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Every denomination of cinema carries particular genres in their own flavor. From epic sword-and-sandal action to courtroom dramas and romances, cinema gives us perspective on the echoes of human similarity through the celebration of difference. Mob and gangster films are no exception, showing the underworld and stories of heroes and villains both fighting against the oppressive gears of society and catching one another in the crossfire for more power.

These social commentaries don't always paint the mob as a completely obvious organization of pinstripe-suited criminals with Tommy guns. Depending on the culture, they can be more subtle, or even socially regulated. The corporate dynasties of nepotism of Korea, the slum-grabbing gangs of India, the gruesome cartels of Mexico, and the quietly merciless mafia families in Italy all stir a grounded and intense suspense in a genre they all share. Some films listed are classics, others are dynamic alternatives to the...

Set to release on Eid-ul-Adha, Umro Ayyar: A New Beginning promises to be a visual spectacle and a thrilling adventure, drawing from the rich tapestry of South Asian folklore and reimagining it for contemporary audiences. Starring a stellar cast of Sanam Saeed, Hamza Ali Abbasi, Usman Mukhtar, Faran Tahir, Ali Kazmi, Adnan Siddiqui, and Sana Nawaz. Based on the classical Urdu-Persian beloved Dastan-e-Amir Hamza novel, Umro Ayyar: A New Beginning is the story of a thief and legendary warrior of Tilism-e-Hoshruba.

Amar, descendant of the legendary Umro Ayyar, a cunning warrior of Persian folklore, is a quantum mechanics professor in Pakistan. Surviving a Jinn attack, his third eye opens, revealing the hidden energy matrix interwoven with humanity and Jinn. Intrigued, he seeks the true nature of energy, blending ancient wisdom with modern science. As he navigates this dual reality, he discovers his lineage’s profound responsibility in maintaining balance. With wit inherited from Umro Ayyar,...

NBC’s Transplant continues with season three episode five, an episode that finds Bash taking on a patient whose treatment might actually help with his own Ptsd. “Nadir” will air on Thursday, November 9, 2023 at 9pm Et/Pt.

Hamza Haq leads the cast as Dr. Bashir “Bash” Hamed and Sirena Gulamgaus stars as Amira. Rekha Sharma plays Dr. Neeta Devi, Laurence Leboeuf is Dr. Magalie “Mags” Leblanc, and Ayisha Issa stars as Dr. June Curtis. Jim Watson plays Dr. Theo Hunter, Torri Higginson is Claire Malone, and Gord Rand is Dr. Mark Novak.

“Nadir” Plot: Mags recovers from a personal crisis and worries about how to get her life back on track. Bash takes an unorthodox approach to treating a soldier with Ptsd and may end up helping himself. June lets her emotions get in the way of her job.

Joseph Kay created the series and serves as showrunner and executive producer.

There is nothing funny about growing up gay in a conservative country. Trust me. Everything seems to be conspiring against you. Not only must you deal with the changes your body undergoes during puberty and start wondering why you have no interest in the naked ladies in the magazines your classmates pass around during recess, you also hear many pejoratives thrown around carelessly, even by people you love, as they announce what they believe you will become. In addition to this, conservatism usually means your humanity is in peril, as you become the embodiment of everything they’re trying to eradicate.

This sense of looming danger is lacking in Deepa Mehta’s Funny Boy, a coming-of-age story about a Sri Lankan Tamil gay boy, seen through butterfly wings. Although the film follows Arjie from his childhood (where he is played by Arush Nand) to his adolescence (Brandon Ingram plays the...

On the surface, “Funny Boy” has very little to do with the Barbra Streisand musical its title is riffing on. The story of a fey Sri Lankan Tamil boy growing up in 1970s Colombo is a far cry from Fanny Brice’s ascent from the Lower East Side to the heights of show business. The title comes from the Sri Lankan-Canadian novelist Shyam Selvadurai’s 1994 novel, which is read and taught widely in Sri Lanka today. Though Arjie (Brandon Ingram), the film’s wide-eyed central figure, is more of a David Bowie fan, the title’s slight homage to the beloved diva seems apt. Especially when young Arjie steels himself from bullying by declaring, “don’t mess with the grand diva,” the faintest hint of Streisand rising from behind his red feather boa.

set amidst a vicious ethnic conflict that is regionally specific, but tragically universal. It is the latest...

“Don’t mess with the grand diva,” says 8-year-old Arjie, usually in private or under his breath, to a world determined to mess with him from all sides. Taught to him by an understanding, open-minded aunt, it’s a self-defense mantra that sees him through various forms of bullying as he comes to terms with his nascent homosexuality — no easy cross to bear in a conservative Sri Lankan household through the 1970s and 1980s.

It’s of less use, however, when his life is more violently rocked by the first bloody stirrings of the Sri Lankan Civil War: Both gay and Tamil, young Arjie is a doubly imperiled minority. Adapted from Shyam Selvadurai’s well-regarded semi-autobiographical novel, Deepa Mehta’s “Funny Boy” ambitiously braids internal and external conflict, familial and national strife, to engrossing if somewhat heavily condensed effect. Selected as Canada’s official Oscar entry, it’s the Indo-Canadian...

