Showing posts with label Emily Shah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Emily Shah. Show all posts
Shabana Azmi reveals USA v Raj is all about Dr Rajendra Bothra’s long legal battle against healthcare fraud
10:03 AM
Shabana Azmi in the film; Kabir Bedi plays Dr Rajendra Bothra; Dr Rajendra Bothra Pics/AFP, X, Instagram
Starring in ‘USA v Raj’, Shabana Azmi says the movie chronicles Dr Rajendra Bothra’s three-year-plus legal battle in America after being accused of healthcare fraud
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; February 3, 2026)
When Shabana Azmi described the story of her next, USA v Raj, as “fab”, it naturally caught our attention. Directed by famed cinematographer Ravi K Chandran, the Indo-British co-production tells the story of Dr Rajendra Bothra, a celebrated surgeon in the US who was accused of fraud and faced 54 federal charges at age 79, before being cleared by a unanimous jury verdict in June 2022. While Kabir Bedi plays the protagonist, Azmi essays the role of his wife Pammi Bothra, and Emily Shah, their daughter Sonia.
“Dr Bothra was advised by all lawyers to plead guilty. His attorneys told him if he didn’t do so, he would die in prison. He said, ‘So be it. It’s the question of my honour, my family’s honour and that of the country I come from.’ The odds of a possible win were only 0.3 per cent, but he fought back. He spent three-and-a-half years in jail! Then he was acquitted on every single charge,” shared Azmi, when we got on a call with her.
USA v Raj went on floors in London in October 2025. With a chunk of the legal drama completed, the director is now planning the last leg in India and aiming for a summer 2026 release. The movie chronicles how in 2018, at a time when the US was witnessing a significant increase in opioid use and addiction, the surgeon was accused of further fuelling it.
To Azmi, the film depicts not only Bothra’s integrity, but also the determination of Pammi, who didn’t let her health complications shake her as she stood by her husband during the legal battle. “His wife and their daughter Sonia took on the responsibility to set him free,” marvelled the senior actor. She added that during the two-month shoot, the husband-wife duo would be on the set every day. “I got along very well with Pammi.”
The actor has a busy line-up in 2026. Besides USA v Raj, she will be seen in Awarapan 2 and more. “I am also doing a film produced by Mukesh Chhabra. There are three more projects in the pipeline.”
Fast & Furious 7 assistant director Emily Shah plays a pivotal part in Abhay Deol-starrer Jungle Cry
8:08 AM
Abhay Deol’s leading lady, Emily Shah, has assisted on big budget franchises such as Fast & Furious 7 and Jersey Boys and is the daughter of a producer of Hindi and Hollywood films
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 4, 2019)
Emily Shah makes her Bollywood debut as Abhay Deol’s leading lady in Sagar Ballary’s Jungle Cry, a biopic on the life of rugby coach Rudraksha Jena of Bhubaneswar’s Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) who led the team of rural Odisha boys to a big win in London. Interestingly, the US-based actress has, in the past, assisted on the sets of Hollywood blockbusters like Fast & Furious 7 and Jersey Boys.“I grew up doing theatre and am also a dancer, having learnt ballet, tap, jazz, modern and Bollywood moves. I enjoy making the audience laugh, cry and sit on the edge of their seats. I did Fortune Defies Death, a film about defying death which was screened at several film festivals and bagged awards,” Emily informs.
Her mother is American, with Welsh and Scottish blood, while her father is an Indian film producer who’s done both Hindi and Hollywood films which was how she went on to assist on the big-budget franchise. “My Baa (grandmother) taught me Gujarati even before I learnt English and would take me with her to the mandir. That’s how I came to practise Hinduism,” she says.
Speaking about her Hindi film which was shot in Wales, Emily shares that being the team’s physiotherapist, she was doctor and mentor both on and off the field. “I trained with a physio and by the end of my prep, I learnt all about rugby and medicine,” she smiles, saying she wanted her first film to convey a strong message.
The actress is all praise for Abhay. “He’s a veteran actor, knowledgeable about the Indian film industry and also how cinema in the West works. We clicked instantly. We didn’t rehearse but I’m sure we will create magic on screen,” she promises.
Emily Shah joins family cum sports drama Jungle Cry co-starring Abhay Deol
7:59 AM
BOMBAY TIMES (November 21, 2018)
Indian-American actress Emily Shah has joined the cast of the family drama, Jungle Cry. The former Miss New Jersey, who is also the youngest person to hold the title, will be seen sharing screen space with Abhay Deol, Stewart Wright (Doctor Who), Julian Lewis Jones (Invictus, Bank Job) and Rugby World Cup referee, Nigel Owens. The film also features members of the World Rugby Union, Swansea University and Scarlets, a rugby team that’s close to 150 years old.
Emily recently graduated from California State University in Entertainment Media Management, and has been an assistant director on Fast and Furious 7, Captain America and Run All Night (Liam Neeson). She has also assisted Clint Eastwood on Jersey Boys.
Jungle Cry, directed by Sagar Ballary and produced by Bollywood Hollywood Production, is set in Bhubaneshwar, Wales and London. It’s the true story of the Jungle Crows team — 12 young boys from India’s extreme tribal regions, who played the sport barefoot, and went on to win the coveted U14 Rugby World Cup in England.
Emily says, “It is a great honour to be the lead actress in a film based on a true story. Since my modelling days, I have been supporting UNICEF’s initiative to eradicate polio, so it is only natural to continue to give back to society with this film. The film has received immense support from the World Rugby Union community in Wales and London.”
The film traces the journey of Dr. Samanta from Odisha’s KISS foundation, British diplomat Paul Walsh who was awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire), the tribal boys and their coach from Bhubaneshwar to Welsh, which is considered to be the capital of Rugby. Jungle Cry is scheduled for a summer 2019 release.
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