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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline SEPTEMBER 09, 2022 | The Indian Eye 20

5 Must watch South Asian Films at TIFF this year

RENU MEHTA Striking a rare balance between household that is descended upon by icling the working days of broadcast
respect for custom and belief in the a potential imposter, was hailed by journalist Ravish Kumar as he nav-
Toronto
power of romance, What’s Love Got critics as a valedictory work of classic igates a spiraling world of truth and
he Toronto International Film To Do With It? takes its title’s query to serenity, subtlety, and beauty. disinformation. Although the film
Festival (TIFF) returns in Sep- heart, posing tough questions to true The final film by Satyajit Ray has is set in India, director Vinay Shuk-
Ttember 2022 for its 47th edition believers in both camps while taking a been cited as the auteur’s most phil- la underscores how the erosion of
— 11 days of international and Cana- zigzag voyage toward that magic mo- osophical, intellectual, and personal. fact based journalism is a threat to all
dian cinema, special events featuring ment where autonomy and matrimony Ray enthusiasts would probably infer of us globally.
some of the biggest names in film, and intersect. that the views of the protagonist are The film is set to World Premiere
TIFF’s Industry Conference, offering KACCHEY LIMBU in fact Ray speaking his mind. Ray’s at the 2022 Toronto International
diverse and innovative perspectives on By Shubham Yogi deep study of human behaviour is re- Film Festival starting on Sunday,
the art and business of film. Kacchey Limbu will have its flected most prominently here. September 11!
Listed below are FIVE Must See South world premiere at TIFF. Set in Mum- Agantuk (The Stranger) begins JOYLAND
Asian films at TIFF this year: with Anila (Mamata Shankar) receiv-
bai, director Shubham Yogi’s feature By Saim Sadiq
What’s Love Got To Do With It? debut follows a pair of siblings who ing a letter from someone claiming to A Pakistani family confronts
be her long-lost uncle. He claims to
By Shekhar Kapur find themselves on competing cricket
Shekhar Kapur’s Whats Love Got teams as they struggle to balance fa- have been travelling around the world emotional intimacy and social ex-
to do With it will have its Gala Premier milial loyalty with the pursuit of their for 35 years and, since he is planning pectations when their son begins
to be in Kolkata, he would like to vis-
performing with a trans dancer, in
at Roy Thomson Hall on Sunday, Sep- passions. it and stay with Anila for a few days. Saim Sadiq’s staggering debut fea-
tember 10 at 6:30 pm Cricket is the second most pop- While Anila’s young son is excited to ture — winner of the Un Certain
Buoyed by an ensemble includ- ular sport in the world, played or fol-
ing Lily James, Shazad Latif, Emma lowed by 2.5 billion people. But it’s meet his Dadu, her husband Sudhin- Regard Jury Prize and the Queer
dra (Dipankar De) is skeptical about
Palm at the Cannes Film Festival.
Thompson and Shabana Azmi, Ka- often a man’s game. As Bend It Like his intentions. The stranger, who intro- Adapted from his award-winning
pur’s smart, effervescent romantic Beckham and Love & Basketball did duces himself as Manomohan Mitra short Darling (TIFF ’19), Sadiq’s
comedy follows a filmmaker who de- before it, Kacchey Limbu puts a talent- (Utpal Dutt), comes across as a man staggering debut feature, Joyland,
cides to document her best friend’s ed woman at the centre of play, spark- of simple tastes and good humour and has catapulted Pakistan to the fore-
journey towards arranged marriage. ing a contest with much more than the regales them with tales of his adven- front of international cinema with a
Sliding between London and La- final score at stake. Showcasing the
hore, love and friendship, tradition irresistible charm of Indian rising star tures and travels. Although the couple bittersweet tale of repressed desire
seems impressed by the stranger as
and the quest for individual freedom.
and iconoclasm, What’s Love Got To Radhika Madan (Pataakha and the he shares both tales of his experienc- Haider Rana (Ali Junejo), a
Do With It? is an effervescent roman- TV series Meri Aashiqui Tum Se Hi), es and his profound views on life, the quiet, unemployed husband to a vo-
tic comedy that refuses to adhere to Yogi’s feature bursts with colour, com- seeds of doubt about a potential ulteri- ciferous, employed wife, Mumtaz
