Profound drama about culture, family and what it means to represent a community
Riz Ahmed brings his intense and always engaging presence to this film as star, co-producer and co-writer with its director, Bassam Tariq. It is a deeply personal drama about culture, family, community and what it means to represent – though it can also be self-indulgent and even a bit self-involved, though this is arguably a function of the story.
Ahmed plays a British-Pakistani
Rapper, Zed, who has become a huge hit in
New York, is preparing for a US tour and is clearly on the verge of the big time (Ahmed’s own rapping is also impressive). Zed’s girlfriend suggests he uses the time before the tour stars to reconnect with his family in Wembley,
London, whom he hasn’t seen in two years, especially his hardworking mum and dad (strong performances from Sudha Bhuchar and Alyy Khan).