At such a young age, Emily Shah has not just learned but has gained immense experience of working on different aspects of film production. The Chicago-born Indian-American actress is a professional in Media Management, graduated from California State University. Emily is a trained actor from New York Film Academy and Madhumati Film & Dance Academy, groomed in both Western and Bollywood styles of acting. She has also trained herself in theater arts at Lee Strasberg’s Institute of Film and Theater. And her list of talents just not end here as Emily is trained ballet and tap dancing, as well as in laying violin and rhythm & beat drums.
Beginning with national brand campaigns, Emily went on to make her debut in the film Fortune Defies Death (2018), and now she is all set to star in her first big project, Jungle Cry. Based on a true story of a remarkable Junior Indian Rugby team and their World Cup win, Jungle Cry will feature Emily in the role of Roshini Thakkar. Besides starring in it, Emily also acts as the executive producer of the film, involving her in film’s overall making.
She took some time and talked to PopWrapped about her upcoming film, how it came along, and what story does it tell, while shedding some light on her journey into the acting industry.
PW: Congratulations on your upcoming film Emily! I watched the trailer. It’s pretty intense and full of energy. So, let’s begin with learning more about it. What’s the film is about, and what story does it tell?
Emily: The film is a true story about the students from Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences in Odisha (India), who are given an opportunity to represent India in the Junior Rugby World Championship. The catch is that these underprivileged kids have never played Rugby; they are soccer players and have never competed on an international level. So, Paul Walsh discovers these kids and offers a chance to the institute’s head, Dr. Samanta, to build a team and take them to the UK to compete for Junior World Cup.
But he’s told they have four months to prepare and this is these kids’ only chance as by the next championship they all will age out. And yeah, Dr. Samanta agrees. The film is about the struggle of these kids and their experiences throughout their preparation. The guys under all that pressure on them go to the UK, and their journey ends with a remarkable win in the world cup.
PW: Emily, the film is about Rugby. And this is a remarkable win India registered. Despite this, Rugby is not a popular sport in India. And people are still not aware of this story. How did you and your father, who is also attached to the film as a producer, came to know about this story?
Emily: Well, our producer, Shabbir Boxwala, he’s a famous producer and writer from India. He brought the story to us. He told us that everyone he has taken that story to has passed on.
So we took it upon ourselves to tell this story and bring it to life. And I am also executive producing the film; when we were developing the story, we realized there is a lack of strong female character and a lack of female essence in the movie. So, I decided to add a few female characters, one of the foremost being of Roshini Thakkar, the sports physio, who I play myself in the film.
PW: Can you tell us more about your character?
My character is a sports physio for the Indian team. She actually hosts Rudra (played by Abhay Deol) and the boys in the UK. She takes care of them, puts them up, and sort of guides them in the world cup and also help Rudra coach the team and keep them uptight and strong. So yeah, she’s a big part of the boys’ journey in the film.
PW: When did you eventually decide that you’ll play Roshini, and not have someone else play her?
Emily: The reason I decided to play her was my firm belief in women’s empowerment and my interest in sports. I felt what better way to live that belief than play such a compelling female character. Roshini Thakkar has a significant impact on these boys’ life, and that’s something that meant a lot to me.
PW: That’s really amazing of you to helm it with such a strong rationale behind it. Does a real person inspire Roshini, or was she added to the story?
Emily: No. She’s the only character in the film that we’ve written in. You know, it’s a masculine, male-driven project, this film, so we did have to write her in.
But yeah, in preparation for the role, I did shadow a sports physio. She’s Indian-Canadian and physio for Rugby specifically. She left Canada to come to the UK and studied sports medicine specializing in Rugby.
But when she graduated, she went to intern for David Beckham and a bunch of soccer teams. But again, she eventually moved on to Rugby, discovered her passion. So yeah, a lot of Roshini’s persona as a sports physio and as an expert in that field came from a lot of things that I learned from her.
As for the name Roshini, I have a really good friend who also works in medicine. Her mannerism is very much like my character. So the way Roshini thinks and her other behavioral dynamics, I adapted from my friend. So you can say the character, as she has been written in, is a conglomeration of these things which I then portrayed in my own style and manner.
(A Still from “Jungle Cry”)
PW: Why add her as a sports physio? What went into that decision?
Emily: We thought that this would actually have more essence to the character and would do better justice to the film. Having her in lead-parallel to Abhay’s character, as her love interest, would have taken her power away. In that scenario, we wouldn’t have had a strong female character who can make an impact on the entire film. So we decided to actually introduce her as the team’s doctor who will have a greater significance in the boys’ journey, which is this film is actually about.
PW: That’s true. Even I believe that a female lead must have a prominent part in the script, and only then that character can genuinely contribute to the writing. That’s actually great.
PW: Emily, Jungle Cry is not the common-going Indian film. A majority of films have a love-angle to themselves in Bollywood. And we hardly get to watch a significant sports-oriented cinema in Bollywood. Jungle Cry, in this way, is very diverse in its concept. What’s your say about that?
Emily: Well, there have been a few beautiful projects in Bollywood about sports. Dangal (2016) is an excellent story about two girls who are trained and groomed in wrestling by their father, where the girls eventually represent India. And then Chak De! India (2007) did amazingly well with Shahrukh Khan in the lead. Lagaan (2001) is an Oscar-nominated venture.
