Shades of Ray

I saw "Shades of Ray" in NYC this past weekend at the South Asian International Film Festival. The plot of the movie deals with Ray coming to terms with his biracial background. Although this movie focuses on a half Pakistani half Caucasion man it could be any biracial story; it has a universal appeal. All the characters are endearing and after 90 quick minutes, I didn't want the movie to end! Zachary Levi is fantastic playing the lead role of Ray, his comedic timing is incredible. The supporting cast are all amazing; whoever did the casting was very successful. I hope this movie is picked up for distribution. I think it would be a shame if this fantastic romantic comedy was not made available for everyone to enjoy!!

I was privileged to see this film at its world premier at the Austin Film Festival. Ray's family dynamics were fun and still familiar, making it easy to connect with him. Writer-director Jaffar created endearing characters. Despite some of the story weaknesses, I found this film irresistible. I was even more enchanted when a whole slew of folks got up on the stage for the Q&A after the screening, AND Jaffar introduced his parents who were in the audience. Zach, Sarah and Fran were extremely funny. Made even more so by the fact that Zach and Sarah were functioning on little sleep after wrapping their TV shooting schedules for the week and coming out to Austin almost immediately after. The support shown for this filmmaker only goes to show the passion behind this project; and, imho, those are the only projects worth spending my time on. Jaffar was articulate and very helpful with his responses to questions for us first time filmmakers.

If Zach Levi doesn't charm you as Ray, then you're either dead or in a coma. Sarah Shahi as Sana, same. Actually, the same can be said for all the leads, Fran Kranz, Bonnie Sommerville, Brian George and Kathy Baker - all did wonderful work. With my apologies to the rest of the cast for this next statement. Brian George stole the show as Ray's father. It was very obvious in the writing that Jaffar knew this character very well, and Brian picked up that ball and ran with it. He was highly entertaining to watch.

Zach is still a young actor, but if he's able to keep at his craft and continues selecting projects with this much heart, I see greatness in his career. He's going to be a tremendously talented actor, and he's already quite good! He made it easy for me to connect with and care about Ray. Sarah Shahi was a surprise. I see her every week on "Life", and really had no idea how talented she was - she acts so effortlessly on that show! Of course her character Sana in "SoR" is quite different from that of Dani Reese on "Life", but her personality during the Q&A is entirely different from both of them. Well done, you, Sarah! I don't know about anyone else, but I'll be watching for future projects with all these folks, including Jaffar of course! I hope you get distribution because I'll pay so I can see this again.

This is an excellent "feel good" movie filled with great humor. The cast includes many up and coming actors such as Zachary Levi from Chuck and Sarah Shahi from Life. Zachary Levi puts forth an excellent comedic and heartfelt performance. All of the leads in the film have a rare connection that is hard to find in most romantic comedies.

The director Jaffar Mahmood was able to intertwine South Asian culture with western culture and made it easy for each viewer to relate to. This film is truly a breath of fresh air during a time period where most South Asian/Middle Eastern films are about war and suffering.

I highly recommend this film for viewers looking for a good romantic comedy!

I saw the world premiere of this movie at the Austin Film Festival. It was a great movie. The balance of comedy and drama was perfect. It was also cool that the cast and director were at the screening, they were a lot of fun. The star, Zach Levi, did a great job and had a flawless performance. The fact that he's "Chuck" and that he knew that my wolverines shirt was from Red Dawn didn't hurt either. The whole cast had great chemistry and seemed to have a great time making it. Ray's dad, played by Brian George, was one of my favorites. Jaffar, the director, made sure to let us know that this character was pretty much a carbon copy of his father, which made me a little jealous. Fran Kranz was the constant source of comedy, and never disappointed. He told me how surprised he was by how he seemed to lose and gain weight every other scene, which was funny and amazing since it only took 19 days to film. Sarah Shahi was the perfect choice for Ray's surprise love interest. Not sure how anyone couldn't fall in love with her. The movie needs to get picked up and out in theaters soon. Go see it if you get the chance.

Shades of Ray was fabulous, i saw it last night in New York City for the South Asian Int'l Film Festival. Great balance of comedy and drama, i am not a particularly indie film savvy person, but i would buy this movie on DVD in a heartbeat. This movie, especially the casting, had the right amount of earthiness as well as a little flair in the roles of Zachary Levi and Brian George. i cant explain how much i love it, i think that the movie truly achieved its purpose, it showed that sadly some prejudices still exist in a subtle yet ingrained ways, and yet people know about it, and just aren't willing to wholeheartedly give them up.