Toronto International Film Festival 2017: Pahuna, Omerta, Mukkabaaz among movies to watch out for

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is underway and it’s creating waves due to the brilliant cinema that is lined up to be screened there. TIFF has slowly emerged as one of the more prominent film festivals around the world, as more and more people are counting on it to generate the Oscar buzz around movies, elevating its status even further.

Priyanka Chopra showcased her first Northeastern film production Pahuna: The Little Visitors at TIFF. Pahuna: The Little Visitors narrates the story of three Nepalese children separated from their parents and their journey back home away from their violence ridden homeland. The film is directed by Paakhi A Tyrewala and it’s first look was released at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. The film was produced by Chopra’s production house Purple Pebble Pictures which she co-owns with her mother Madhu Chopra.

Chopra is the first Indian guest of honour at the TIFF Soiree, following in the footsteps of renowned artists like Michael Fassbender, Al Pacino, Natalie Portman in the years prior to 2017.

The Indian films being showcased at TIFF this year will be the kind to look out for — promising, quality cinema. Anurag Kashyap’s Mukkabaaz is all set to be screened at TIFF. Set in Bareilly, Mukkabaaz is a tale of boxing, and it reportedly stars Jimmy Shergill in the role of the bad guy, with Vineeth Kumar taking on the mantle of protagonist. This movie promises the staple Kashyap offerings of sweat, blood and strength. The movie is also expected to have an enthralling background score.

Bornila Chatterjee’s movie The Hungry is another film on the list of works from India at TIFF. The film is centered around Indian marriages, delving into the role of patriarchy and the patriarch along with dipping its feet into business and Indian politics. The Hungry stars Naseeruddin Shah, Neeraj Kabi and Tisca Chopra and is touted as a rehash of William Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus.

Another film that one shouldn’t miss out on is Hansal Mehta’s directorial venture Omerta in which Rajkummar Rao plays the role of a terrorist called Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheik. Mehta’s has said that this is his attempt at decoding what goes on in the mind of a terrorist, according to a report by The Quint.  

Molly’s Game, Mary Shelley, The Mountain Between Us, The Current War, The Death of Stalin, Disobedience, Kings, Submergence and The Breadwinner are some other international titles that are touted to be Oscar buzz-worthy.

(With inputs from IANS)