Page 34 - The Indian EYE 090525

NORTH AMERICAN Newsline SEPTEMBER 05, 2025 | The Indian Eye 34

Tirlok Malik discusses Jimmy Shergill’s new

film “Maa Jaye,” partly filmed in New York

OUR BUREAU
New York, NY
ome films don’t just play on a
screen—they seep into your
Ssoul, like an old melody you find
yourself humming again and again.
Maa Jaye is one such film, a stirring
tribute to the unshakeable bonds
of family, the tender but unyielding
love between brothers, and the uni-
versal ache of longing for home. At
the heart of its New York chapter is
Emmy-nominated filmmaker Tirlok
Malik, whose life’s work has been
an extended love letter to the Indi-
an-American experience. For Malik,
Maa Jaye is not merely another proj-
ect—it is “a feather in the cap of Pun-
jabi cinema,” a story that reminds us
when a family stands together, what
life can be emotionally.
The film’s emotional anchor lies
in its story—drawn from Dr. Amar-
jit Singh’s moving memoir ‘Walking
with Billa Veer Ji’—of two brothers
bound by love and sacrifice. To bring
these moments to life, Tirlok Malik
led his Apple Production Inc. team
to capture all the New York scenes
full of emotions and great produc-
tion values as envisioned by Director
Navaniat Singh, DOP Jitan Harmeet
Singh and team. Navaniat and Jitan’s
legendary cinematographer father,
Harmeet Singh, was also there to
bless the entire team during the New
York schedule of the film.
Many locations in New York
City and Long Island featured in the
film, including the Gurudwara Guru
Nanak Darbar of Long Island, Gurd-
wara Baba Makhan Shah Lubana,
and The Mill River Club, Oyster Bay. tis mingles with the smell of bagels gill, whose quiet intensity illuminates says, “celebrate the love Punjabis are
There was a lot of support from the in Hicksville. Cameras rolled in the the screen, film’s lead actress Reh- known for—love that survives dis-
Indian community all across the city, warm embrace of the Gurudwara mat Rattan, director Navaniat Singh, tance, time, and loss.”
such as Patel Brothers in Hicksville Guru Nanak Darbar of Long Island, a master at weaving emotion into ev- Tirlok Malik is proud to be a part
and Prof. Indrajit S. Saluja, publish- where prayers rose in unison, and ery frame, screenwriter Gurpreet Se- of Maa Jaye and recommends every-
er of The Indian Panorama, among in the bustling aisles of Hicksville, hji, and producer Dr. Amarjit Singh one to see the film. “As the credits
others. The support from the com- where laughter, spices, and the rus- (under his banner 1212 Entertain- will roll on Maa Jaye, audiences will
munity, and the Gurudwaras was tle of shopping bags felt like echoes ment), whose life inspired the narra- carry home not just a cinematic story,
very much appreciated by the cast from a Punjab half a world away. To tive, was, in Malik’s words, “a great but a thought-provoking emotional
and crew. bring these moments to life, Tirlok experience and shared purpose to experience,” sums up Tirlok Malk.
The New York segments breathe Malik led his Apple Production Inc. make meaningful cinema.” Maa Jaye, co-starring Manav
with Tirlok Malik’s own affection for team with trademark precision and For Tirlok Malik, Maa Jaye car- Vij, Yograj Singh, James Cronin,
the city—a metropolis he knows as heart that Malik brings every time ries the same emotional resonance Bruce Pearl, Bridgett Riester-
intimately as the back of his hand. he is line producing a film in the US. as his own directorial Khushiyaan, er-Haines, Dino Castelli, Kelly C.
Winter light glints off the East Riv- Malik was assisted by filmmaker Sne- another deeply felt story about an Fox, and Anita Meet, is releasing on
er, streets hum with the rhythm of ha Jain. NRI son, also enriched with mu- August 29, 2025 worldwide by White
many tongues, the scent of fresh ro- Working alongside Jimmy Sher- sic by Jaidev Kumar. Both films, he Hill Studios.

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