Riz Ahmed becomes first Pakistani Muslim to bag an Academy Award nomination for lead actor

Riz Ahmed is popularly known for his roles in films like The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Four Lions, Trishna and his 2019 film Sound of Metal. He was the first Muslim and an Asian to win a lead actor Emmy in 2017 for the series The Night Of. The British Pakistani actor bagged an Academy Award nomination for his film Sound of Metal. Take a look at Riz Ahmed's role in this film.

Riz Ahmed nominated at the Oscars 2021

On March 15, Riz Ahmed managed to bag an Academy Awards nomination for his role as Ruben Stone in Sound of Metal. He became the first Muslim to ever get nominated in the Oscars Best Actor category. In 2017, the actor also became the first Muslim to win an award at the Emmys. In Sound of Metal, Riz is seen playing Ruben, a drummer who loses his hearing abilities. He is a part of the metal duo Backgammon with his girlfriend Lou.

They travel across the country when he realises about losing his hearing. His doctor suggests he avoid exposure to loud noises. However, he ignores the suggestion and continuous pursuing his music. As the film unfolds, one realises that he is a recovering drug addict. For his role as Ruben, the actor has bagged several other nominations such as Golden Globe, Spirit Award, SAG Award and BAFTA for lead actor. He also won the Gotham award and several critic awards. 

While talking to Entertainment Weekly the actor said that the journey of the film was extremely long. Especially for the director Darius Marder who started working on the film almost 13 years ago. He mentioned that the film was very close to the director's heart and as well for those who worked for the film. He said that they were like a family which was formed for the low budget shoot. Initially, they weren't sure if the audience would even love the film. 

Riz Ahmed on the work front 

Riz recently executive produced the film Flee. He was also seen in the film Mogul Mowgli as Zed. Ahmed was also the co-writer of the film. He also dubbed the role of Takai in the Japanese film Weathering with You. He will next be seen in Michael Pearce movie Invasion alongside Octavia Spencer, Janina Gavankar, Rory Cochrane and Lucian-River Chauhan.