A Film That Wanted To’ Know Where You Belong
When Shades of Ray (2008) came out as part of the independent film movement, it generated some level of discussion, albeit it was fairly muted, concerning one’s identity, culture and a sense of belonging. As directed by Jaffar Mahmood, it showcased Ray Rehman, a man of Caucasian and half-Pakistani descent, struggling with his father’s strict traditionalism and his American modern mother. However, the film was more complex than the age-old East-West dichotomy. It was about, self-acceptance and the inner turbulence in the self.
Most memorable was Zack Khan, who portrayed Ray. He was effortless in his delivery and, emotionally disconnected from the performance. He was not Ray in a movie but someone who, at a deeper level, was struggling with the frustrations of his culture. It is this phenomenon that, in comparison to all the independent films out there, the film in question is far more distinguished and iconic.
Ray Rehman – A Life Unlived
Ray, a struggling actor, faces the trial of pursuing a career in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles while chasing the hopes of his Pakistani father and the liberal outlook of his mother. He is in a relationship with a white American woman while his father expects him to marry a Pakistani woman. The scenario plays out in a manner akin to a romantic comedy, but there is a deep conflict, and that is the struggle of the first generation. The deep question is ‘who am I’ is always unresolved.
Over the course of the book, Ray evolves to embrace his ‘half’ identity and, in the process, learns to navigate the difficult worlds of dates, horrendous auditions and family dinners. The character is not transformed with a monologue or set of monologues. In fact, there story is designed in a manner that mimics the real world. The reality is that one is not able to solve a conflict from a discrete set of choices – the decision, no matter how small, is a culmination of endless choices.
Zack Khan’s Own Reflections in the Character
Zack Khan’s ethnocultural background allowed him to experience the character’s incredibly intimate. Their lives parallel in many ways, since both Khan and Ray were born from Pakistani parents while growing up in the United States. Khan has expressed a dual alienation from both cultures. A new dimension was added to this sense of alienation: during Khan’s Hollywood auditions he was usually labeled as ‘the terrorist,’ ‘the cab driver,’ or ‘the IT guy,’ while missing a more nuanced parts, the ones that required any artistic merit.
Khan views the character Ray as a culmination of works influenced by his personal experiences and he hated auditions, along with using his journals to form Ray’s Psychology. He claimed in one BTS conversation that his Ray was ‘half therapy, half acting,’ a phrase that captures well the emotional dimension he had to deal with in undergoing such a performance. The character’s struggle associated with the lived experience was what the audiences found him to be more honest and raw about. That is, he was not just acting, he was reconciling with his own identity, the struggle was so evident.
Cultural Touchstones That Resonate
Many fans of the film’s cultural references, particularly coming from a South Asian or mixed-race background, were more than able to describe them. Certainly familiar to a large number of the second-generation children, the moment when Brian George who plays Ray’s father, anchors a scene where he strongly advocates for an arranged marriage, became painful. The arrangement of the food on the dinner table, the switching between English and Urdu, and even the Urdu itself was more than just small details.
Unfamiliar and remarkable for a large number of the Indian and Pakistani audience members was the extent to which Ray’s struggle was portrayed. The assumption here is that a majority of these audience members grew up within that cultural framework, which is the expectation underlying the term ‘familiar.’ It is, however, uncommon to come across such a depiction in Hollywood, especially one that is humorous and vulnerable.
Audience Reactions – Laughter, Recognition, Relief
During the festivals at which Shades of Ray was screened, the audience’s laughter was indicative of something ongoing. People laughed, not because the situations were ridiculous, but because they were rational. Numerous South Asian Americans stated that they had never before seen a film that captured the reality of the ‘in-betweenness’ of their lived lives.
After the film was released, some users on the discussion boards claimed that they had, for the first time, been ‘recognized.’ One such user said, “Ray is not ashamed of being mixed, he just does not know how to carry it. That is me.” One such user claimed that the film was able to give him the confidence to discuss with his parents the issue of intercultural relationships.
This being said, it is not as though the film was universally loved. Some conservative audience members attacked the film for being overly sympathetic to ‘Western ideals,’ while some believed it oversimplified the issues of identity. But even that criticism simply proved the point the film was striking chord with people because it was touching raw truths.
The Chemistry as Explained by the Camera
According to reports, off screen, Zack Khan and Brian George (who plays the role of Ray’s father) built a father-son bond during the filming of the show. George, who had a part in Seinfeld and even the Big Bang Theory, during the free time provided to Khan, told him to “play the silences as much as the words.”
Director Jaffar Mahmood estbalished a rule that no scene of the movie should be glossed. To capture the lived-in feeling, the movie was filmed within a set time and budget, primarily in a real house and not a set house. For that reason, the actors were not stiff and quite unrestricted and organic with the dialog, improvising where required.
A Character Whom the Camera Did Not Capture
Ray was not only a character in a movie but to many he also had a deeper meaning. For South Asian actors, the film symbolized a breakthrough in the industry where actors were no longer typecast. To the audience, it was a means of reminder that cultural hybridity should not be hidden or “fixed” but openly displayed and embraced.
In an interview later, Zack Khan reported getting letters and emails from people thanking him for not making the mixed-race protagonist a punchline, which “I didn’t think would resonate this much,” “I didn’t think would resonate this much,” and “But, perhaps that shows how much people wanted to see themselves reflected on the screen.” “I didn’t think would resonate this much,” “I didn’t think would resonate this much.”
What Remains After the Curtains Close
While the film Shade of Ray does not “scream” third eye to the masses, its impact does appear to outlast the runtime of the film. It carries the struggle that gave rise to many conversations about underrepresentation in the film industry concerning South Asians and multi-racial actors. In addition, Khan was able to gain a foothold in an industry that, from the from the the first glimmer of the shine on the new star, Khan was able to gain a foothold in an industry that unashamedly marginalises out of the box people.
The film set an important milestone in independent cinema, not solely due to the funny and relatable. It carries value hinged on the otherwise deep and introspective context that revolves around self acceptance, identity, and belonging. To many, Ray which happens to be of a film does not simply rest in locus of control and as a mirror reflection but instead radiates the sentiment held with a great ethereal wisdom, a child that stands with one leg in either of the two worlds.
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