FROM the producer of ‘A Jasmine for a Gardener’ and ‘Brown Sugar Too Bitter For Me’ comes ‘Protection Game’. The movie, being produced locally, is centred on a murder/mystery.

Veteran actor and producer Mahadeo Shivraj told the Chronicle that the motion picture is a story about a young guy who drives home and sees a car in his driveway.

He ‘eyes up’ the car, which does not belong to him, before deciding to head into his house. And almost immediately after, 2 gunshots ring out and a female screams.

Moments later, a young man who appears to be in his 20s bolts out of the house in short pants with his clothes in his hands, jumps into the car and speeds away.

The next day, he is arrested by the police and placed in custody; and shortly after, a lawyer sent by his father appears at the station to represent him.

But the father is actively working to suppress any evidence against his son.

Shivraj said the movie captures the extent a father would go to protect his son. He says the movie is packed with suspense and drama on who is the real killer of the woman.

The producer has returned to filming in Guyana after making a decision last year to move on from this country.

Shivraj related that piracy is a cancer which has permeated the local creative industry, and like other members of the fraternity, he is hoping that the new Government would put its foot down on this matter.
A veteran producer, Shivraj operates on a shoestring budget, and is faced with piracy, an absence of cinemas outside of Georgetown, and having to organise the production, launch, transportation and other activities for his movies.

All of his films are within a US$30,000 budget.

Shivraj also said that legislation dealing with piracy and copyright have to be upgraded and modernised to address the current realities of the creative arts industry.

Shivraj, who says he has no affiliation with any political party, related that from his conversations with top officials of the former Administration, there was no inclination to change the outdated laws. But he said he is hopeful that the new Administration would so do, thereby allowing the creative arts industry to breathe.

OPTIMISTIC
The film producer told this publication he is optimistic that modern copyright legislation would be passed. Keeping the faith, he has returned to film ‘Protection Game’.
The cast for the movie includes Margaret Lawrence, Ron Robinson, Richie Coomach and Nirmala Narine.

All of Shivraj’s movies looked at real life situations. ‘Till I Find a Place’ examines infidelity; ‘A Jasmine for a Gardener’, a Bollywood type movie, looked at greed and power; ‘Brown Sugar Too Bitter For Me’ put the spotlight on moral values, harmony, family and sacrifices; ‘83 million Gs’ showed the levels of greed and corruption, and ‘Forgotten Love’ is a story about love.

‘Protection Game’, he said, is about a story that will resonate with Guyanese. The dialogue for the movie is written is Standard English.

Mahadeo Shivraj was born and raised in Georgetown, Guyana. As a kid growing up he knew he wanted to be an actor. In 1987, he began his acting career at the National Cultural Centre in Georgetown, and to date has acted in more than 90 plays and directed more than 30 in Guyana and New York together.

He migrated to the United States in the 1990s to continue his acting career. He has since acted in more than a dozen films and television shows.

In 2010, he made his debut as a film director/producer with the movie ‘Till I Find a Place’, which was filmed entirely in Guyana and received rave reviews. He subsequently produced, directed, and starred in 3 more films: ‘A Jasmine for a Gardener’, ‘Brown Sugar Too Bitter For Me’, and ‘83 Million Gees’, all of which received rave reviews from critics and audience alike.

According to Shivraj’s website, he recently acted in an episode of ‘The Americans’, with lead actress Keri Russell. He played the cab driver in a scene with Neal Patrick Harris in ‘The Smurfs’. He played a bellboy in the movie ‘Three Backyards’ with Elias Koteas and Edie Falco of The Sopranos and Nurse Betty. And he has acted in two scenes in an episode of ‘30 Rock’ with lead actress Tina Fey.

By Tajeram Mohabir