Star
Cast:
Suraj
Sharma,
Shweta
Tripathi,
Adil
Hussain
Director:
Danish
Renzu
Language:
English
and
Hindi
Duration:
86
minutes
Story:
A
gritty,
realistic
story
about
a
young
film
student
from
middle-class
India
who's
forced
to
drop
out
to
support
his
family
while
staying
in
the
United
States
as
an
undocumented
worker.
Review:
The
Illegal
is
a
glimpse
into
the
grim
side
of
what
happens
when
your
dreams
don't
come
true.
It
could
be
an
unsupportive
family,
the
financial
pressure
or
the
words
of
a
passerby
that
give
you
the
epiphany,
but
'A
wise
man
knows
when
to
give
up
on
his
dream
and
move
on'.
It
is
those
words
that
change
the
course
of
the
film,
and
Hassan
Ahmed's
life.
He
is
an
aspiring
filmmaker
who
moves
to
Los
Angeles
to
study
but
is
hit
with
reality
as
soon
as
he
reaches
the
foreign
land.
The
Illegal
is
a
cry
for
help
of
the
undocumented
workers
struggling
in
the
United
States.
The
film
starts
with
Hassan,
played
by
Suraj
Sharma,
taking
his
leave
from
home
and
his
family.
He
shoots
a
video
of
his
parents
and
sister
sharing
few
words
of
wisdom
for
the
hard
times
ahead
while
he
studies
at
the
University
of
California,
Los
Angeles
to
become
a
filmmaker.
The
achievable
dream
soon
starts
slipping
through
his
hands
when
his
uncle
admits
being
unable
to
house
and
feed
him
and
leaves
him
off
on
the
streets.
Hassan
then
finds
help
and
care
in
another
Indian
restaurant
who
agrees
to
provide
accommodation
in
return
for
working
at
the
restaurant.
With
an
under
the
table
job
and
the
help
Babji
played
by
Iqbal
Theba,
a
fellow
employee,
Hassan
manages
to
take
on
the
load
of
college
courses.
While
he
assures
his
family
by
lying
that
life
is
good
in
the
US,
he
is
unaware
of
his
father's
deteriorating
situation,
back
home.
Despite
realising
that
he
has
signed
on
for
a
lifetime
of
servitude
at
the
restaurant,
Hassan
takes
a
huge
loan
to
save
his
father,
gives
up
on
his
dreams
and
moves
on
to
living
a
life
of
an
undocumented
worker,
who
may
never
return
home.
The
film's
end
credit
scenes
are
glimpses
of
interviews
Hassan
took
of
his
co-workers
who
were
also
fooled
into
working
for
life
as
undocumented
workers.
Suraj
Sharma
is
a
mix
of
innocence
and
brevity
as
Hassan.
Though
he
faces
the
harsh
reality,
he
still
tries
to
make
the
best
of
it.
The
film
also
sheds
some
light
on
the
effect
of
choices,
at
every
turn
he
is
faced
with
a
choice
and
his
choice
is
what
changes
his
future.
The
film,
however,
only
focuses
on
the
dark
shadows
without
a
glimpse
of
hope.
While
Hassan
does
find
companionship
in
a
friend
Jessica
(played
by
Hannah
Masi),
he
quickly
sees
the
difference
between
their
lives
and
gives
up
without
opening
up
to
her.
While
his
choices
land
him
in
a
vicious
cycle
of
despair,
it
leaves
you
to
think,
if
you
would
make
the
same
choices
or
give
up
early
on?
Overall,
the
film
is
an
account
of
life-like
events
of
many
stories
that
end
up
in
back
alleys
of
shiny
restaurants
that
go
unnoticed.
'Nobody
wants
to
be
illegal,
everyone
has
their
own
reasons
behind
it
-
Emmy'.