POPCORN REVIEWSS

Written by Riz Ahmed, Dipika Guha, Karen Joseph Adcock, Ben Karlin, Azam Mehmood, and Prashant Venkataramanujan, Bait features the contrasting lives of actors right at the start through the gaze of Shah. In an early scene, you see him attributing his fumble to lightheadedness owing to Ramadaan – a month that is witness to lacs of Muslims fasting in a lead up to Eid. Specifically for Shah, it gives an early sneak-peek into his culture which is still treated as an alien one by locals. The idea of a Brown-Man living in the UK and following his customs, is still laced with racism (stemming from his childhood in the form of bullying) while being looked down upon – a case that would also hold true for Shah auditioning for the part of the perennial spy.

This is also where the character of Shah gets interesting. He is well aware of his position of a failed actor, while also doubling up as a narcissist and an opportunist in many ways. You see an early glimpse of that right at the start after his failed audition, when he orchestrates an exit through the front door in order to get papped, while allowing rumour mills to churn which may result in him getting another bite at the cherry. The meta-commentary is in full swing for all the fans tracking every single news byte pertaining to the next Bond – and Riz himself may well be in the reckoning?

There is a searing subtext of fame that you are witness through the character of Shah. Once the news breaks out of possibly the biggest role of his otherwise failed career, you notice a switch from being the most nagged person in the family to a buzz of excitement amongst Shah’s family members. Ironically, the news coincides with the Eid festival which is considered auspicious – a joyous moment that is short-lived. And this is also when the moment of famed is intertwined with the side-effects of social media with everyone wanting a piece of Shah’s attention or fame. From online trolls known to spread hatred to a character wanting his two minutes of fame by requesting Shah to ‘send’ him an online apology for a higher ‘reach’, tells you everything that is wrong with social media these days. And what a time to be an artist – really!

The writing flirts with the idea of jealousy that acts as an undercurrent in the showbiz industry, with Shah wanting to compete with a fellow Brown actor Raj Thakkar (Himesh Patel), who also has been receiving a lot of accolades along with a chance to audition as the next Bond. This specific trait is evident in a hilarious sequence at a museum wherein Shah isn’t invited to speak on stage unlike Raj. Further, the reverse sentiment of Raj being insecure around Shah is also evident through an exchange when Shah politely asks Raj on whether he is a Muslim – only for him to answer, ‘Aren’t we all?’. It tells you everything about the prevalence of hypocracy in the industry.

In the same sequence, you also see Shah turning a blind eye to the people close to him – specifically Zulfi, who he continues to treat like a doormat. Even when Zulfi is about to be escorted out of the venue, Shah doesn’t budge – having previously told people around him on how he isn’t his ‘real’ brother but just his ‘cousin’ who has been brought up by his family. In that sense, Shah remains eerily similar to Vikram (Farhan Akhtar) from Luck By Chance (2009), who refuses to acknowledge people who helped him succeed. This remains true even with regards to his former partner Yasmin (Ritu Arya), who he tries to unsuccessfully warmup too, despite a scandalous article written by her.

One of the most interesting forms of symbolism remains a pighead that is hate-thrown in Shah’s house, only for it to invariably become his alter-ego and an unofficial confidant. You see Shah sharing his darkest secrets to the beheaded figure of a pig, that invariably is a twisted representation of Islamic hate as well as an inner turmoil brewing within the protagonist. In fact, the latter is a collection of all the ridicules and insecurities amalgamated together in an edgy figure that weirdly offers a sense of catharsis.

It is at this point also that the drama tonally shifts towards a thriller from an otherwise edgy dark comedy, and I wasn’t always convinced if this trip was needed. Not in terms of the concept, but more in terms of how the entire track played out and ended. I also wasn’t fully onboard with the simplistic solutions that catered towards an abrupt ending albeit the finale sequence that ties itself to the beginning, while rendering a sense of purpose to the insecurities of the protagonist undergoing an identity crisis. In that sense, the screenplay does manage to score pretty well.