WHEN actress Jade Asha became pregnant shortly after getting married, she found herself thinking about a story she felt had rarely been explored on screen: what happens when a pregnant woman wants to date, make her own decisions and live her life without being judged?
Rather than wait for someone else to tell that story, the British-Mauritian actress decided to write it herself. The result was Due Dating, an award-winning British romantic comedy in which she plays Cherry, a pregnant woman whose attempt to navigate the dating world takes an unexpected turn. The film had its London premiere last month.
It follows Cherry after a date goes horribly wrong. Her experience attracts the attention of Cole, a blogger who needs to write a story from a woman’s perspective to save his job. He decides to make Cherry the subject of his article and begins dating her, setting up a story that combines romance and comedy with questions about gender, pregnancy and personal freedom.
Jade AshaEastern Eye
Asha told Eastern Eye she wanted to challenge the assumptions often made about pregnant women and their choices.
“Does a woman have the right to her own autonomy while she is pregnant?” the 36-year-old wondered aloud.
Rather than focus on medical appointments or hospital scenes, Due Dating explores the everyday situations and social pressures that can shape a woman’s experience. “We wanted to show all the experiences in between,” she said.
During her first trimester, Asha began collecting ideas from her daily encounters, including visits to baby groups and trips to the shops. The dramas and frustrations she experienced became material for Cherry’s character.
By the time filming began, Asha was heavily pregnant. The physical demands of production soon became apparent, but the schedule left little room to slow down.
She filmed all her scenes while the other lead actor was on holiday. As both the lead performer and a producer, she had limited time to prepare her lines and often had to learn them on the day.
“There were moments when I thought, ‘Why am I doing this to myself? Why am I not just sitting with my feet up and watching a film rather than making one?’” Asha said. Once filming ended, she took a month off.
“It was an amazing experience, and I am really proud of myself for doing it,” she said.
The film had its London premiere last monthJade Asha
Asha believes her performance was shaped by how she actually felt during filming. “I do not think I was able to give my best as an actor, perhaps, but what I can promise is that my performance was authentic to how I was feeling,” she said.
Pregnancy is often presented in cinema through images of women who appear happy, radiant and composed. Asha wanted to show something less polished: the discomfort, exhaustion and uncertainty.
“I also wanted to give other mothers a break,” she said. “Films have often shown motherhood and pregnancy as beautiful, glorious experiences, but the reality is that they can be really hard.”
Becoming a mother also changed how she understood the purpose of the film. She now has two sons and said she wants them to grow up recognising women as people with their own needs, frustrations and choices, rather than expecting them to be perfect or constantly presentable.
She hopes the film can help audiences understand women’s experiences during pregnancy, while also encouraging a more open conversation about the expectations placed on mothers.
The film stars Asha alongside Rowland Stirling and May Elghety.
Asha grew up in Billericay, Essex, and began acting more than 20 years ago. She said casting directors often considered her for Indian, Asian or Arab roles, despite her having grown up in an English household with an English mother and not speaking the languages associated with those backgrounds.
She felt she was at a disadvantage when competing for such roles against actors who had stronger cultural and linguistic connections to them. With the opportunities she wanted proving difficult to secure, she began creating her own work, turning to writing and producing.
Asha is now the founder of London Independent Pictures. Her work includes the romantic comedy Ghosted, and she has also written Actorpreneur, a practical guide for working actors. She is a full voting member of BAFTA and a 2025 alumna of the BFI Writers’ Lab.
