Creating romantic chemistry for a film is a difficult process full of intangibles. There needs to be an instant spark of attraction between the characters, desperate longing, emotional tension, and genuine jeopardy, while the individuals must feel believably different to one another, but not so unalike that it’s preposterous they’d end up together.

Prisoners of Paradise — a romantic period drama based on the book The Prisoner of Paradise by Rom Samborn — ticks off all these requirements thanks to captivating performances by its lead actors Ellie Bamber (Willow) and Mehdi Dehbi (Messiah).

Bamber plays Lucy, an orphan sent from London to Mauritius in 1925 to live with her charming but controlling uncle. When her uncle falls into debt, he plans to marry her off for financial gain, but Lucy has already fallen in love with Krishna (Dehbi), a handsome local labourer. In order for the pair to be together, they must risk everything, and fight against a world determined to keep them apart.

At first, Prisoners of Paradise builds up Lucy and Krishna’s romance slowly. She watches from afar as he plays in a waterfall with friends, he stares at her when she’s driven past his work. Even as she’s introduced to high society in the country, and shown that there are many wealthy suitors interested in her, it’s clear Lucy can’t get Krishna off her mind. Then, suddenly, their romance blossoms and the love they have for each other becomes impossible to ignore, all as they try to figure out how they can be together.

That chemistry, says Dehbi, wasn’t hard to build chemistry with Bamber because they instantly connected as friends. “Ellie’s a star,” he beams. “Inside and out she’s beautiful. She’s a wonderful human, a wonderful actor, and just a wonderful person to be around. It was very easy to portray that relationship.”

Bamber echoes Dehbi’s remarks, but adds there was a spirituality to the film and their connection that made portraying Lucy and Krishna’s romance so natural. “We had a lot of conversations about the stars and big ideas. I just remember feeling super safe. There’s a real warmth to Mehdi. He is so generous as an actor, so working opposite him just felt really natural, but I was also able to be explorative and playful.”

Ahead of filming, Bamber watched a number of romantic dramas as a reference, but since filming took place more than six years ago, she admits she now can’t remember which ones. Dehbi’s own preparation included researching the period and the island of Mauritius. Once filming commenced, though, he pushed all of that information to the back of his mind so he could just be in the moment.

“To portray love as an actor, you have to forget about trying,” says Dehbi. “That can be hard, but it’s about connecting with the present, your screen partner, the set, and knowing what’s going on in each situation. It’s about building it scene by scene. Otherwise you just get lost in a big love story.” Bamber adds, “You can practice scenes at home all you want, but until you’re actually there, in front of another actor, it’s really hard to know. You have to work off instinct and respond.”

Bamber and Dehbi felt increased responsibility to portray Lucy and Krishna’s relationship in a profound and touching manner because Prisoners of Paradise is inspired by the lives and love of Alan and Maria Govinden, the film’s producers. “The spirit of their relationship is present throughout,” says Bamber. The couple were open about the characters being based on them throughout, even though the film is set in a different time period and, in the weeks before production, Alan even rewrote the film’s final scenes. Heartbreakingly, two weeks after filming finished, Alan died, with Maria and their daughter Julia taking on the task of finishing Prisoners of Paradise.

“I was really inspired by Alan and Maria,” admits Bamber. “I just wanted to portray a love like theirs that’s so strong and complex and had so many barriers that needed to be broken in order for them to be together.” Dehbi solemnly notes how sad it is for Prisoners of Paradise to finally be released without Alan able to see what they achieved. “I really wish he was here to share this moment.”

Prisoners of Paradise’s journey to release actually dates back to before the Covid pandemic. At the start of 2020, Dehbi was invited by Alan and director Mitch Jenkins, who co-wrote the script with Jason Wingard, to London to discuss the role. Two weeks later, the world closed down. “It was honestly one of those things where we all thought, ‘Are we going to do this? Are we not?’,” says Bamber. With locations already secured in Mauritius, production finally commenced later that year under strict quarantine regulations.

Tantalizingly, this meant that neither Dehbi nor Bamber were able to go out and explore the luxurious beaches and exotic country. “We really were prisoners of paradise when we arrived,” jokes Dehbi. “We had this beach right in front of us but we weren’t allowed to go on it, we’d have been arrested. We just had to stay in our rooms.” When they were able to speak to locals about Mauritius and its history, Dehbi says they heard stories about grandparents and parents, and the struggles they endured, which really informed his portrayal.

“I studied the abolition of slavery in the country around 1835 and looked at its journey to independence in 1968,” explains Dehbi. “There was this mix of Indian, Chinese, and Europeans that arrived, but the history was also violent because it was such a melting pot of these cultures.” The cast and crew on Prisoners of Paradise were so warmly embraced by Mauritians that they even got to shoot the film's climax on Le Morne Mountain, a UNESCO World Heritage site where escaped slaves took refuge. Over the decades, Le Morne Mountain has grown to become a symbol of resistance in the country.

Ultimately, Dehbi hopes that Prisoners of Paradise will inspire viewers to have a deeper understanding of the past, whether it’s their own, their family’s, or their country’s, as that’s the only way the world can grow. “History can easily repeat itself but the past can teach us who we are, where we come from, and what we can change. Whether or not you're Mauritian, I think Prisoners of Paradise is a great reminder of that.”

Prisoners of Paradise is available to rent or buy now.

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