‘People Just Do Nothing’ Star Asim Chaudhry In Viaplay’s ‘Listen Up!’

EXCLUSIVE: BAFTA-nominated People Just Do Nothing star Asim Chaudhry is to lead Nordic streamer Viaplay’s latest original feature, a Norwegian adaptation of Gulraiz Sharif’s Listen Up!.

Chaudhry, who has also starred in Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and Wonder Woman 1984, will star alongside newcomers Mohammed Ahmed and Liza Haider in the film about 15-year-old Mahmoud, who is looking forward to the summer vacation. When his uncle arrives on a visit from Pakistan, Mahmoud takes on the task of showing him everything that the capital city has to offer and at the same time his younger brother lets him in on a personal secret.

The film will drop on the Nordic streamer following a cinema window next year, joining Gold Run on Viaplay’s slate of Norwegian features. Kaveh Tehrani is directing and the feature is being made in partnership with Motlys and Arthaus.

The novel was last year’s “most borrowed book from the Oslo Public Library,” according to recently-rebranded Viaplay Group Chief Content Officer Filippa Wallestam.

“The characters are multi-layered and the themes universal,” she added. “This is a film for everyone.”

UK comic actor Chaudhry’s involvement is a major coup for Viaplay, which is set to launch in the nation in the second half of this year. He has starred in a number of features but is best known for playing Chabuddy G in critically-acclaimed BBC Three comedy People Just Do Nothing, which spawned movie People Just Do Nothing: Big In Japan and for which he was twice BAFTA-nominated.

Listen Up! is scripted by Erlend Loe (Quick) and Nora Landsrød (Stockholm Bloodbath), with Ingvil Berger and Yngve Sæther producing for Motlys and Kari Moen Kristiansen as executive producer for Viaplay Group. It is produced in partnership with Norsk Filminstitutt, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, and Oslo Filmfond.