Strong Son is a Canadian drama film, directed by Ian Bawa and released in 2026.Lana Castle, "Seventeen, Strong Son to bow in TIFF’s Discovery". Playback, July 22, 2026. The film stars Mandeep Sodhi as Harvinder “Harvey” Singh, an Indo-Canadian bodybuilder who moves back home to become a caregiver for his father Jagdeep (Amrit Parbhakar) due to his father's declining health.Nicholas Sokic, "Ian Bawa’s feature debut Strong Son shooting in Winnipeg". Playback, February 13, 2025.
The cast also includes Michaela Kurimsky, Yuvraj Singh Dhesi, Erik Athavale, Onalee Ames, Suzanne Pringle, Kristian Jordan, Susan Loewen and Josh Pinette in supporting roles.
Production Bawa's full-length directorial debut, the film is an expansion of his short film of the same name, which premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival."Winnipeg filmmaker gets personal in TIFF short film 'Strong Son'". CBC News Manitoba, September 14, 2020. Based in part on his real-life relationship with his own father Jagdeep, the short version directly starred his father as the fictional dad.Ian Bawa, "My big break was a film about my dad. Then he passed away". Now or Never, March 10, 2022.
Bawa subsequently released the short films My Son Went Quiet and The Best in 2024, with both films also drawing on Bawa's real-life relationship with his father.Randall King, "Manitoba credits roll at TIFF". Winnipeg Free Press, September 5, 2024.
The feature version went into production in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 2025.
Release The film premiered in the Discovery program at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival.Ryan Lattanzio, "Jodie Comer and Harry Melling Taxidermy Musical ‘Stuffed’ Leads TIFF Discovery Lineup of Rising Filmmakers". IndieWire, July 22, 2026.
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