"Every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other..." Array has debuted the first official trailer for Funny Boy, the latest film from acclaimed Indo-Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta. This is premiering directly on Netflix in December, and has been chosen by Canada as their entry into the Best International Film category at the Academy Awards for 2020. Shot on location and set in Sri Lanka in the 1970s and 80s, the film explores Arjie's sexual awakening from a young boy to a teenager who falls in love with a male classmate at his school, just as political tensions escalate between the Sinhalese and Tamils in the years leading up to the 1983 uprisings. The indie film stars Arush Nand, Brandon Ingram, Nimmi Harasgama, Ali Kazmi, Agam Darshi, Seema Biswas, & Shivantha Wijesinha. It looks wonderful, and also heartbreaking, but still a ...

Acquired by Ava DuVernay’s Array Releasing earlier this month, Deepa Mehta’s “Funny Boy,” an adaptation of Shyam Selvadurai’s 1994 novel of the same name, has been announced as Canada’s official selection for Best International Feature Film for the 2021 Academy Awards. Set for release on Netflix beginning Thursday, December 10, Array has premiered a first-look trailer for the film.

Shot on location in Colombo, Sri Lanka, “Funny Boy” centers on the “awakening of sexual identity by a young boy named Arjie. As political tensions escalate to a boiling point between the minority Tamils and the majority Sinhalese, a young boy comes of age in a society and family that doesn’t embrace difference outside of societal norms. The film chronicles Arjie’s struggle to find balance and self-love despite the absence of empathy and understanding.”

It’s a coming-of-age story about growing up in Sri Lanka during one of...

Coming-of-age story will premiere on Netflix outside Canada on December 10.

Canada has selected Deepa Mehta’s coming-of-age drama Funny Boy as its submission for the Oscar international feature film category.

Mehta, whose Water was the Canadian Oscar submission in 2007, co-wrote the feature with Shyam Selvadurai based on the latter’s novel about a gay boy growing up in Sri Lanka during the Tamil-Sinhalese conflict.

Brandon Ingram makes his feature film debut alongside Nimmi Harasgama, Ali Kazmi, Agam Darshi, and Arush Nand. David Hamilton and Hussain Amarshi served as producers.

The film was one of 11 submissions. Telefilm Canada coordinates and chairs...

Canada has picked Deepa Mehta’s Funny Boy, an adaptation of Shyam Selvadurai’s coming-of-age novel of the same name, to represent the country in the 2021 Oscar race in the international feature category.

Ava DuVernay’s Array Releasing has already sold the Sri Lanka-set drama to Netflix for a Dec. 10 bow. The indie, which stars Brandon Ingram, Nimmi Harasgama, Ali Kazmi, Agam Darshi and Arush Nand, will also bypass movie theaters are it premieres on the CBC network in Canada on Dec. 4.

Shot on location in Sri Lanka and set in the 1970s and ’80s, Funny Boy portrays a ...

Canada has picked Deepa Mehta’s Funny Boy, an adaptation of Shyam Selvadurai’s coming-of-age novel of the same name, to represent the country in the 2021 Oscar race in the international feature category.

Ava DuVernay’s Array Releasing has already sold the Sri Lanka-set drama to Netflix for a Dec. 10 bow. The indie, which stars Brandon Ingram, Nimmi Harasgama, Ali Kazmi, Agam Darshi and Arush Nand, will also bypass movie theaters are it premieres on the CBC network in Canada on Dec. 4.

Shot on location in Sri Lanka and set in the 1970s and ’80s, Funny Boy portrays a ...

Deepa Mehta’s “Funny Boy” is heading to the CBC.

The Canadian public broadcaster, whose film division CBC Films funded the feature with Telefilm Canada, has lined up a Dec. 4 premiere. Based on the eponymous, best-selling novel by Shyam Selvadurai, the film follows a young boy’s sexual awakening in Sri Lanka during the turbulent Tamil-Sinhalese conflict leading up to the civil war. Ava DuVernay’s Array Releasing picked up the film for distribution earlier this month.

“Funny Boy” will air on CBC on Dec. 4 at 8 p.m. and will be available to stream on the broadcaster’s VOD service CBC Gem. It will also receive a theatrical release in Canada, as well as select cities throughout the U.S. in December. As revealed exclusively by Variety, the film will premiere on Netflix in the U.S., U.K., New Zealand and Australia on Dec. 10.

Shot on location in Colombo,...

Deepa Mehta’s latest film, an adaptation of Shyam Selvadurai’s Sri Lanka-set coming-of-age novel “Funny Boy,” has been picked up by Ava DuVernay’s Array Releasing, and will land on Netflix this December, Variety can reveal.

The Oscar-nominated “Earth” and “Midnight’s Children” director wrote the screenplay for the film alongside Selvadurai, whose debut 1994 novel is set in Sri Lanka during the 1970s and 1980s and was ground-breaking in its discussion of identity politics against the backdrop of escalating conflict between the island nation’s Sinhalese majority and Tamil minority.

