# Finally Toronto in the movies - Kismat Konnection


![](http://www.timesnow.tv/ImageGallery/N11296.jpg)Yesterday while
looking through the very small adult section in the community library
where I am volunteering in Varanasi, I came across a guidebook about
Toronto ([Toronto: The Unknown
City](http://www.amazon.ca/Toronto-City-Howard-Akler/dp/1551521466)).
Although the title is a bit misleading, since it’s more of a
conventional guidebook than anything very “unknown” (at least by
residents), I still enjoyed reading about and seeing pictures of a city
that I spent so much time in. This time, I left it on the 24th of May,
and will be back in early September for probably at least two more
years.

In the evening, I went to the local mall (not very fancy, and
characterized by older women standing in front of automatic escalators
trying to summon up courage to step on) to watch a movie. I did not know
anything about the movie I had chosen, [Kismat
Konnection](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kismet_Connection), but was
tipped off during the opening credits, where several institutions in
Toronto and Ontario were thanked. Was part of this movie taking part in
Toronto? I was already excited.

I didn’t have to wait long, Shahrukh Khan’s voice-over in the beginning
of the movie began “I live in Toronto, in 427 Adelaide Street” (not sure
about the number). Imagine my delight - the movie was not only set in
Toronto, it was unabashedly, proudly, advertising the fact.

A bit of background information: Toronto is the third most active cinema
production site in North America, and lots of US blockbusters have been
produced there, but almost always camouflaging it as another city (as
for example recently “Good Morning, Baltimore”). Local film production
in Canada, except for French films (which barely get a showing in
Angloland), is almost non-existant, and the very few films I did see
from Toronto, made by Canadian producers, also did not “advertise their
location”, but were mostly shot in-doors, with close-up shots etc, and
could have been made anywhere.

The thing is that I love cities, and I love fiction - movies and novels
- that are geographically “anchored”. Perhaps this is partly because I
move around so much, and when I arrive in a new city, to make it my home
for some years, I try to understand that city. Walking the lengths and
breadth of it, learning the local language (not necessary in the case of
Toronto, although Chinese helps), reading the local newspaper are all
parts of this - as is reading novels and watching movies set in that
city.

Perhaps coming from a small city, in a country with only five million
inhabitants, also plays a role. I believe that its important for people
to see their lives and surroundings reflected in fiction, and never
understood why every movie in the universe had to be set in LA or New
York (when I did a “tour of stars’ homes” in LA, this was driven home to
me - they pointed out not only houses where stars live, but also the
many different films and serials the houses had featured in - these
producers are too lazy to even venture out of their own neighbourhood).
I love showing the Norwegian film Buddy to my friends in different
countries, and point out all the different locations in Oslo that I
recognize - this is close to my home, this is close to where I worked, I
used to take this streetcar to work every day, etc.

I think Toronto is a unique city. God knows I complain about it enough,
and there are many things I’d like to change, but all in all it’s a
place I’ve grown very fond of. I’ve been dying to watch good movies that
are explicitly set in Toronto, about Toronto, and come up very short.
What’s worse, my Torontonian friends are quite confused by my
complaints, and wonder why anyone would want to watch films set in
Toronto. I want terrorists taking over city hall, bike chases in
Scarborough, romance on the islands, brave teachers in Minnesauga, wise
Indian shopkeepers dispensing wisdom on Gerrard, college pranks at St.
George… Until now, my list didn’t feature “Bollywood singing and dancing
on the Harbourfront”, but that is what I got.

As I mentioned, I was prepared to be combing through the film,
observantly catching small glimpses of a streetscape that I knew.
Instead I was treated to great vistas from the Broadview bridge, and
Toronto skyline by night. The office of the property developers is
clearly in 200 King St, and the film is about saving the Harbourfront
Community Center from demolition. The final scene even takes place
inside the Toronto city hall. They jaywalk on College, and go partying
near Yonge and Dundas, take the streetcar, and even skirt traffic under
the highway near the lake.

A great movie, not just because of Toronto. Last week I watched
Mehbooba, which represented the worst of Bollywood - all singing and
dancing in exotic landscapes (Budapest and New York), a huge elaborate
wedding, great emotions, for no reason at all, with no character
development, no plot, and no meaning. It’s the kind of movie that if
someone watches it as their first Bollywood movie, all their prejudices
would be reaffirmed, and they’d never watch another. Kismat Konnection
on the other hand, is still no deep work of art, but it’s a funny and
likeable movie that just happens to be set in a great city :).

I wonder if this movie would be able to get showings in mainstream
cinemas in Toronto, or writeups in newspapers. I have many times
complained about how parochial mainstream cinemas are, showing all
Hollywood on their 15+ screens, even when surrounded by large
percentages of Chinese, South-Indians, Latinos etc. Or the fact that NOW
Magazine (which I love) still wastes pages on every mediocre Hollywood
movie that comes out, but doesn’t even mention Taare Zameen Par, one of
the best movies of the year, even though it runs on at least three
screens in Toronto, and is subtitled and fully accessible to all.

Enough about that though, run and watch the movie. And let’s rejoice
about the fact that at least someone thinks Toronto is photogenic enough
to not have to be hidden away.

Stian