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CANADA Newsline SEPTEMBER 29, 2023 | The Indian Eye 41

Amrit Kaur celebrated ‘Bargain’ is a South Korean

as TIFF’s Rising Star Offering at TIFF

MANSI M. Courtesy – TIFF
Toronto
The film is filled with dark hu-
RENU MEHTA The film takes place in three time argain is a thought provoking mor, negotiations, scheming and
periods and two countries. In the
Toronto thriller and indeed a cinemat- struggles of No and Joo as they work
film, Kaur performs two roles that of
mrit Kaur, who starred in Azra, queer Muslim grad student and Bic experience that was pre- their way to escaping the building.
Amidst their escape, they come
sented at the Toronto International
Fauzia Mirza’s The Queen of her mother in her younger days.
AMy Dreams at the Toronto In- Mirza’s co-star Haq calls Kaur Film Festival (TIFF). across others who are also going
Created by Byun Seungmin and
ternational Film Festival (TIFF) was absolutely ruthless when it comes to directed by Jeon Woo-sung, the story through their own struggles to sur-
vive the crumbling building but also
celebrated as part of the TIFF Rising acting and says she has dedicated her begins from a simple scene of a man the circumstances of which brought
Stars this year. life to it. In his words to Collider “I Noh Hyeung-Su (Jin Seon-kyu) ne- them to the building. It brings to-
Kaur is known as an artistic hy- love her dearly and I can’t stand her.
phenate: an actor, comedian, direc- All she talks about is acting. That is gotiating down a price with a woman gether the desperation of people in
an unpredictable way.
Park Joo Young (Jeon Jong-seo) for
tor, and writer, who believes in acting such a blessing to any story, any direc- a previous agreement within a hotel The film is continually entertain-
as a humanitarian art form with the tor. She will say No we are not done room setting. Joo Young is shown en- ing, constantly evolving, and has the
power to heal, transcend, and em- yet and we go again and again regard- tangled in a sex trafficking operation. audience hooked from beginning to
power. The actor is best known for less of the emotional cost, because it The movie shifts into scene two and end. It is remarkable due to its irreg-
her breakout role on Mindy Kaling is worth it for the artistic process.” paints a completely different picture ularity and volatility.
and Justin Noble’s HBO Max hit se- Kaur worked very hard to pre- where Joo, now shown as a business In a setting where nobody is to
ries, The Sex Lives of College Girls. pare for her roles in the film. woman, is leading an organ trafficking be trusted, it’s every man for himself
Off-screen, Kaur continues to main- “I did a lot of life work,” says
tain a strong connection to theatre. Kaur. “I did a five week intensive event using Noh’s body. However, due scenario. Buyers and Sellers scram-
She is an ensemble member of Grac- acting class right before and I was to an unforeseen earthquake during ble to survive in this high-powered
the black market auction, it levels the
Korean film. Noh and Joo captivate
emoon Arts Company, which is build- scared going into this film looking
ing an off-Broadway theatre opening at sexuality, looking at generation- playing field between Noh and Joo the audience with their constant ad-
in Brooklyn, NY later this year. al abuse, connection to my home- and the others trapped inside. Once aptations to each scene and change
Mirza’s first feature The Queen of land, relationships with my moth- again, Noh and Joo are negotiating so of negotiation that occur throughout
My Dreams also stars Hamza Haq and er. I also had to do lot of body they can both escape the building. the movie.
Nimra Bucha. The film is a Canadian character as I was doing two roles.”
coming-of-age picture, tracing key “There were so many things
moments in the lives of a mother and that I wanted to be true that I
daughter born three decades apart. hadn’t looked at during my life.
The storyline follows a Paki- So this was a call to action looking.
stani woman and her Canadian-born If I had to do that all over again, I
daughter as they come of age in two would go deeper looking at it with
eras. In 1999, the sudden death of sensitivity and love.”
her father Hassan (Hamza Haq) Azra The best part of the shoot, she
flying back to her ancestral home in says, is that the film was shot in Pa-
Pakistan, where her stern mother kistan.
Mariam (Nimra Bucha) demands “The fact that it was shot
she play the role of the perfect griev- in Karachi,” she says. “I think
ing daughter. But through flashbacks there was so much activism by it-
to Mariam’s own life in Karachi 30 self. There are so many Pakistani
years before, we see the connections films that are not shot in Karachi
uniting mother and daughter, starting and there was so much pushback
with their shared love of Bollywood with insurance companies and so
star Sharmila Tagore. much political judgment.”

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