Rawal Junior stands up for the Queen


Aditya, Paresh Rawal and Swaroop Sampat's younger son, is a busy lad in New York. The 24-year-old is working on the production of his first play, a historical drama titled The Queen, which he wrote last year. "Additionally, a few short films that I wrote or directed are in various stages of production. Also, I am going to graduate in a couple of weeks, so that's keeping me pretty busy," says the student of the Dramatic Writing Graduate Program at Tisch School of the Arts, NYU.

The play is set in 16th century India, at the peak of the Mughal era. The Queen is the story of Durga, who is consigned to the west wing of the palace after her husband, a Rajput king, marries a younger woman. "She battles the loss of power and relevance as she resolves to burn the palace down and avenge her husband's betrayal," says Aditya. The show opens at Theater for the New City, an iconic landmark in the East Village on June 2. Pop by if you're around.