Following more than a decade of television acting and musical theater performances in New York, a Los Alamitos 2008 graduate is back in his hometown, still pursuing his dream with one of the biggest names in show business stepping in to help.
Last week, Los Al native Raji Ahsan announced that he had arranged to bring Lucie Arnaz to the Bay Theater in Seal Beach for a special screening of the Emmy Award-winning documentary, Lucy & Desi: A Home Movie on Jan. 29, 2025.
Following the screening, Arnaz said he would take questions from the audience during a question-and-answer session with Arnaz.
In a statement, Arnaz confirmed the event.
“I am always excited to screen my documentary for people and discuss their thoughts afterward and to be able to do that while helping my good friend, Raji, get this film made is a win-win for all. I am looking forward to being in Seal Beach with him on the 29th of January,” she wrote.
Ahsan, whose backstory is worthy of its own documentary, said the event will serve as a fundraiser for the film he is making with Arnaz, with a portion of the proceeds going towards New Life Beginnings Shelter in Long Beach.
Ahsan never forgot the shelter that housed his mother, Manal, who came to America from Egypt. She was pregnant with Raji, who shares his heritage with Egypt and India and according to Raji, his mom came to the States without a dime.
“My mom lived there for about five months until a wonderful woman named Joyce from a local church took us in,” he said.
Joyce’s home was technically in Cypress, but there is a small section of the city that indeed lies within the Los Alamitos Unified School District.
“Joyce became my grandmother. We weren’t related by blood, but we were, as I always said, we were related by spirit. She was my best friend.”
Joyce’s favorite shows were, “I Love Lucy”, “The Golden Girls”, and “The Carol Burnett Show.” She was my best friend. I drive her car today.”
“My mom was so exhausted that she wasn’t able to be there for me emotionally,” said Ahsan. “She had all of her own traumas and things like that.”
Joyce eventually moved so Raji said his mom “cleaned other people’s toilets” to support us.
But what young Raji did have were shows like “I Love Lucy” and “The Carol Burnett Show” to keep him company, make him laugh, and provide emotional reinforcement.
“I found refuge in I Love Lucy,” he said in an interview this week.
“I wrote a letter to Paramount Pictures because it began as DesiLu Productions, and they gave me a private tour,” he said. “They took me around the lot.”
Ahsan said he has loved Arnaz’s work since he became a teenager.
He graduated from Los Al High School in 2008 and New York University Drama School in 2013. Since he first met Lucie Arnaz and now as an aspiring stage actor in musical theater, he said he kept looking for someone to put him back in touch with Lucie.
Courtesy photo
Incidentally, Ahsan was chosen by his fellow students to speak at graduation and he was awarded a medallion for excellence in the performing arts.
On Thanksgiving morning (2017), Ahsan said he received a note from his mentor, the director of the Golden Girls TV show. It said, “Happy Thanksgiving, I found you a connection to Lucie Arnaz.”
Ahsan was then hosting an online talk show, and he emailed Lucie to appear as a guest.
Lucie wrote back.
“I saw your show. I think you’re smart, you know, I understand you want to interview me. If you think I’m the right candidate for your audience, why not?”
Raji Ahsan in New York as Carol Burnett gives him career advice.
According to Ahsan, Arnaz, who lives in Palm Springs, agreed to have coffee with him the next time he came home to Los Al from New York. That was several years ago, and they have been friends ever since.
He said he’s currently in the process of finishing a script for his short film, “Dr. Sam,” in which Arnaz has agreed to play a role. Proceeds from the upcoming Jan. 29 event will be used to complete the script and fund the production of the film, said Ahsan.
Coming from Hollywood royalty, Ahsan said Lucie is an “incredible performer, but I think in her soul she is a teacher. She [Lucie] is always looking for deeper meaning,” he said.
“I was born into and raised in the most famous family of the 50s, 60s and 70s,” Ahsan quotes her as saying, “but it didn’t solve any of our problems.”
He said Lucie’s documentary about the family business delves into her mom and dad’s incredible journey, their success, their business challenges, and it displays the family’s unique dynamic.
Now living full-time in Los Alamitos, Ahsan said he supports himself with a job at Pizza Pietrini Napoletana and said he is very thankful to Blair Pietrini for her support.
Ticket prices range from $75 to $500 for the Lucie Arnaz event, he said, and more information is available at rajiahsan.com.
(Editor’s Note: This story has been updated since last week wherein ENE misattributed some statements and misspelled Pietrini. We have corrected the statements and apologize for the error.)