British-Pakistani actor Riz Ahmed’s new Prime Video comedy series\u00a0Bait\u00a0has sparked an unexpected debate \u2013 not about the show itself, but about language, identity and who gets to reclaim a slur.<\/p>\n
In a recent interview promoting the series, Ahmed and co-star Guz Khan discussed the use of the term ‘Paki’\u00a0within South Asian communities, drawing a mixed response from audiences who have long championed Pakistani representation on screen.<\/p>\n
The comedy series premiered on March 25 on Prime Video. It follows Shah Latif, an actor navigating the high-stakes and humiliating cycle of auditions and fleeting fame. The series explores themes of ambition, identity and vulnerability of confronting oneself, while portraying the difficult and messy realities of trying to succeed in the industry.<\/p>\n
In an interview with Haroon Rashid\u00a0of\u00a0BBC Asian Network, Ahmed and Khan discussed the use of the term as a derogatory slur within the series.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on its usage in the UK, Khan said, \u201cFor us, putting it as part of our vernacular, is something we\u2019ve done for decades and decades\u201d. He added, \u201cI myself sometimes do use that term within our community as a term of endearment”.<\/p>\n
Khan emphasised that context is crucial, particularly whether the person using the term is South Asian, and more specifically, Pakistani. \u201cI was pressing quite a well-known YouTuber not long ago who, just in the guise of \u201cbants\u201d, was using that word,\u201d\u00a0he shared. \u201cBut he\u2019s not Pakistani. And he\u2019s not South Asian,\u201d\u00a0Ahmed responded.<\/p>\n
Read:\u00a0Riz Ahmed\u2019s Bait premiere brings South Asian stars together<\/p>\n
Khan also pointed out the increasing use of the term with negative connotations on X, noting that this trend has become more prominent over the past five to six years.<\/p>\n
Ahmed further explained, \u201cThis thing is ours. This is something we can do internally. But it is not permitted outside and there is a strange kind of bonding and reclamation around that.\u201d\u00a0He concluded by suggesting the need for introspection, questioning whether such usage might perpetuate internalised self-hatred.<\/p>\n
Khan added, \u201cIf the youngsters want to use that word in an endearing way because it empowers them, I’m not going to make judgments of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Read More:\u00a0Riz Ahmed awkwardly shuts down ‘James Bond’ joke while promoting Bait<\/p>\n
However, the actors’ remarks have received a mixed response from an audience who has previously been enthusiastic about increased Pakistani representation on screen.<\/p>\n
Many expressed discomfort with what they perceived as the normalisation of a historically offensive term.<\/p>\n
One user argued that the frequent use of the word remains deeply offensive and while it may be referenced in historical or educational context, attempts to reclaim it reflect a form of privilege, even within South Asian communities.<\/p>\n
Another user noted that normalising the term does little to address the underlying issue, adding that Ahmed, as a prominent figure in the industry, risks reinforcing harmful narratives.<\/p>\n
Others drew comparisons to the use of the N-word, arguing that it is unacceptable for any group or person to draw attention to derogatory terms and make them \u201cok\u201d to use.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, the debate surrounding the new series highlights a broader conversation about language, identity, and ownership within marginalised communities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
British-Pakistani actor Riz Ahmed’s new Prime Video comedy series\u00a0Bait\u00a0has sparked an unexpected debate \u2013 not about the show itself, but about language, identity and who gets to reclaim a slur. In a recent interview promoting the series, Ahmed and co-star Guz Khan discussed the use of the term ‘Paki’\u00a0within South Asian communities, drawing a mixed …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3189,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3183"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3183\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3190,"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3183\/revisions\/3190"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}