Shook is a Canadian drama film, directed by Amar Wala and slated for release in 2024.[1]

Shook
Directed byAmar Wala
Screenplay byAmar Wala
Adnan Khan
Produced byKaren Harnisch
Amar Wala
StarringSaamer Usmani
Bernard White
Amy Forsyth
Pamela Mala Sinha
CinematographyPeter Hadfield
Music byKalaisan Kalaichelvan
Production
companies
Film Forge
Scarborough Pictures
Distributed byElevation Pictures
Release date
  • September 2024 (2024-09) (TIFF)
Running time
113 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguagesEnglish
Hindi

An expansion of his 2018 short film of the same name, which starred Raymond Ablack as Ashish and Sugith Varughese as his father, the film is based in part on Wala's own experiences after his real father was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.[2]

Premise

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Ashish (Saamer Usmani), an Indo-Canadian aspiring writer living in the Scarborough district of Toronto, is torn between a desire to move downtown to pursue his career dreams and his sense of obligation to reconnect with his estranged father Vijay (Bernard White) after the older man is diagnosed with Parkinson's.[3]

Production

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Wala co-wrote the screenplay with novelist Adnan Khan.[3] In an interview with the Canada Media Fund, Wala cited Good Will Hunting as an inspiration for Shook, hoping to present Scarborough in a similar manner as the former film depicted Boston.[2]

Cast

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  • Saamer Usmani as Ashish
  • Bernard White as Vijay
  • Amy Forsyth as Claire, a barista with whom Ashish develops a romantic relationship
  • Pamela Mala Sinha as Ashish's mother Nisha,[3]
  • Izad Etemadi
  • Darrin Baker
  • Olivier Lamarche
  • Sammy Azero
  • Faizan Khan
  • Scott Edgecombe
  • Sharjil Rasool
  • Rehan Suleman
  • Devanshu Narang
  • Amit Divekar

Release

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The film is slated to premiere in the Discovery program at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Kelly Townsend, "Amar Wala goes to camera on Scarborough-set feature". Playback, June 19, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Randoja, Ingrid. "Amar Wala: All Shook Up". Canadian Media Fund. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Vlessing, Etan. "Saamer Usmani, Amy Forsyth Join Amar Wala's 'Shook' Drama (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  4. ^ Zac Ntim, "TIFF 2024: Laura Carreira’s ‘On Falling’ & ‘Bonjour Tristesse’ Starring Chloë Sevigny Among Titles Set For Discovery Sidebar". Deadline Hollywood, July 24, 2024.
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