I'm a sucker for the best rom-com movies out there, and now Picture This (which is being released for those with an Amazon prime subscription) has joined that list for me. One of the best moments in the film was the ending scene: a classic Bollywood dance that we see in almost any movie regarding South Asian culture. Director Prarthana Mohan gave me the best behind-the-scenes story as to how it came to life.
Prior to the Picture This premiere on Amazon Prime as part of the 2025 movie schedule, I had the chance to chat with the director about how she brought her vision for the trending film to life. When asked about the dance at the end, Mohan commented that it's really inspired by other Indian wedding movies – as well as her own life:
I mean, you can't have – in my opinion – a wedding movie – an Indian wedding movie – without a lot of dancing. I was very excited to do it. We worked with the choreographer Nika, who, you know, is a dance instructor, but she does choreography for weddings, and that's like a whole thing culturally. We get a choreographer, all of us have to learn the moves and then we kind of compete with either the groom or the bride side, depending on which side you're coming from. It's a real thing. It takes up a lot of time to learn the moves and you're watching it on your phone and all these types of things. So we really wanted to embrace that – that that's a huge part.
South Asian weddings have a reputation for been known to be lengthy and detail-oriented planned affairs, with plenty of guests and lots of dancing. We always see the photos posted online, but Mohan wanted to make an effort to show just how much effort goes into making those iconic Bollywood-style dance sequences that are inspired by real-life weddings:
You'll see snippets of them rehearsing earlier in the film and things like that because that's truly what our weddings are like. And there's no way not to celebrate that, you know? 'Cause for a moment we all feel like Bollywood actors…you know, while we are kind of terrible at it.
This rom-com film been featured in the Top 10 of Amazon Prime after its premiere, seemingly become a big hit for the platform. But I always love to learn about the little things from behind the scenes. The fact that the dance scene is really based on instances in Mohan's life and how weddings actually work adds an instant layer of realism to the dances and makes me love it even more.
Mohan is right about Bollywood's influence on Western culture, and that often leads to dancing. I mean, we even saw a Bollywood dance number in Eternals with the inclusion of Kumail Nanjiani's character. The Eternals’ choreographer expressed being proud of it, too.
While Picture This isn't a Bollywood movie, it certainly embraces Bollywood aspects, and that is just a fun time. Not only does it further embrace South Asian representation in rom-coms, but it's entertaining and enjoyable to all who watch it. Besides, who wouldn't want to see Simone Ashley look amazing in classic South Asian wedding garb while dancing? I want to be up there with them!
If you haven't had the chance to see Picture This, be sure to check it out with an Amazon Prime subscription. You'll love every second of it.
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