Actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu, who works predominantly in Telugu and Tamil film industries, has been roped in for “Arrangements of Love,” directed by BAFTA-winning Welsh director Philip John of “Downton Abbey” fame. The actress, known by just her first name Samantha, will be seen as “a 27-year-old progressive bisexual Tamil woman.”
The film is an adaptation of the bestselling 2004 novel of the same title by Indian author Timeri N. Murari, and is written by John and British Sri Lankan actor Nimmi Harasgama, who played the female lead in Deepa Mehta’s “Funny Boy” and is a series regular on John’s “The Good Karma Hospital.”
“Arrangements of Love” follows a Welsh-Indian man on his quest to find his estranged father with an impromptu visit to his homeland. Samantha’s character, who has her own detective agency and becomes part of the search. She is “a progressive bisexual Tamil woman, with ultra-traditional parents, who want her to have an arranged marriage,” notes Variety. “As much as she wants to please her parents she also wants to be able to make her own life choices.”
The film is produced by Sunitha Tati’s Indian outfit Guru Films, whose 2019 Telugu super hit film “Oh! Baby,” starring Samantha was adapted from the 2014 Korean film “Miss Granny.” Rani told Variety that “having Samantha on board is indeed serendipitous.” Noting their past collaboration, she said the actress “always brings her curiosity and talent to the project. I can already visualize the life that she will breathe into the character. It is a pleasure to work with her again as we explore the international waters together.”
Samir Sarkar, of Singapore’s Magic Hour Films will be the executive producer. Sarkar previously produced Rotterdam winner “Nasir,” Mumbai winner “Jonaki” and Kolkata and Indian National Film Award winner “The False Eye.”
“A whole new world opens up for me today as I start my journey with ‘Arrangements of Love,’ which has such an endearing and personal story,” Samantha told Variety. “I am excited to work with Philip John,” she said, adding that she’s “looking forward” to collaborating with Tati once again. “My role is a complex character and it will be both a challenge and an opportunity for me to play it. I cannot wait to get on set.”
Samantha won much acclaim for her role as an antagonist in the second season of Amazon Prime Video series “Family Man,” which began streaming earlier this year. Active in both the Telugu and Tamil language industries, Samantha’s credits include S.S. Rajamouli’s “Eega,” “Super Deluxe,” “Janatha Garage” and “Mersal.”
“Arrangements of Love” was the sole Asian project selected at the Toronto International Financing Forum, which sits alongside the Toronto film festival, the Variety report said. The film is expected to commence shooting in August 2022.