easy binaries. Directed by Kapur (Eliz- edy, and camaraderie. or motive remain in their minds. All of (Rasti Farooq), has a seemingly hap-
abeth, Bandit Queen) from a smart, Set in the courtyards and impro- this leads to an unexpected discovery. py arranged marriage and ordered
worldly screenplay by Jemima Khan, vised pitches of Mumbai, the story fol- The film is enriched by a sublime, family life, living under the same roof
the film is buoyed by an adorable en- lows a pair of siblings who find them- career-best performance by veter- as the rest of the Rana clan. Amidst
semble that includes Lily James, Shaz- selves on competing cricket teams as an actor Dutt (Bhuvan Shome, Gol pressure and ridicule from his father,
ad Latif, and Academy Award winner they struggle to balance familial loy- Maal), supported by fantastic perfor- Haider finds work as a backup dancer
Emma Thompson. alty with the pursuit of their passions. mances from De and Shankar. Over- for the trans performer Biba (Alina
Zoe (James) is a filmmaker and Aditi (Madan) dreams about being a
Kazim (Latif) a doctor. They grew fashion designer, though her father all, The Stranger is the perfect swan Khan), opening his eyes to another
song for a filmmaker like Ray, faithful
way to love and another way of life.
up next door to each other, though insists she study medicine. Her big to the essence of his filmmaking vision Mumtaz, meanwhile, is frustrated
their worlds couldn’t be farther apart. brother Akash drags himself to corpo- but elevating its story to a larger con- with the expectations of patriarchal
While Zoe was raised by her English rate job interviews though his first and versation about what it is to be human. society. Soon their desires collide,
divorcé mother, Cath (Thompson), to only love is cricket. When he is accept- Simple notions of love, family, trust, forcing them and their family to reck-
be independent and inquisitive, Kaz’s ed into a new league, Aditi decides to and faith are questioned, leaving the on with what has been buried for so
Pakistan-born parents were happy throw her hat in the ring and start her audience with things to contemplate long.
to participate in secular British soci- own team, assembling a motley crew of long after they leave the theatre. Winner of the Un Certain Re-
ety while ensuring their kids conduct players who might not look like cricket The cast includes Utpal Dutt, gard Jury Prize and Queer Palm at the
themselves according to the family’s stars but just may have what it takes. Dipankar Dey, Mamata Shankar, Cannes Film Festival, Joyland willful-
Muslim faith. Having already wit- Propelled by high-energy mu- Bikram Bhattacharya, Rabi Ghosh, ly explores desire — and who has the
nessed his parents’ anguish when his sic and a bevy of loveable charac- Dhritiman Chatterjee, Subrata Chat- right to it — in a society that is slow-
sister married a white Briton, Kaz has ters, the vibrant story of teamwork terjee, Promode Ganguly, Ajit Baner- ly turning the corner on gender and
opted to follow his parents’ example and self-discovery is all about play- jee, Sourav Banerjee sexual identity. Without pretending
and seek an arranged marriage. ing an old sport in a new way, chal- to have all the answers, Sadiq raises
Kaz’s decision perplexes Zoe — lenging sexist traditions, or chang-
and provides her with a brilliant prem- ing your mind about what you want WHILE WE WATCHED important questions, while delivering
nuanced characters who are all still
By Vinay Shukla
ise for her next documentary. She sets to be and playing not to win, but Vinay Shukla’s powerful new searching for their own voice and for
out, camera in hand, to follow her old for the pure pleasure of the game. documentary While We Watched someone to listen.
friend on every step of his journey to- AGANTUK is considered a beacon of hope in a The cast of the film includes Ali
ward family-vetted coupledom, trying By Satyajit Ray dark time for journalists. Junejo, Rasti Farooq, Alina Khan,
to comprehend the enduring allure of Satyajit Ray’s remarkably per- The documentary is a turbulent Sarwat Gilani, Salmaan Peerzada,
arranged marriage while re-examining sonal final film, about a middle-class newsroom drama intimately chron- Sohail Sameer and Sania Saeed.
her own pattern of disastrous liaisons.

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