‘Bait’ review: Riz Ahmed is first class in a biting satire
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His parents named him Shahjehan, ruler of the world, but he barely has control over the ground on which he is standing. Shahjehan Latif, or Shah, has been auditioning for the roles of no less a pop culture icon than James Bond, but he chokes at the exact same point every time.
It’s a make-or-break opportunity for the British-Pakistani Shah, a chance to prove that Bond can be played by a brown, Muslim and South Asian actor. But things are going to get bad, ugly and then surreal for Shah (Riz Ahmed).
An orchestrated photo-op gets Shah the desired attention. The internet response to the headlines screaming “Is This the Next Bond?” delights his manager Felicia (Weruche Opia), but it also leads to trolling and an act of desecration that reaches Shah’s doorstep. The threat of violence, apart from reminding Shah of the bullying he endured in school, deeply unsettles the actor.
The Prime Video comedy series is set over the course of four days in the life of Shah, from the first audition to the next, and in between increasingly chaotic efforts to balance ambition, family and religious identity. His mother Tahira, (Sheeba Chaddha), whose profanities are always whispered, is his strongest ally. His father...