Saaj can be seen leading a commercial for Fairy Liquid televised across the UK.
I Couldn't Do Your Job - Pleasance Theatre - London
After a fantastic reception at The Queen’s, Iceni Theatre Company are back in London at The Pleasance Theatre on a four-night run with ‘I Couldn’t Do Your Job’. A timely verbatim play about the lives of NHS paramedics.
Reviews so far:
“The cast is strong and likeable and the storyline reflects the in-depth research that has taken place by the writers.” (4 Stars)
“I Couldn’t Do Your Job was so powerful and moving, it brought tears to my eyes. And I mean it when I say, everyone needs to see this play now. Go and see it whilst you can.” (4 Stars)
ICDYJ - Play - Queen's Theatre - London
Iceni Theatre Company presents I Couldn’t Do Your Job, a new ensemble lead, a verbatim play about NHS Paramedics. We vote over it, we moan about it, we couldn’t live without it. This play will make you laugh, cry & take time to think about the people behind the uniforms. Come along to get an insight into the lives of our most prized commodity; a free health care system with lifesavers just a short call away. These are the voices you need to hear & stories that need to be told.
Work-in-progress
R&D funded by Arts Council England
Performed by Charlotte Blakemore, Abigail Climer, Alan Emrys, Hannah Fayers, Saaj Raja & Jake Turner.
Eternals - Marvel Studios - Film Trailer
The highly anticipated trailer for Marvel Studio’s, Eternals released his week featuring a stellar cast including, Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek.
You can catch Saaj dancing next to Kumail Nanjiani in an unprecedented Bollywood dance spectacle in the MCU.
Saaj was fortunate to work with Director Chloe Zao and Choreographer Nileeka Bose who bought together 50 South Asian dancers for the scene.
The scene was rehearsed and filmed over four days at Pinewood Studios in London. Eternals releases 5th November 2021.
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!
The Girl on The Train - Bollywood - Netflix
Saaj is dancing in the opening sequence of the latest Bollywood release on Netflix - The Girl on The Train. Starring Parineeti Chopra.
The film was shot in London and the song was filmed in Tilgate Park. Saaj was selected for a solo piece at the beginning of the song by choreographer Vijay Ganguly.
Right Here - Creative Crawley - Arts Festival
Playing a leading creative role in local online arts festival called “Right Here”.
Creative Crawley exists to establish a reputation for Crawley as a creative place beyond its boundaries. Involving 16 local community groups and arts organisations, 21 local artists with 24 events over 2 days, the festival included art, dance, film, photography, music, poetry, talks and much more.
Saaj led careers workshops for local Performance Arts college students. He also performed in a fantastic trailer put together to promote the festival.
Check out the tailer here!
Wagamama - Commercial - London
Saaj is currently the Vegan face of Wagamama!
The commercial was filmed in a restaurant in London during the pandemic.
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!
What Do You See? - Writer - South Asian Scratch Night (YouTube)
Saaj wrote a spoken word piece based on lockdown reflections, the BLM movement, our relationship with ourselves and social media.
Saaj was excited to showcase his writing performed by some incredible artists at Pursued By A Dragon Theatre Company’s South Asian Scratch Night via YouTube🎭
A benefit of lockdown has been the opportunity to connect with wonderful creatives like Yusuf Niazi, Tarish Patel, Sanjay Lago and Gavin Joseph.
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"
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.
Chammak Challo - Bollywood Skit - Brighton
Bollywood dance video encapsulating the bohemian streets of Brighton.
Check out this special collaboration with wonderkid Matt Aspinall as we chase our Chammak Challo, Ruchi Ranjan through the streets of sunny Brighton. Please share and comment!
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.
Shangri-La - Commercial - Paris
Selected for Shangri-La Hotel’s global commercial campaign filmed in Paris.
I’ve just come back from a week of shooting in Paris for Shangri-la group’s new commercial which will be released in the coming months. It was amazing to work with such a global team. This included, Directorial team from LA, Production from France, talent from, France, Japan, South Africa and UK.
It was a truly global shoot!
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.