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Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar’s Indian studio Excel Entertainment has boarded Danish Renzu’s film “Songs of Paradise” as a producer.

“Songs of Paradise” tells the story of the first female singer at Radio Kashmir, a radio station in the valley of Kashmir, a paradise on earth marred by conflict. The film is inspired by the music and songs of Raj Begum (1927-2016). It explores Begum’s journey of becoming a singer at a time when women had limited rights. It highlights the people who opened doors for female artists in the valley and helped them break barriers and stereotypes.

Saba Azad (“Rocket Boys”) plays the lead role. The cast also includes Soni Razdan (“Pippa”), Zain Khan Durrani (“Mukhbir: The Story of a Spy”), Taaruk Raina (“Mismatched”), Sheebha Chaddha (“The Trial”), Shishir Sharma (“Kazi”) and Lillette Dubey (“Made in Heaven”).

Producers include Sidhwani, Akhtar, Shafat Qazi, Renzu and Kassim Jagmagia.

The Elemental cast features an impressive group consisting of newcomers and seasoned veterans playing characters representing the elements of nature for Pixar's 27th feature film. The animated movie tells the touching story of two young anthropomorphic elemental beings — one is fire, and the other is water — who fall in love despite the prejudices that exist between their people (and obvious practical barriers that come with being made out of fire and water). Like many of the studio's crowning achievements, Pixar's Elemental features a simple plot that is counterbalanced by the studio's amazing storytelling craft and unique visual language.

The unique plot and premise of Elemental is all supplemented by a stellar ensemble of voice talent. Though the cast of Elemental doesn't necessarily jump off the page as a roster of A-list names, many of the actors involved in the movie are experts at their craft and have lent their...

A new breed of filmmakers who have veered into the profession from other vocations are drawing inspiration from their past calling. "I have worked at the stock market in 1990 and 1991, so I immediately related to this story and idea. From there, we started researching and working on it. Those times were so different," says Kookie Gulati.

Kookie Gulati's upcoming Abhishek Bachchan-starrer "The Big Bull" is an instance. The film draws its plot from the securities scam of 1992, and is broadly based on stockbroker Harshad Mehta's life and his involvement in financial crimes over a period of 10 years from 1980 to 1990. Gulati reveals how his stint working at the stock market in the past helped him.

Gulati had other references from his own life in the script. "It's basically the struggle of a guy who starts from the beginning and a lot of it actually happened with my father when he came to Mumbai from Ahmednagar.

The Illegal, a film that recently premiered on Amazon Prime Video starring Suraj Sharma, Adil Hussain and Shweta Tripathi among others, is a gritty and realistic tale of a young film school student from middle-class India who is forced to drop out to support his family while staying in the United States as an undocumented worker.

According to the 'Life of Pi' actor, Suraj Sharma, the film's story was a lot similar to his personal life experiences. He shares, "During my time in America, I used to go to all these Indian restaurants for my 'Ghar Ka Khaana', where I came across all these Indian people and their back stories, which gave me a very sharp and clear insight of their life. Over the course of years, I realized what intense backgrounds they come from, how they are pushing themselves to provide for their families and fulfill their goals.

Mumbai, March 24 (Ians) Actor Suraj Sharma says the story of his new film "The Illegal" is a lot similar to his personal life experiences, and that was the reason he signed the film.

The film, co-starring Adil Hussain and Shweta Tripathi, tells the story of a young film school student from Delhi who heads to Los Angeles to study filmmaking, and ends up a waiter at an Indian restaurant to support his dream.

"During my time in America, I used to go to all these Indian restaurants for my 'ghar ka khaana', where I came across all these Indian people and their back stories, which gave me a very sharp and clear insight of their lives," Suraj said.

He added: "Over the course of years, I realised what intense backgrounds they come from, how they are pushing themselves to provide for their families and fulfil their goals. So, when I...

The Illegal (film on Amazon Prime); Cast: Suraj Sharma, Shweta Tripathi, Adil Hussain, Neelima Azim, Iqbal Theba, Hannah Masi, Jay Ali; Direction: Danish Renzu; Rating: * * * and 1/2 (three and a half stars)

By Vinayak Chakravorty

You'd think you have seen this before. A young boy from middle-class India lands in the United States chasing a dream, and his struggle for sustenance becomes portrait of the grind that almost every immigrant must endure.

If Danish Renzu's film is outstanding despite the note of familiarity, it is because of the sheer authenticity with which the writer-director tells his tale. The film is unflinching in tone, yet sensitive enough while dissecting the reality it presents. Renzu uses his crisp runtime of 86 minutes well, to set up nuanced storytelling.

Unlike most films pertaining to the subject, "The Illegal" is not about immigrants who enter the US unlawfully. It is about people who come in with legitimate papers,...

The Illegal movie review is here. The 2019 Indian American English-language drama film is written and directed by Danish Renzu. Produced by Tara Tucker, and Danish Renzu, The Illegal stars Suraj Sharma, Iqbal Theba and Shweta Tripathi in the lead roles. The Illegal is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

The Illegal movie review

Of people, places, dreams, reality and spaces, Danish Renzu’s 'The Illegal' deals with these vicious cycles of an American dream of an Indian with heart and leaves behind some fodder for thought.

