Being British Bangladeshi (2021)

Ali Shahalom, known as Ali Official, is one of the UK's top British-Bangladeshi comedians. He has found a huge following on social media, but Ali is troubled by the feeling that British-Bangladeshis are viewed as being at the bottom of the social pile, always the butt of the joke - in their own eyes as much as much as those of others. So in the year Bangladesh turns 50 years old, Ali wants to shout about the contribution British-Bangladeshis have made to this country. His parents came to the UK in the 1970s. His dad, a tandoori chef, opened his own restaurant - one of the many "Indian" restaurants in the UK to be owned by Bangladeshis. Ali is proud of his heritage and what he calls the "blood, sweat and tears" of his forefathers. But he wants to show the full breadth of the British-Bangladeshi contribution to this country. In this film, Ali goes on a journey with fellow comedians Mistah Islah, Smash Bengali and Iksy to find out what it means to be British-Bangladeshi in the UK today. Ali meets Nadiya Hussain, Mumzy Stranger and MP Rushanara Ali, and hears how they got to the top of their games - their successes, failures and the obstacles they faced. Some of their conversations are hilarious, some are difficult, all are insightful.