Veteran actor Shabana Azmi will be part of biographical legal drama USA v Raj, starring Kabir Bedi and helmed by award-winning cinematographer Ravi K. Chandran.
The film dramatizes the life of Dr. Raj Bothra, who faced 54 federal charges at age 79 before being cleared by a unanimous jury verdict in June 2022. The doctor spent more than 1,300 days incarcerated while repeatedly denied bail.
As per a report in Variety, in the film Azmi will play Pammi Bothra, the resilient matriarch who became the pillar of strength for her family throughout their ordeal. Bedi will be essaying the role of Raj while Emily Shah will play his daughter Sonia Bothra.
The project adapts the book USA v/s Raj, written by Dr. Bothra with co-author Jennifer DeBellis and presented at this year’s Toronto Film Festival by Sholay director Ramesh Sippy and Fire filmmaker Deepa Mehta.
Principal photography has commenced in London on the feature. Prashant Shah of Bollywood Hollywood Productions is producing the film through his partnership with London’s Twickenham Productions. Post-production will be at Twickenham Studios.
Oscar-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty (Slumdog Millionaire) heads the technical team, while the script comes from writers Zill-e-Huma, Shubho Deep Pal, Hussain Dalal and Abbas Dalal.