(Free-Press-Release.com) September 2, 2011 -- Toronto, September 2, 2011 -- Actor Vik Sahay’s role as conniving journalist ‘Imran Sahar’ in the drama Afghan Luke doesn’t reveal many similarities to the quirky ‘Lester Patel’ he portrays on the hit television series Chuck.The drama set in the Afghan desert stars Sahay opposite Nick Stahl (Terminator 3) and Colin Cunningham (Falling Skies) and is directed by Mike Clattenburg, best known for the Canadian television mockumentary series Trailer Park Boys and premieres at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 11, 2011.
Afghan Luke centers on a war crime, discovered by journalist ‘Luke Benning’ (Nick Stahl) but kept secret from the public. When ‘Benning’ pursues the story to make sure soldiers are held accountable, ‘Sahar’ sees an opportunity to chase the story himself. Sahay found the angle on the story fascinating on the ever elusive front in Afghanistan. “In the film, these young, healthy Western journalists have descended on the conflict with their own agendas. Maybe very luxurious agendas and not altogether noble.”
Sahay feels that the acceptance into TIFF is a colossal sign of victory for the film. “It’s a huge signal that you're in the mix, that your work is being seen and valued. I feel really honored to be in the company of film artists who made it to the finish line in such style.” In 2010, Sahay came to TIFF to represented the drama Amal which received six Genie nominations. That film also was a great display of Sahay’s dramatic acting skills.About the fact that the film premieres on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, Sahay responds “It’s eerie. I remember that day so distinctly. But with the tunnel vision of the character I was playing, I didn't feel the arc of the film as being fully connected to 9/11. Of course it is. 9/11 is the domino that sets all of this in motion. But the characters are all using the war as a kind of playground to work out their identity; they go through initiations together that they would have done somewhere else had this opportunity not come up. They're kind of a narcissistic bunch in that way. That may sound cynical, but I think that's the way things go. Catastrophic, singular events take place and then a lot of life gets lived around them by people who weren't immediately affected.”Sahay found the experience of filming the drama as far away from network television as it can be. Not only was it dusty and remote, but it provided him with an artistic rejuvenation. Working with actor Nick Stahl was another highlight of the project. Sahay and Stahl got along right of the bat, “It was the beginning of a friendship that I really value. I had always watched and admired his work in a big way, so it was the thing I was most jazzed about when I got cast. And then doing the work, talking about the work, was fantastic. He's such a truthful, natural actor. I picked his brain a lot about the films he has been a part of. I really hope we get to work together again.”Afghan Luke premieres at TIFF on September 11th followed by a Q&A with cast and director. The film re-screens with a Q&A on Monday, September 12, 2011.
About Vik Sahay
About Afghan Luke:
Disheartened when his story about Canadian snipers possibly mutilating corpses in Afghanistan is buried, Luke (Nick Stahl) quits his job but is even more determined to return to Afghanistan to get the real story. With his offbeat buddy, Tom (Nicolas Wright), tagging along, Luke returns to Afghanistan and intends to gather enough evidence to get his old story into print. But he soon finds that the country is an even more dangerous place than when he left. To make matters worse, his old friend and fixer, Mateen (Stephen Lobo) has been hired away by Luke’s journalistic nemesis, Imran Sahar (Vik Sahay). Soon the trip for Luke and Tom in Afghanistan turns into a surreal and perilous adventure, a journey into an alternate reality, filtered through a haze of gun smoke. Find out more at www.afghanluke.comsample
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