Running on the familiar plot line of an Indian immigrant struggling to pursue the great American dream – somewhat similar in theme with Mira Nair’s 2006 'Namesake' starring Irrfan Khan and Tabu.

Danish Renzu’s 'The Illegal' works because it’s weaved with a heart that bleeds with earnestness, need and melancholy.

It must be understood that the immigrant in 'The Illegal'...

Filmmaker Danish Renzu has not forgotten about his home in Kashmir or, for that matter, its people. The 35-year-old filmmaker talks of his "conscious" decision to involve local Kashmiris in all future projects.

"There is a sense of responsibility when I say this. I want films as an industry to flourish in Kashmir. In my last film, almost everyone, from writers to light-man, to camerapersons, were all Kashmiris. I am going to make sure that I continue this practice in future," says Renzu.

"I have never really forgotten about home and I always carry it in my heart, wherever I go," added Renzu, who spent time in Los Angeles studying engineering at UCLA for a while.

His assertion finds resonance in his new film, "The Illegal", which has dropped digitally. The film starring Suraj Sharma, Adil Hussain, Shweta Tripathi and Neelima Azim deals with the theme of migration.

"There were...

By Samarth Goyal

New Delhi, March 23 (Ians) Actor Suraj Sharma has been a witness to the changing face of projects led by non-White communities in Hollywood. The 28-year-old actor, who made his debut in Ang Lees 'Life Of Pi' in 2012, feels that Hollywood has been more open to include different communities through films.

"There has been a big change since ‘Life Of Pi'. There are more (coloured) people involved, not just as actors or in front of the camera, but even behind the camera, there are a lot more people from different communities," says Suraj.

The Delhi-born actor feels that while there is "a lot more room for inclusivity", he feels that nomination of actors such as Riz Ahmed in the Best Actor category at the upcoming Oscar awards, or the nomination of a film like 'The White Tiger', means that the West is opening...

Amazon Prime Video is all set to bring a critically acclaimed title - The Illegal, in India. Written and Directed by Danish Renzu,, the film brings to fore the downside of the Great American Dream, that many chase. Through its gripping narrative, the film mirrors the harsh realities of the young migrants who journey to America in search of a better life, but end up struggling to make the ends meet. The struggles and triumphs of the migrant is aptly projected by the BAFTA-nominated actor Suraj Sharma, who takes this narrative forward effortlessly, in the film. He is joined by Hannah Masi, Shweta Tripathi, Iqbal Theba, Jay Ali, Adil Hussain, Danny Vasquez and Neelima Azim, who play pivotal roles in the film.

'The Illegal' is about this student from India who is accepted to a prestigious university, he leaves his home, country, and family behind to pursue the American Dream.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Thursday revealed the 366 feature films that are eligible for consideration at the 93rd Oscars, which are set to air April 25 live on ABC.

The total number of films is up from last year’s 344 films in contention.

This year’s list was compiled based on tweaked eligibility rules implemented because of the coronavirus pandemic, which has pushed the ceremony to its latest date ever. For this year, feature films had to open by February 28 in a commercial motion picture theater for a seven-day qualifying run in at least one of six metro areas: Los Angeles County, New York City, the Bay Area, Chicago, Miami and Atlanta. Drive-in theaters open nightly were included as qualifying venues, as were films intended for theatrical release but because of the lockdown made available first via streaming, VOD service or other broadcast.

Today’s news comes...

Exclusive: Jay Ali is set to join the cast of Legendary Entertainment Amazon’s Carnival Row for season 2 as a series regular. This marks a reunion between Ali and new showrunner Erik Oleson who worked together on the final season of Marvel’s Daredevil on Netflix.

Ali will star opposite Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne in the series set in a Victorian fantasy world of mythological immigrant creatures whose exotic homelands were invaded by the empires of man. Ali will play Kaine, a Faerie allied with the Black Raven criminal gang, alongside Delevingne’s Vignette.

In October, Deadline exclusively reported that Oleson came on board as executive producer and new showrunner, replacing the season 1 showrunner Marc Guggenheim. Amazon renewed Carnival Row for a second season in July, ahead of its debut in August.

Ali can be seen next in the second season of The Purge on the USA Network. He will also...

The science fiction film, "Cargo", which stars actors Vikrant Massey and Shweta Tripathi", will be screened at 21st edition of Jio Mami Mumbai Film Festival with Star.

Directed by Arati Kadav, "Cargo" has been selected in the Mami Spotlight section.

Also Read:?Vikrant Massey: Nepotism a minor road bump for an actor

The movie traces the journey of a female astronaut who meets a reticent astronaut on a spaceship. With the struggles of her job piling on, she gets better acquainted with the mysterious cargoes that land on the ship.

Talking about the film's selection at Mami, Vikrant said: "We wanted to tell our story and wanted the film to reach out to as many people as possible. Mami has been catering to the quality cinema in Mumbai.

"I remember as a kid or in college, I used to stand in queues to get the passes for movies and today my own film is there.