Is 7 Days Based on A True Story?

‘7 Days’ is a romantic comedy film that revolves around Ravi and Rita who have to go out on a pre-arranged date, thanks to their traditional parents. Then, the advent of the pandemic traps them under a roof. The offbeat formula of Roshan Sethi’s directorial debut won the heart of people, and the movie earned the recognition of fans and critics. Following its 2021 release, it won several awards and accolades,  including the Best First Feature in the 37th Independent Spirit Awards. However, in a world of mistrust, the movie may sound too good to be true. Is there a grain of truth in the story? Let us find out!

Is 7 Days Based on A True Story?

‘7 Days’ is not based on a true story. However, while the swiftness of marriage seems a bit too fast for an average American, arranged marriages are a reality in other parts of the world. Roshan Sethi helmed the movie from a script he prepared with Karan Soni, whom you may know as the quirky cabbie Dopinder from the ‘Deadpool’ franchise. Roshan Sethi, the co-creator of Fox’s ‘The Resident,’ finished his residency in June 2020. Due to the onset of the pandemic, the world grappled with loneliness and grasped for connections, which the movie replicates as themes.

Meanwhile, both Karan and Roshan were going through a rough phase creatively. Roshan had the idea of writing a screenplay, going back to their roots, which they did. The dynamic duo finished the first draft in about five days, which Karan recalled as a “fever dream.” They had nothing better to do, and the story consumed their entire days and nights during the time. After finishing the draft, they sent it to a bunch of producers, including the Duplass brothers. Before they could imagine, the producers called them. Expounding on the idea of arranged marriages, Roshan noted the fickleness of love.

The director also stressed arranged marriages as a good way of leading a life, primarily since the families work out all the initial obstacles. The movie also features interviews of long-wedded couples who ended up in arranged marriages, reminding one of ‘When Harry Met Sally.’ The screenwriters initially thought of scripting and enacting the scenes with actors, but replicating the emotions would be challenging. Finally, they ended up recording their relatives’ stories over the course of zoom interviews. For the families, the meeting was emotional, as it was for Soni.

As the writers wanted to depict young demography, Karan’s mother duly introduced them to a couple of US-born doctors of Indian descent who got hitched in an arranged marriage and were leading a decent life. As Karan recalled, he was surprised by the strength of the connection between them. In the crowd of dating romances, these stories come off as simple, olden, and emotional. Complete with a personal touch, the movie creates an enticing ambiance. But it did not look in the least romantic on the set, especially with temperatures reaching 110 degrees every day.

However, Soni gave credit to his co-star, Geraldine Viswanathan (Rita), who made the job easy for the team. The production team of the romantic comedy made the movie in a spec, filming long pages at a stretch. Therefore, filming took eight days to wrap, just a little longer than the duration of events in the story. Taking all the aspects into consideration, the optimism of ‘7 Days’ has some glistening truth, even though the specific story may be fictional.

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