Filmmaker Returns to Tufts for Screening of 'Shades of Ray'

Jaffar Mahmood (LA '90), who was featured in last week’s Weekender Interview, knew he wanted to make movies a long time before he even began writing the script for what would become “Shades of Ray,” which screened last night in Braker 001. The film was written, directed, and produced by Mahmood, and for this Daily reporter, redefined what could be qualified as “Indie” film.

The movie is based around the love life of Ray Rehman, a 20-something Tufts Grad living in LA attempting to make it as an actor, and the influence his ethnicity exerts on his romantic choice. Ray’s father is Pakistani and his mother a white Catholic, leading him to question his choice to marry a white woman when another Ethnic female “mutt,” as he calls it, comes into the picture.

While the issues of race are openly addressed throughout the film, the story is, at its most basic level, a romantic comedy of epic proportions. Not only must Ray figure out how to identifiy himself, but he must also decide how big a role race can truly play in his love life. Ray is played to perfection by Zachary Levi, best known as for his role as Chuck on the NBC show of the same name.

As if Ray didn’t have enough problems on his hands as is, his parents hit a rough spot and his father, played by Brian George, shows up on his doorstep, having left the East coast to escape his nagging wife.

The plot, characters and dialogue are all of studio-film quality, and the only thing truly indie about the film is the fact that it was produced without any help from a major-name studio. In fact, as Mahmood noted during a brief question and answer session, the writer/producer/director used the connections he had made at USC film school to raise, by himself, the $500,000 required for the film.

Though it is readily evident that the film came as a labor of love, Mahmood also highlighted the importance of luck and timing in the films creation. “As with all things in Hollywood, being prepared and persistent can take you only so far, after that it’s mostly luck and timing, that’s how the biggest things come about.”

Its showing in Braker Hall on Thursday was only the fourth time an audience had actually witnessed a screening of the movie. On Friday, Mahmood boarded a plane for the Cairo Film Festival, and, soon after, he will travel to the Bahamas for yet another festival. With any luck (and timing) this Tufts grad's labor of love could be the next “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.”

For more information, visit shadesofray.com.

- Grant Beighley