The Canadian Parvasi - Issue 03

The International News Weekly July 14, 2017 | Toronto 06
MAHARAJA DULEEP SINGH'S FILM
THE BLACK PRINCE
to have big-bang opening in Pakistan, says director Kavi Raz
The Canadian Parvasi
TORONTO: Los Angelesbased
Punjabi filmmaker,
actor and writer Kavi Raz
is set for worldwide release
of his film The Black Prince
on the life of Duleep Singh
on July 21.
He says the film is his attempt
to do justice to the
tragic life of the last maharaja
of the Sikh empire.
"Maharaja Duleep
Singh went through so
much in his tragic life of
55 years. He was crowned
the maharaja at the age of
five. The British took away
his empire and imprisoned
his mother Maharani Jind
Kaur when he was eight.
Then he was banished from
his kingdom at the age of 11,
converted to Christianity
at the age of 15 and exiled
to Britain at the age of 16,’’
says Kavi Raz, who was the
first Punjabi to enter Hollywood
in the 1970s.
The film is being released
in English, Hindi
and Punjabi. "We are releasing
it in India, Pakistan,
the US, Canada, Fiji,
Australia, New Zealand,
Italy, Spain, Singapore,
Malaysia, etc. But The
Black Prince will have a
`big-bang’ release in Pakistan
``because there is a lot
interest in the film there as
Duleep Singh’s kingdom
was there,’’ says the filmmaker.
In an interview with
The Canadian Parvasi,
Kavi Raz talks about why
he wanted to do this film
and his own journey in
Hollywood.
Q: First off, whose idea was
this film?
There is an old Sikh historian
Jasjeet Singh living in
the Bay area who floated
the idea of a film on Maharaja
Duleep Singh about
seven or eight years ago.
He approached people in
Mumbai, but it didn’t work
out. Then he approached
Brillstein Entertainment
Partners in Hollywood.
Brillstein Entertainment
Partners, who are also the
makers of the Academy
Award-winning film 12
Years a Slave, contacted
me. That’s how I got involved
with this film. They
asked me to do the script
which I did in 28 days. Then
I got on board as a director
as well.
Q: How were Satinder Sartaaj
and Shabana Azmi chosen
for the roles of Maharaja
Duleep Singh and Maharani
Jinda?
Jasjeet Singh proposed the
name of Satinder Sartaaj. I
knew nothing about him,
but when I saw his videos,
I was simpressed that
he looked very much like
Maharaja Duleep Singh.
We called him to LA. We
put him through training
in Mumbai and LA for the
role and you will be very
happy to see his role.
As for Shabana Azmi,
I met her in London when
we were looking for the
cast of the film. She was
also in London for a play.
She liked the script. When
I told her that you will be
the only character in the
film who will speak Punjabi,
she said she doesn’t
know Punjabi. But you will
be amazed to see Shabana
speaking flawless Punjabi
in the film.
Q: How did you choose
Amanda Roots for the role
of Queen Victoria and other
white characters?
They all liked the script
and just came on board.
Amanda Roots came in for
the role of Queen Victoria.
Q: Where has the film been
shot?
Mostly in England, but we
also shot for six days in Rajasthan.
Q: How long did it take to
shoot it?
It took us about two years
and we shot for 50-plus
days. We could have
wrapped it up earlier but
many locations were not
available.
Q: The film has been shown
at various film festivals in
the UK and the US. What has
been the response?
The response has been
fabulous. More than anything
else, it is the young
mainstream crowds who
are coming to watch this
film and I am very happy
about that.
Q: Do you think you have
been able to tell the story
of Maharaja Duleep Singh in
this film the way you wanted?
Maharaja Duleep Singh
was made to go through so
much in his life of 55 years.
The colonial British Empire
took everything away
from him (his kingdom, his
mother, his faith and his
As for Shabana Azmi, I met
her in London when we were
looking for the cast of the
film. She was also in London
for a play. She liked the
script. When I told her that
you will be the only character
in the film who will
speak Punjabi, she said she
doesn’t know Punjabi. But
you will be amazed to see
Shabana speaking flawless
Punjabi in the film.
possessions). He was kept
separated from his mother
for so many years. When he
became aware of his roots,
he regained his faith and
tried to regain his kingdom,
but the colonial British
empire thwarted him.
This film is an attempt to
portray his tragic life, but
you can’t do justice to him
in just one film. So we have
also shot a four-part series
which will be released after
the film so that people
know the whole life story
of the last maharaja of the
Sikh empire.
Q: With over 250 films and
TV episodes under you belt,
you have made a name for
yourself in Hollywood as the
first Punjabi. How difficult
was it to enter it as a first
south Asian actor?
I had to struggle very hard,
but I was determined and
prepared for it. First, I
joined the world’s premier
Lee Strasber Theatre and
Film Institute in West Hollywood.
In fact, I was first
south Asian to join it. Even
when I was a student there,
I set up my own theatre
company called Wandering
Players under which we
did lots of theatre and TV.
But my biggest difficult
was that I was an Indian
trying to enter a world
dominated by white actors.
Many times even the Indian
roles I had applied for
went to white actors.
I recall how once I lost
the role of a Pakistani doctor
in a Hollywood movie
to a light- skinned black actor.
Here I was waiting in
the studios of 20th Century
Fox, thinking that I will bag
this role, but they chose the
light-skinned black guy for
that role. It was so difficult
in the early days for me.
Q: What next?
Inspired by the life story of
Maharaja Duleep Singh, I
want to do more such films
about historical figures. I
am doing a film on Mewa
Singh who shot dead a spying
British Indian police
officer in Vancouver about
a hundred years ago. I am
also planning a film on
Shaheed Udham Singh and
Gadar heroes. My Punjabi
film Mera Watan is also
ready.