And there are a few about soccer, but yes, there has been no film project on Rugby coming out of India, definitely not of this stature. So, yes, that brings a higher essence and strength to the story.
PW: Emily, you’ve previously assisted in blockbuster films like Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and Furious 7 (2015). You are a professional in media management. You have helmed production duties extensively in various film productions. When was the first time it hit you that you can also excel in acting and that great potential lies within you to take up an on-screen job?
Emily: I was actually acting since I was a child. I started dancing at the age of 2, and I always loved performing. I felt natural doing that, and it was really comforting. I think my parents saw that, realized I have a talent for it and put me into creative arts. From then on, I was enrolled in anything that was creative, whether it was music or anything else. I learned to play violin and drums, and then my parents put me into the theater, which has eventually led me to act.
I even studied at Madhumati Academy in Mumbai when I was right out of kindergarten, and even then, I had an edge towards performing arts and was really well at it. Auntie Ji [Emily’s Mentor] there used to talk about me, a five-year-old to the students, so that gave me the confidence to keep pushing myself from a very early age.
So yeah, I have always had a creative background, and well, I knew that this is what I want to do since I was a kid.
PW: What do you like better? Being behind the camera or at the front of it?
Emily: For now, acting is my forefront. I like being involved in the production, but, you know, I am young right now, and I have that freedom to be selfish and focus on my acting career first and, of course, take advantage of whatever I have right now. So, yeah, acting is definitely the first thing I am focusing on. But yeah, when the time comes at a later stage, when you know, as a woman, you think of having a family and everything, then I may venture into active production. But for now, acting it is.
PW: Let’s talk about your co-star in Jungle Cry? Abhay Deol is one of the best actors in Bollywood. He has done a lot of off-beat, independent films? How did you two get along and synchronize on sets?
Emily: He is incredibly talented. He can literally switch on [to his character] in a matter of seconds right before the director shouts – “action.” And that was fascinating to me. This is my first big project, so I needed a little time to get into the character and focus on the scene. But for him, it was like just seconds. He was talking about one thing just a moment ago, and suddenly you’ll see him transformed into the character he has to play. He is an incredible actor, and it’s a huge honor for me to share the screen with him on my first film.
He was really supportive of me on the sets. He gave me constructive criticism on my work, and even in media, he talked about all the positive aspects of my acting work. So I have nothing but just nice things to say about him.
PW: Since you come from a creative background, you have been working on different departments of film production in both Hollywood and Bollywood. What do you have to say about different experiences across industries?
Emily: I think there are pros and cons to working in both the industries. The films have noticeable differences like Bollywood has all the music, songs, and dancing, which Hollywood films do not have. Except for, of course, La La Land, which went on to register Oscar wins. And Bollywood was scoffing about that – “we’ve been doing this for years” [laughs], but yeah, that was kinda funny.
But on the production side, both industries are vastly different. That is because of the way people work there. For example, in Bollywood, you have spot boys and assistants on sets, which makes the production a bit less stressful and easy-going. Such things do not exist on Hollywood sets. But again in Hollywood locations and schedules are well managed and that sometimes becomes an issue in Bollywood.
So every industry has its pros and cons.
PW: Emily, you and Abhay are in leading roles in Jungle Cry. However, the integral part of the story of the film is the boys, who represent the winning Indian team. I read those boys are Rugby professionals. Is it true?
Emily: Yeah, that’s correct. They aren’t actors. All of them are Rugby players, and some of them are now coaches. They hadn’t acted before, so we had to coach them about acting for Jungle Cry, and it was a new experience for all of us. And you’ll be able to see on-screen how natural they look.
Also, having them on sets was energetic. We were shooting in brutally cold weather conditions. But these boys were always so full of energy they always had a smile on their faces. They were just appreciative of being a part of the story, and it was a constant reminder to live in the present and appreciate what’s around you all the time.
PW: Emily, is there any other project you’ve signed up for, which we can expect rolling out in theaters this year?
Emily: Well, there is one film, it’s a true story as well, and I am about to begin shooting for it by summer this year. But there isn’t much I can tell you about it right now. It’s a Hollywood contact, but the film is going to be for an international audience.
PW: Well, Emily, we’re almost at wrapping this up. But before that, there is one last question. Jungle Cry is not just a film about sports excellence. It’s a true story of struggle and hard work of some boys who became champions without having anything to their name. There is a strong message to this film, and I’ll be happy if you’ll just say something about it in your words.
Emily: Of course. Jungle Cry is not just for Rugby fans or people from the UK or India. It’s a film for all of us out there regardless of what background we come from. We can all watch this film and receive this wonderful preaching that – no matter what socio-economic background you come from and no matter what constraints life put along your way, you can always overcome that, and that’s something everyone can relate to.
PW: Well, those are some great words there, Emily. Thank you so much for talking to me about your film. All the best for Jungle Cry and thank you for bringing such a great story to life,
Emily: Thank you so much. Don’t forget to watch Jungle Cry!
Jungle Cry received its World Premiere on March 10 at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli, WALES, which will be followed by a multi-territory theatrical release. The film chronicles the true story of twelve Indian boys who fought against all the odds and went on to win the Junior Rugby World Championship in the UK.
Emily Shah stars in the film along with Abhay Deol, Atul Kumar, Stewart Wright, Ross O’Hennessy, and Julian Lewis Jones.
