I am proof that it is never too late to make your dreams come true Dr Raj Singh
SPECIALIST dermatologist Dr Raj Singh was 59-years-old when he made his big screen movie debut in the locally-made film The Castle, directed by Arish Sirkissoon. This was followed by You're Next and more recently, Highway Sheila Resurrection. The latter, due to popular demand, has a limited re-run in cinemas from December 6.
"I am proof that it is never too late to make your dreams come true," said Singh, now 62, of Musgrave.
"Writing is a passion, not a profession, so I am thankful to Arish for giving me the opportunity to write, produce and act."
Sirkissoon, also known as LX Seth, directed and co-wrote Highway Sheila Resurrection and You're Next alongside Singh. They are currently working on their fourth movie together, Love in the Winelands.
"We both co-write the scripts and we add a lot in the background. I am the executive producer in most of the movies. We have 10 movies and fortunately, we have completed three, which is definitely a feather in our cap.
"It is important that we maintain a good relationship, so we can entertain and provide good quality movies for the public. In the first showing of Highway Sheila, we got an IMDB rating of 8.5. This was a fantastic rating and one of the highest ratings for a local production. We paid a lot of attention to detail and it was well received."
IMDB is the acronym for the Internet Movie Database, or imdb.com, a website that contains general information about movies, ratings, and industry members.
Speaking about his passion for writing and acting, Singh said: "Both Hollywood and Bollywood insipred my love for movies. Personally, I enjoy certain types of movies. I do not enjoy science fiction, and movies with sleaze. I enjoy movies with a lot of action. Our movies are conservative but we also do scenes that are absolutely necessary.
“Bollywood has inspired me because my favourite actor is Amitabh Bachchan, who is 82 years old. My Hollywood inspiration is Sylvester Stallone, who is 78 years old, because he can act, write and direct; as well as Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. They can write, act and direct.”
The father of three said when he later qualified as a doctor, he decided to be a general practitioner (GP).
"While I was a GP, I didn't enjoy it, so I decided I would specialise in something I would enjoy. I found that dermatology was an involved field and therefore decided to become a dermatologist. There were a few dermatologists in the country at the time, so I had to wait almost six years to get a post for dermatology in the '90s. I eventually got the post and qualified in 2003.
"I always had a passion for the arts and I helped Arish a lot in the first movie, The Castle to which I was also the executive producer. I was one of the main contributors towards the movie and I also acted in it. I helped him with the script for the second movie, You're Next, and I co-wrote the script for Highway Sheila Resurrection. To be truthful, I am a writer who can act rather than an actor who can write. I prefer being in the background."
He said when he told his family he was cast in a movie, his wife, Radhika Singh; and their children Akkshay, 30; Priyanka Singh, 29; and Abhay Singh, 27; "were not too impressed".
"They believed that as a doctor, I should stick to my profession, but they also understood. My wife is also a doctor and her passion is cooking, and some of my friends' passion is golf. Others' passions are fishing and watching the Grand Prix and mine is writing and making movies, so I suppose we all have this alter ego about us." His clients at his practice, he said, often asked if he was the same person who featured in the movie posters.
"A lot of my patients request selfies with me but I mention to them that from 8am to 5pm, I am a professional dermatologist. After working hours, I am a people's man. If they see me professionally, I behave in a professional manner. But obviously, if I am walking in the malls and people walk up to me and request a selfie, it does make me proud. My wife sometimes feels embarrassed."
He said while Highway Sheila Resurrection, to which he was an executive producer, performed "excellent" during its initial eight week run in July, there was a demand for the movie's re-run.
"The cinema house was enthusiastic to re-screen due to its popularity. We have had to cut the movie down from 2 hours and 20 minutes, to 2 hours to accommodate for the streaming platforms. No important scenes were removed.
"We are thrilled as this is one of the few movies in recent history that will have a re-run just 6 months after the initial release. I hope the local audience watches the film as we are passionate about South Africa and regard ourselves as South Africans first."
Highway Sheila Resurrection looks into a family's 40-year quest to find their daughter's killer. A priest, played by Singh, connects with Sheila's restless spirit on the highway where she died in 1983, resulting in a chilling investigation aided by two determined detectives.
The film will be screened at Suncoast, Cornubia, Galleria and Pavilion in Durban, the Liberty Mall in Pietermaritzburg, and The Glen in Gauteng.
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