Riz Ahmed’s Bait premiere brings South Asian stars together

British-Pakistani artist Riz Ahmed recently hosted the premiere of his upcoming comedy series Bait, set to debut on Amazon Prime Video on March 25. The event brought together a vibrant mix of South Asian musicians, comedians, and creatives from across the diaspora, including several notable Pakistani stars.

Among the Pakistani attendees were musicians Natasha Noorani and Grammy winner, Arooj Aftab. Noorani shared glimpses from the evening on Instagram, captioning her post, “last night was a movie fr.” Her photos featured appearances alongside artists and creators including Veyah, Jay Sean, Anik Khan, and Kareem Rahma.

Curator and cultural commentator Jasmine Wahi, also known as browngirlcurator, also posted a series of moments from the night, including photos with prominent figures such as Hasan Minhaj and Shruti Raya.

“This isn’t an ad, I just really enjoyed the show and the tamasha! And creative work that highlights the specific experiences of the Subcontinental diaspora should be amplified (when they’re good)!”, she said.

Adding to the night’s highlights, chart-topping singer Jay Sean, known for his classics Down and Ride it, performed a new track called Pulling Me Back.

Overall, the premiere stood as more than just a celebration of a new series, but one to commemorate South Asian talent and storytelling.