Actor Riz Ahmed has made everyone proud, especially the Muslim community, by winning his first Oscar for Aneil Karia's live-action short film 'The Long Goodbye'. During his acceptance speech at the 94th Academy Awards, Ahmed talked about the importance of togetherness at a time when Ukrainians are battling a war.
"In such divided times, we believe that the role of story is to remind us there is no 'us' and 'them'. There's just 'us'. This is for everyone who feels like they don't belong. Anyone who feels like they're stuck in no man's land. You're not alone. We'll meet you there. That's where the future is. Peace," he said in the speech.
Ahmed, who's British of Pakistani descent, has co-written 'The Long Goodbye' along with Aneil.
In 2021, Riz Ahmed scripted history after he was nominated for the Academy Award's Best Actor category for his role in the movie 'Sound of Metal'. He was the first Muslim to be nominated in this category. Ahmed essayed the role of a rock drummer who loses his hearing alongside Olivia Cooke and Paul Raci in the film.
Soon after the nominations were out, Riz Ahmed had taken to his social media handle to share his feelings. Alongside a series of BTS images of 'Sound of Metal', he wrote, "Wow! I'm honoured to be nominated by my fellow actors alongside such inspiring performances and am grateful to the Academy for their support and encouragement. I’m equally thrilled for our visionary writer-director Darius Marder and the brilliant Paul Raci, as well as our editor Mikkel, sound designer Nicolas, and co-writer Abe Marder. These nominations represent the time, generosity and talents of so many — all of our incredible cast, crew, producers, and in particular, I’d like to thank my mentors in the drumming, addiction recovery, and D/deaf communities. Sound of Metal is about how a health crisis can cut you off from your life and loved ones, and force you to grow in unexpected ways. In a challenging year for so many, I hope this story can inspire us to forge new and deeper connections with ourselves and others (sic)."
Riz Ahmed started his acting career in 2006 with Michael Winterbottom's 'Road to Guantanamo' in which he played the role of Shafiq. He then went on to star in several films such as 'Nightcrawler', Mira Nair’s Reluctant Fundamentalist Shifty 'Venom', 'Mogul Mowgli' among others. Besides films, Riz has also starred in television series such as 'The Night Of', 'The OA' and 'Girls' among others.
(With input from ANI)
