Allow me to introduce myself.
My name is Eliyas. I was born and raised in Bombay. I have lived in New York for almost 10 years. I was born in an orthodox Muslim family, not exactly synonymous with being an artist. I hear a lot of actors and models say that they got into acting or modeling by accident. I can’t relate to that. I wanted to be an actor ever since I had the opportunity to be in the fifth grade school play. I had never had an experience like that before and from that point on, every step I took was towards making my dream of being an actor a reality.
Growing up, not only was I fascinated by Bollywood actors, I would frequent “New Talkies,” the only theater in Bandra to show English movies. And there I was introduced to Hollywood films. Another world opened to me. This later inspired my decision to come to America. I started modeling and acting in my late teens in India, much to the dismay of my family. They were not exactly keen on the idea of me being a model or an actor they are ok with it now because they love me and I love my family.
Although frustrating and at times a Herculean task, my focus on my acting and film making goals have never wavered. I love movies; there is no question about that. I learn from and am encouraged by movies. Not only do I consider the following masters among my favorite film makers and artists, I consider them my teachers because they have taught me a lot by their films and they have inspired me to reach for the sky.
Favorite Film Makers: Federico Fellini, Luis Bunuel, Andrei Trakovsky, Michelangelo Antonioni, Mahboob Khan, K Asif, Satyajit Ray, Ingmar Bergman, Terry Gilliam, and the greatest master and teacher Akira Kurosawa.
Favorite Actors: Robert De-Niro, Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, Javier Bardem, Johnny Depp, Whoopi Goldberg, Peter Sellers, Andy Kaufman, Bette Midler, Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Amjad Khan.
I am blessed to have my family and friends who love me for who I am and support me through my struggles. I am thankful to the lord all mighty who has all these angles around me. My life has never been more full of warmth and happiness.
Sincerely,
Eliyas