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Canada Newsline SEPTEMBER 13, 2024 | The Indian Eye 28

49th Toronto International Film Festival to

Showcase a Wide Range of South Asian Films

The film is set in an instantly of a higher purpose that transcends Superboys of Malegaon – September 13
RENU MEHTA at 9:30 pm – Roy Thomson Hall
recognizable Scarborough, a place the boundaries of time and space.
Toronto Ash is proud to call home even as he All We Imagine as Light – Sept. 11 – irected by Reema Kagti; Pro-
constantly flees into the city to write
he 49th edition of the Toron- in coffee shops or go clubbing with 2:45 pm - TIFF Bell Lightbox Dduced by Zoya Akhtar. The
to International Film festival 127 minute film in Hindi arriving
T(TIFF) runs September 5-15 his friends — until his father’s health ayal Kapadia’s feature follows straight from India, is an uplifting
crisis requires him to recalibrate both
this year. Several South Asian films their lives. Ptwo nurses experiencing personal story that chronicles the life of Nasir
will be showcased at this prestigious turning points tinged with the possi- Shaikh, whose no-budget, communi-
festival including the World Gala Saba – Sept. 7 – 5:45 pm – Scotiabank bility of romance. ty-sourced movies turned his home-
premier of Superboys of Malegaon Theatre Prabha (Kani Kusruti) and Anu town Malegaon into an unlikely
directed by Reema Kagti and pro- (Divya Prabha) are roommates and dream factory. Based on a true story
duced by Zoya Akhtar. n his deeply emotional directori- nurses at a Mumbai hospital. Prabha and directed by Reema Kagti, the film
Ial debut, Bangladeshi filmmaker is married, but her husband went is an ode to tenacity, self-actualiza-
Masala – Sept. 6 at 7 pm – TIFF Bell
Lightbox Maksud Hossain refracts end-of-life abroad to work many years ago. Now tion and the sheer fun of film making.
care through two completely oppo- drifting into middle age, she focus- The year is 1997 and movie mad
site views held within a fraught moth- es on her job. Anu, by contrast, is Nasir (Adarsh Gaurav, WhiteTiger)
rinivas Krishna’s debut film is a
Sbold, irreverent take on maintain- er–daughter relationship. young and full of dreams for her fu- is certain he’s destined for cinemat-
ic greatness, but great cinema never
With her father missing, Saba
ture, which she hopes will include the
ing multiple identities that follows a re- (Mehazabien Chowdhury) is the sole handsome Muslim boy she’s secretly came out of his humdrum hometown
covering heroin addict attempting to caregiver to her paraplegic mother, seeing. of Malegaon. Nasir gets his first taste
make peace with his extended family. Shirin (Rokeya Prachy), who suffers Prabha initially regards the of success screening mashups of
The story follows Krishna or-
phaned as a teen when his parents from acute heart disease. Although potentially scandalous affair as an Buster Keaton and Jackie Chan ac-
tion sequences, leading him toward a
annoyance, but she comes to sym-
Shirin’s condition binds them to-
died in the 1985 Air India bombing. gether, her frustration with their sit- pathize with Anu’s passion, perhaps bright idea: if Malegaon moviegoers
Now a recovering heroin addict, uation often manifests as bitterness because she, too, feels the tug of love revisiting the classics, wouldn’t
Krishna returns to reconcile with his and anger towards her daughter, frustrated ardour, thanks to the at- they flock to see classics reimagined
extended family, but is challenged by so they live in their own separate tentions of a poetry-writing doctor. on their own turf? Borrowing gear
his inability to conform to their ex- worlds. When Shirin has a heart at- The film shows a heartfelt con- from a wedding videographer and
pectations of respectability.
tack, Saba races against time to sell nection between Prabha and Anu assembling a cast and crew of locals,
Boong – Sept. 7 at 3:45 pm – Scotia- their home, lowering the price, and and their sisterhood emerges slowly. Nasir sets out to remake Ramesh
bank Theatre even risking her burgeoning romance Santosh – Sept. 13 – 8:30 pm – Scotia- Sippy’s beloved 1975 film Sholay.
with her senior co-worker Ankur Nasir’s campy, go-for-broke vision
chool boy Boong (Gugun Kipgen) (Mostafa Monwar) — who dreams bank Theatre is a regional smash, and a glittering
Sdoesn’t see long distances and of starting a new life abroad — to ilmmaker Sandhya Suri’s searing new road seems open before him.
state borders as significant obstacles. pay for her mom’s heart surgery. Fnarrative debut follows a young But his journey will prove arduous,
At least not when it comes to giving Tara and Akash – Sept 7 at 9:30 pm – housewife (Shahana Goswami) wid- requiring him to check his ego and
his mother, Mandakini (Bala Hijam), TIFF Bell Lightbox owed when her police constable hus- recognize that the friendships that
the best surprise gift ever: bringing band is killed on the job. Through a helped him start
back his father, Joykumar. After leav- ara, a spirited 22-year-old, defies government initiative, she is trained Written by Kagti and Varun Gro-
ing their home city of Manipur, India Ther protective parents to embark to take his place in a male police sta- ver (Three of Us) follows Nasir and
for the border city of Moreh, near on a solo trip to Switzerland, inspired tion in rural North India. his buddies over several years, track-
Myanmar, in search of better job op- by an old romance novel that com- Against Santosh’s urging, her ing their joys, sorrows, and twists of
portunities, Joykumar has stopped forted her after her grandmother’s superior cruelly dismisses a low- fate. Brimming with comedy, adven-
communications with the family. death. During her journey, she meets caste father’s attempt to file a miss- ture, and colourful characters, the
With rumours spreading about his Akash, a mysterious young man who ing report on his teen daughter. The film is a testament to the wonders
father’s death, Boong refuses to ac- is not just an ordinary stranger but a discovery of the girl’s body ignites that can be achieved when imagina-
cept that grim possibility and teams Light being from another realm, un- protests in her community. tion is matched with resourcefulness
up with his best friend, Raju (Angom aware of his true purpose on Earth. In response to the negative pub- and loyalty.
Sanamatum), an outsider from Ra- As they explore Switzerland’s pic- licity, the department recruits female Little Jaafna – Sept. 14 – 5:30 pm –
jasthan, to search for the truth.
turesque landscapes, a deep connec- inspector Sharma (Sunita Rajwar) Royal Alexandra theatre
Shook – Sept. 7 – 5:15 pm – Scotiabank tion forms between them, entwined to lead the investigation. Santosh
Theatre with the novel Tara treasures. With is immediately fascinated by Shar- awrence Valin’s feature debut is a
the help of a reclusive man named ma’s ability to ingratiate herself into Lcrime drama that tells the story of
truggling writer Ashish is thrown Hanumant, they discover that their the masculine culture of the station Michael, a young police officer from
Sfor several loops when he falls for love story was written by God Him- while remaining a fierce advocate a Tamil family, living in Paris, as he’s
barista Claire and learns his estranged self, the Author of all destinies. As against gendered violence in public. tasked with infiltrating a local crimi-
father has just been diagnosed with they unravel this divine mystery, Tara Sharma, meanwhile, spots Santosh’s nal enterprise that’s funnelling mon-
Parkinson’s, in Amar Wala’s first dra- and Akash realize their time together keen intelligence and ambition and ey to the Eelam liberation movement
matic feature. may be limited, and their love is part offers to mentor her. back home in Sri Lanka.

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