Come Fall in Love – The DDLJ Musical - Manchester Opera House

Saaj will be joining the musical adaptation of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, one of the biggest blockbuster films in the history of Indian cinema.

Entitled Come Fall in Love and helmed by Aditya Chopra, the original director of the Hindi-language film (also commonly known as DDLJ), the stage version’s narrative will be set in the UK.

It follows Simran, a young British Indian woman, who finds herself engaged to a family friend in India in an arranged marriage. However, the plot thickens when she falls in love with a British man named Roger.

Saaj will be part of the ensemble.

DDLJ is the longest-running title in Indian cinema and has been playing continuously in Mumbai since its release back in 1995.

The musical will open at Manchester’s Opera House on 29 May 2025, playing through until 21 June 2025.

PwC - Trust - Global Campaign

Where are we without trust? Saaj recently filmed a campagin with PwC about the importance of trust. The commercial will be releasing worldwide soon.

A Game of Two Halves - Global Release - Variety

Indo-British sports drama “A Game of Two Halves,” which tackles themes of identity crisis and racial dissonance, is set for a global bow in 2024.

Saaj Raja plays Sanjay, a young British student who discovers his true self not amidst the academic pressures of a prestigious university, but on the dusty fields of Hyderabad, India, while teaching soccer to underprivileged children.

Directed by British Asian filmmaker Khayam Khan, the film is set across the U.K. and India. It was filmed in the UK and Hyderabad.

‘A Game of Two Halves’ will release in cinemas in India, U.K. and North America on Feb. 23, 2024.

Only One Six - Short Film - Crawley

Carers Support West Sussex have developed a short film tackling some of the taboos surrounding dementia. The film follows the story of Neel, who cares for his uncle who lives with dementia.

The film was funded by the Dementia Trust and co-produced with carers from South Asian backgrounds in the Crawley area. The film is inspired by their stories. In some communities there is an element of stigma or shame around dementia.

The film received coverage by BBC South East today.

Watch the film here.

Actor Container - Art Film - Leicester

Two Queens is delighted to announce the presentation of a newly-commissioned film by Leeds-based artist Karanjit Panesar: Actor, Container.

The work comes out of an ongoing exploration of the relationship between the insides and outsides of things, and a fascination with the idea of seeing ‘behind-the-scenes’. I’m interested in how these things could be used to talk about authenticity, agency and truth.

The film uses a narrative structure called a ‘strange loop’; a device that involves multiple levels of reality that are nested inside each other. Strange loops are often found in stories of time travel and the supernatural, and usually result in paradoxes and general confusion.

Actor, Container follows characters Saaj and Chandni, who are pulled between these kinds of levels, only to wind up back where they started. It is a recurring dream in tandem.

Book here: https://2queens.com/exhibitions/karanjit-panesar-actor-container

I Can See Your Voice - TV Show - BBC1

Saaj appeared on BBC1’s new gameshow “I Can See Your Voice” with his father Shash! The show is hosted by Paddy McGuiness

After taking a quick Bollywood dance workshops with celebrities Amanda Holden, Jimmy Carr, Ronan Keating and Alison Hamond, they had to guess if contestants could sing without hearing their voices.

With £10,000 up for grabs, it was a nail-biting experience!

World Monologue Games Finalist 2020 - Actor - Online

Saaj was selected as a finalist for the World Monologue Games; a global event with thousands of competitors from over 80 countries.

Theatres and film sets around the world are closed for business but this didn’t Saaj’s passion for performing. His sprint monologue entry will be streamed on YouTube on 17th Oct 2020. Saaj performs a piece from the film, "Wolf" originally acted by Jack Nicholson.

During the lockdown Saaj has used the time to work on his American accent thanks to the wonderful “Rachel’s English” on YouTube!

Actor Container - Art Film - London

Saaj is leading a newly-commissioned film by Leeds based artist Karanjit Panesar to be showcased at 2 Queens Gallery in Leicester.

The film uses a narrative structure called a ‘strange loop’; a device that involves multiple levels of reality that are nested inside each other. Strange loops are often found in stories of time travel and the supernatural, and usually result in paradoxes and general confusion.

Actor, Container follows characters Saaj and Chandni, who are pulled between these kinds of levels, only to wind up back where they started. It is a recurring dream in tandem.

A Game of Two Halves - Feature Film - Sanjay (Lead) - London/Hyderabad

“A Game Of Two Halves”

This is Saaj’s debut leading a feature film. Principal photography took place in the UK and Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, the world’s largest film studio complex. The film will be released summer 2020.

By Shirley Day & Sheila Nortley

"When Sanjay, a young student decides to venture to Washington on a school fellowship programme to pursue the love of his life a twist of fate causes him to end up in a poverty stricken part of India where he teaches football whilst learning a lot about himself"

(Emineo Films)

The Good Deed - Short Film - London

A short film about the troubles and woes of a rough sleeper, his addiction, and the fate of the man that tried to help him.

This was shot in the streets of Ilford. A number of night shoots captured the gritty nature of East London after hours, when drug dealers and the homeless among roam at large. Produced by Thorngate Films and Directed by Sukhvinder Singh Durhailay and Gurpal Singh.

Identity School of Acting - Professional Training - London

Training at an award winning drama school.

I am now training with Identity School of Acting twice a week in Brixton. Covering voice, text, movement, screen and a number of other fundamentals. I have had a great start so far with a fantastic group of actors. I have also been nominated as my class President!

More updates to follow.

Jack Stall Dead - Pilot Episode - London

Pilot episode for all-action drama Jack Stall.

Filming for this action show has begun in London. I play a member of the Intelligence Task Force, responsible for fighting a looming terrorist threat.

The production is directed by Ali Jacko and stars Lulia Vantur.

PBL Jewellers - Short Film - London

A short film in collaboration with PBL Jewellers about siblings reuniting on Raksha Bandhan.

Raj has not spoken to his sister, Priya in years. Today is Raksha Bandhan which celebrates the bond between siblings. Will Raj put his family feud aside to reconcile with his younger sister? Click the video link to find out!

This short was filmed in London with Director Sanjeev Ramesh and the very talented Esha Jass.

Foreigner's Pride - Met Film School - London

A short drama about a young woman caught between her traditional upbringing and her new found dream.

This is my first role as the male lead in a film project!

Foreigner’s Pride explores the volatile marriage between Giribala and Aniket. The combination of Giribala’s new found dream and Aniket’s destructive behaviour leads to a dramatic showdown. Aniket’s affair with theatre actress Latika, threatens to end his marriage.

The film is Produced by the Met Film School and Directed by the incredible Upasana Chakraborty. It was shot in Ealing Film Studios and Canary Wharf over five days. I learnt so much working with my co-star Ruchi Ranjan.

The final day of filming coincided with my birthday! The whole team organised a cake for me which was a lovely gesture.

Foreigner’s Pride will be released October 2019.

HMN - Central Film School - Actor - London

Short film revolving around identity and relationship boundaries.

They say the best way to learn is to go straight into the deep end. Sink or swim? It was the latter for me on this project thanks to the incredible Direction of Zachary Carruthers. This short is produced by Eliza Zandanel and the Central Film School in London. It centres around the relationship between a Alexi and her son Julian who’s worlds become turned upside down by the arrival of Chaviv.

My character Chaviv. skirts the line between love and power as he manipulates his lover Alexi and her son Julian, in more ways than one. I had to audition twice for the part and I had an amazing experience acting with Julie and Timotei Cobeanu.

His Mother’s Nakedness will be released in November 2019.