Shot on location in Colombo, the film explores Tamil protagonist Arjie’s (Arush Nand/Brandon Ingram) sexual awakening from a young boy, deemed “funny” by disapproving family, to a teenager enamoured by a male classmate, just as political tensions escalate between the Sinhalese and Tamils in the years leading up to the 1983 uprisings — violence that led into a 26-year civil war.

Pakistan has selected Laal Kabootar as its submission for the 2020 Oscars international feature film category.

Set in Karachi, the crime thriller follows Aliya Malik (Mansha Pasha) as a journalist whose husband Noman Malik (Ali Kazmi) is killed in broad daylight. In her quest for justice, she finds an unexpected ally in Ahmed Ali Akbar (Adeel Nawaz), a struggling taxi driver who wants to move to Dubai at any cost.

The directorial debut of Kamal Khan, the film was released in March and was co-produced by Geo Films and Nehr Ghar Films.

Laal Kabootar was selected by the Pakistani Academy Selection Committee,...

Pakistan has selected Laal Kabootar as its submission for the 2020 Oscars international feature film category.

Set in Karachi, the crime thriller follows Aliya Malik (Mansha Pasha) as a journalist whose husband Noman Malik (Ali Kazmi) is killed in broad daylight. In her quest for justice, she finds an unexpected ally in Ahmed Ali Akbar (Adeel Nawaz), a struggling taxi driver who wants to move to Dubai at any cost.

The directorial debut of Kamal Khan, the film was released in March and was co-produced by Geo Films and Nehr Ghar Films.

Laal Kabootar was selected by the Pakistani Academy Selection Committee,...

The highly anticipated day for the trailer launch of Ajay Devgn’s Shivaay lived up to expectations. So much so that it left the audience spell bound. The film promises to be an intense dramatic big screen entertainer.

Superstar Ajay Devgn has numerous fan clubs across India and since they were all eagerly waiting to see a glimpse of Ajay Devgn’s magnam opus Shivaay, he agreed to create a special experience for them in Indore.

The event started at 3.30 pm and was an audio video extravaganza where the Mc Anurag Pandey enlivened the evening with miniature adventure games declaring several fan winners, until the Star arrived with his co stars. The Trailer Launch Event of Shivaay also saw Ajay Devgn introducing Sayyeshaa and Erika Kaar to the fan audience. Sayyeshaa’s and Erika’s charismatic presence had the audience wooing over them. The actresses are promising and affable to say the least.

Ajay Devgn has been busy shooting for his magnum opus Shivaay in freezing temperatures, but recently the actor revealed a few teaser posters of the film before finally revealing the final poster on twitter saying, "Here is the latest poster of Shivaay, tell me what you think about this??". However, now we hear that a complaint has been filed against the actor in connection with the said poster.

In fact the complaint that has been filed in Delhi's Tilak Nagar police station by advocate Manmohan Singh states that the poster of the movie which shows Ajay Devgn climbing Lord Shiva's figure with shoes on and using an ice axe on the head of Lord Shiva, has hurts the sentiments of the people having faith in Lord Shiva and Hinduism.

As for the film Shivaay, that marks the Bollywood debut of Dilip Kumar's grandniece Sayyeshaa Saigal is said to be...

Stars: Randeep Hooda, Ali Momen, Sarah Allen, Waris Ahluwalia, Ali Kazmi, Steve Dhillon, Jag Bal, Gabe Grey, Dileep Rao, Gia | Written and Directed by Deepa Mehta

Beeba Boys starts with a scene straight out of Goodfellas: six men drive to a rendezvous, telling jokes and ribbing one another. They arrive at the—, three expensive-looking cars meeting outside a glitzy hotel, and Jeet (Randeep Hooda), the leader of the group, gets out, threatens the apologetic man receiving them and casually shoots him in the head before doing the same to his girlfriend, an act that is treated as the sequence’s punchline. This isn’t your ordinary gangster film, though – at least not aesthetically – because these men are Indo-Canadian Sikhs jostling for territory in Vancouver.

Unfortunately, this adds more novelty value than anything; though the spoken dialogue flits between Punjabi and English, different cultural events are exploited to the advantage of...

Piers Handling, CEO and Director of the Toronto International Film Festival, and Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of the Toronto International Film Festival, announced the first round of titles premiering in the Galas and Special Presentations programmes of the 40th Toronto International Film Festival. There are some wonderful film-watching opportunities for fans of South Asian film, as a slate of films either produced in, set in, or with a connection to South Asia are included in the announcement. The following is taken from the Tiff press release, with some additional notes.

Galas:

Beeba Boys – Deepa Mehta, Canada – World Premiere

An adrenaline-charged violent Indo-Canadian gang war mixes guns, bhangra beats, bespoke suits, cocaine, and betrayal. Gang boss Jeet Johar and his loyal, young crew are audaciously taking over the Vancouver drug and arms scene from an old-style crime syndicate. Hearts are broken and family bonds shattered when the Beeba Boys (known as...