The article looks at 'Bait', Riz Ahmed’s series about a struggling British Asian actor whose life spirals after landing a potential James Bond role. It features the show's soundtrack, which brings together a wide range of artists like Arooj Aftab and Jorja Smith. Blending cinematic orchestration, 1970s South Asian film influences, and contemporary UK sounds, the album reflects the show’s shifting tones and builds a cross-cultural sound that centres diasporic representation.
What if Riz Ahmed were James Bond? In Bait, his new six-part series now streaming on Prime Video, the Oscar-winning actor explores that premise by playing Shah Latif, an out-of-work British Asian actor whose life starts to spiral when he lands the final audition to play the next James Bond. It starts as a big break but quickly turns into a chaotic four-day stretch where family pressure, fame, identity, and online scrutiny all collide.
Written and produced by Riz himself and directed by Bassam Tariq and Tom George, the series moves between satire, dark comedy, psychological thriller, and family drama, set against contemporary London. In the show, Shah is dealing with being seen as “the first brown Bond,” while also dealing with racism, expectations, and his own insecurities about success and belonging. The cast around Ahmed is stacked with familiar faces. You’ve got Guz Khan, Sheeba Chaddha, Aasiya Shah, Ritu Arya, and even Patrick Stewart showing up in a very unexpected role.
The soundtrack boasts a stellar cast of talent including hotly tipped DJ and producer Anish Kumar; Grammy-winning composer, singer and producer Aroof Aftab, jungle and DnB legend MC Shabba D; iconic electronic music duo Original Unknown, BRIT and MOBO winning producer Amir Amor; vocal powerhouse Véyah; British pop icon Jay Sean; and global star Jorja Smith. Arooj Aftab’s Urdu version of ‘Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)’ reimagines the iconic 80s’ synth-pop hit with a sitar over the descending arpeggio and bitter-sweet harmonies that make the already dramatic track operatic. ‘Pulling Me Back’ is built on a driving UK garage-like beat and an addictive R&B melody, bringing together British Asian influences.
Across the soundtrack, the influences range from cinematic orchestration and psychedelic South Asian film music from the 1970s to current UK and diasporic sounds. It reflects the show’s mix of cultures and genres and supports how the story moves across different tones. “I don’t think an album like this has really been put together before,” says Riz “...with such an incredible range of important artists from across the diaspora — from India, from Pakistan, from South Asia more broadly — as well as from the UK and the US.”
Watch Bait here and listen to the soundtrack below:
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