Kavi Raz
Encyclopedia
Kavi Raz is an India
n-born British
actor, writer, director and producer.
Born in Punjab
, Raz left India
at a young age for the United Kingdom
, where he grew up. He acquired national prominence as an exceptional hockey
player in the Midlands
.
He attended university in the San Francisco Bay
area. Raz was a founder and artistic director of the Wandering Players' Theatre Company. The company staged several World and US premieres of plays from India. Western audiences were exposed to the works of Rabindranath Tagore
for the first time, in addition to plays like Sakharam Binder
and Shakuntala
. This was the first professional South Asia
n theatre company in the USA.
In the mid-1970s, Raz arrived in Hollywood: a career as an actor was unheard of at a time when roles for South Asia
n actors in Hollywood television shows and films were limited. Raz had been quoted: “People, especially friends and relatives scoffed at the idea of my becoming an actor. They thought it was a passing fancy and would soon be over. But no, I had a dream and take what it may I journeyed on to make my dream a reality.”
He became the first ever South Asian actor to be signed on as a regular in a major TV series, St Elsewhere. He was a cast member for the first two seasons of the medical drama, and after being let go continued to appear on a recurring basis.
Raz has appeared in over 200 plays, TV shows and films, including guest appearances on The A-Team
, M*A*S*H and Star Trek: The Next Generation
.
In 1978, Raz founded the production company, K. R. Films Hollywood. Its debut, Lehren - a television weekly variety series for the Asian audience - was shown throughout the United States and Canada
. In 1988, K. R. Studios was built in Granada Hills. Housing several buildings including the main studio, it has state-of-art equipment for film and television productions, as well as a multi-track recording facility for post production and recording needs. The studio is now home to many award winning producers, writers and directors engaged in the production of commercials, TV programmes, music videos and films.
Raz began his career as a filmmaker with The Gold Bracelet, a movie about a Sikh
man faced with the realities of post-9/11.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n-born British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
actor, writer, director and producer.
Born in Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
, Raz left India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
at a young age for the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, where he grew up. He acquired national prominence as an exceptional hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
player in the Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
.
He attended university in the San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
area. Raz was a founder and artistic director of the Wandering Players' Theatre Company. The company staged several World and US premieres of plays from India. Western audiences were exposed to the works of Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
for the first time, in addition to plays like Sakharam Binder
Sakharam Binder
Sakharam Binder is a play by Marathi playwright Vijay Tendulkar and was first performed in 1972. It was banned in India in 1974. It was produced and directed by Kamlakar Sarang.-Synopsis:...
and Shakuntala
Shakuntala
In Hindu mythology Shakuntala is the wife of Dushyanta and the mother of Emperor Bharata. Her story is told in the Mahabharata and dramatized by Kalidasa in his play Abhijñānaśākuntalam .-Etymology:Rishi Kanva found her in forest as a baby surrounded by Shakunta birds...
. This was the first professional South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
n theatre company in the USA.
In the mid-1970s, Raz arrived in Hollywood: a career as an actor was unheard of at a time when roles for South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
n actors in Hollywood television shows and films were limited. Raz had been quoted: “People, especially friends and relatives scoffed at the idea of my becoming an actor. They thought it was a passing fancy and would soon be over. But no, I had a dream and take what it may I journeyed on to make my dream a reality.”
He became the first ever South Asian actor to be signed on as a regular in a major TV series, St Elsewhere. He was a cast member for the first two seasons of the medical drama, and after being let go continued to appear on a recurring basis.
Raz has appeared in over 200 plays, TV shows and films, including guest appearances on The A-Team
The A-Team
The A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by...
, M*A*S*H and Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
.
In 1978, Raz founded the production company, K. R. Films Hollywood. Its debut, Lehren - a television weekly variety series for the Asian audience - was shown throughout the United States and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In 1988, K. R. Studios was built in Granada Hills. Housing several buildings including the main studio, it has state-of-art equipment for film and television productions, as well as a multi-track recording facility for post production and recording needs. The studio is now home to many award winning producers, writers and directors engaged in the production of commercials, TV programmes, music videos and films.
Raz began his career as a filmmaker with The Gold Bracelet, a movie about a Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
man faced with the realities of post-9/11.