Most of us have dreams, but not all of us actually realize them and achieve them. We dream of becoming writers, singers, actors and so on, but without passion and action, a dream is just a dream, nothing more. It takes more than just desire to make something come true. It takes persistence and perseverance to fulfill a dream.
Sunny’s Story
As far as Sunny Moza can remember, he always had a dream and a strong desire and passion for acting and film-making right from the beginning. In pursuit of his dreams, Sunny not only made it his goal but a part of his life, “I remember when I was in 8th grade, my friends asked me to write in a scrapbook what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘actor’.”
Although Sunny’s second cousin Kunal Kemmu is a professional Bollywood actor, Sunny comes from a non-film background otherwise. Originally from India, he grew up in Jammu-Kashmir and later relocated to California. While studying in college, he was actively performing onstage, acting in theater and playing cricket. When he was doing his Masters’ degree at San Jose State University, he was also simultaneously engaged in acting, screenwriting, and film production classes at local colleges. More than anything, acting was something Sunny really strived for, “It was something I really wanted to do.”
His Experience in Mumbai
After graduating with a Masters in Computer Engineering and completing an internship at a Fortune 500 company, Sunny took a break and shifted to Mumbai resolute to follow his dreams and give acting his best shot, “I decided to go just like that.” In a few months, he gave more than a hundred auditions and appeared in ad campaigns and TV commercials like “Havells Fans” and “Zee Cinestars – India’s Best”. He also made his debut in mainstream Indian TV in soap operas like Bhabhi and the popular Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. After that year, Sunny reverted to California, but he continued to act in TV commercials, shows, stage plays, independent films, and music videos while working full-time as an engineer in Silicon Valley. His time in Mumbai was definitely an enriching and unique experience which not only broadened his horizon but also helped him to further pursue his experiences in acting and film-making, “I learned that it’s really important to have a good support system especially when you’re in a creative field.”
His Journey as an Artist
Sunny also partook in modeling and the San Francisco-India pageant as a finalist and ventured into writing, directing and producing his own short films and music videos under his banner S.A.D Entertainment beginning with MahaBatein followed by Choices. Some of his films have also received recognition like the award-winning horror Kurse, the comedy Love Fool and his promotional video for the Toastmasters’ Club which was honored with the Diamond Director Award. Last year, Sunny’s feature film Kaaya, another horror film that he produced, co-wrote and starred in, which he hopes to release sometime this year, made it to Hollywood’s International CineFest, the Lakecity Film Festival as well as the FOG Movie Fest. Sunny says, “This was by far my favorite project as I was involved in every aspect of film-making.”
Besides his own work, Babru, his first Kannada feature film with Suman Nagarkar, will be releasing and hitting the big screen in the U.S.A and India soon. In the past, Sunny has also played a part in a short commercial for Virtual Instruments which premiered at the Venetian in Las Vegas and has solo-acted in the silent thriller Yellow which premiered at IFFSA Toronto and made it to NDTV’s Profit-Prime Channel. Not just that, he has had the opportunity to work with talented personalities like Raj Kaushal, Sharmistha Roy, Ali Fazal, Sunidhi Chauhan, Omi Vaidya, Jaaved Jaaferi, Saroj Khan, Amit Tandon, and Varun Thakur. Since his first TV commercial directed by Raj Kaushal with 300 extras and his early theater production Ehsaas mentored by art director and Filmfare award winner Sharmistha Roy, he has starred in the dance musical Vibrations of Pulse with the Indian American actor Omi Vaidya, hosted the upcoming dance reality show Naach Meri Jaan with Jaaved Jaaferi and performed in Ideation, Aaron Loeb’s award-winning play. Off-stage, he’s had the chance to share the screen with film celebrities like Ali Fazal in According to Plan A and the legendary dance choreographer Saroj Khan in the TV reality show Dance USA Dance. He has also played the lead role in an inspirational music video with a poignant message for Sunidhi Chauhan’s first independent single, “Ab Laut Aa”, which collected more than one million views after it was released online. Recently, he opened the stage as a host and stand-up for popular stand-up comedians like Amit Tandon and Varun Thakur.
From supporting roles to lead roles, sometimes as a hero, sometimes as a villain, Sunny is a naturally versatile actor who has had the experience of working on many diverse projects. He has proved that he can act and deliver with panache and mettle no matter what kind of character role it is. Not only that, he has worked with leading stage companies in the U.S.A. like Naatak, RLMZ Media, City Lights, Epic Immersive, and Solskrit and has engaged in hundreds of stage performances and independent films. His work has also been featured in the book Kashmiri People, the ICON magazine, and another yet-to-be-titled book. Although an engineer by profession, he is also an actor, filmmaker, radio jockey, M.C., TV host, and stand-up who has worked diligently to make his dreams come true while balancing acting and his career. Classically handsome, this is a man you can recognize from a thousand faces with his charming charisma, infectious energy, and positive attitude. Whenever you see Sunny in person, onstage or on the screen, you know a star is walking amongst you. Even Saroj Khan was interested in his work and has applauded him for being a ‘superb’ host for Dance USA Dance.
His Ultimate Dream
These are just some of Sunny’s remarkable achievements. The story of his dreams isn’t over. We can have so many dreams. The possibilities are endless, but it’s the choices that we make to get there that count the most. With the right choices and priorities, the impossible can become possible, and then you can truly chase your dreams and live them. As Sunny says, “There are so many things we want to do, there are so many things we want to achieve, there are so many things we want to prove. These ‘so many’ things get us confused and frustrated. The solution is to have the right priorities.” To make dreams come true, you have to keep chasing them. And once your dreams do come true, there is always more to come. They say the sky is the limit, but there is no limit to how far you can you go. Sunny Moza not only dreams but also lives his dreams every day, “I want to keep entertaining. That’s my ultimate dream.”
To know more about Sunny Moza, visit his website SunnyMoza.com. You can also connect with him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.