, Pia’s dream photography studio is drowning in debt, and her only lifeline? Marriage—purely for her mother’s wedding jewellery, which she plans to pawn. Just as she juggles her sister’s wedding and a series of family-arranged meetings with prospective grooms, an oracle declares she’ll meet her soulmate in five dates. As if that’s not enough, her childhood love returns, stirring up old feelings. The film piles on conflicts in a chaotic tangle, with comedy sprinkled throughout.

Though undeniably anglicised, Pia is still a breath of fresh air when it comes to NRI representation. Yes, she’s ambitious, but not because her mother drilled it into her head that academic excellence is the only path to salvation. Yes, her parents push marriage as the ultimate goal in life, but at least they’re open to whoever she chooses as a partner. Perhaps the one stereotype that they accidentally got right was the gay best friend. Jay (Luke Fetherston), Pia’s ride-or-die, who even introduces himself as the “gay bestie,” eventually feels like a tired trope. But thanks to Fetherston’s natural charm and his easygoing chemistry with Simone Ashley, Jay ends up being one of the film’s more enjoyable characters—so much so that you wish he had more to do than just dispense advice and be fabulous in the background.

When it comes to humour, Picture This evokes plenty of laughter, but there are many moments where it is simply met with silence. For instance, there is the astrologer who predicts Pia’s fate based on her 'janampatri' (horoscope), with the film throwing in a fair bit of playful mockery toward Indian beliefs. But to its credit, the humour here is self-aware—it knows when it’s toeing the line between satire and stereotyping, even if it occasionally stumbles out of place.

In the end, despite its efforts, Picture This fails to leave a lasting impression. When Pia finally gets her happy ending, we don’t feel relieved or overjoyed—because, frankly, we were never given enough reason to root for the couple in the first place. Her problems magically resolve themselves with quick fixes that could have happened at any point in the film, making the whole journey feel unnecessary. We’re told Pia is inspired by her Nani (maternal grandmother), but the film never bothers to explain how or why. And as for Charlie (Hero Fiennes Tiffin), Pia's childhood love? Beyond looking effortlessly charming, there’s little to him. He’s just another idealised love interest, with no real personality. Their story isn't even narrated through a flashback for their history to feel lived-in. Ultimately, the film feels rushed, leaving us with a rom-com that’s watchable, but forgettable as well. And for that, Picture This, a film that sets up an interesting frame, is left out of focus.