10 Underrated Films by Riz Ahmed You Must See

Riz Ahmed has built a body of work that stretches across studio hits and intimate projects, and some of his sharpest turns sit in films that slipped past the spotlight. This list pulls together ten features where he adds texture to challenging stories and collaborates with distinctive filmmakers across the UK, Europe, South Asia, and the United States. You will find leading roles, key supporting parts, writing credits, and creative partnerships that show his range.

Each pick below includes concrete details that help you find and understand the film at a glance. You will see who directed it, what the story covers, where it was shot, and which festivals and awards took notice. The goal is to make it easy to line up your next watch with solid information in hand.

‘Shifty’ (2008)

Eran Creevy directs this London crime drama made through the Film London Microwave scheme, which backs microbudget features with accelerated schedules. Riz Ahmed plays a street level dealer whose day unspools alongside his visiting friend, with locations set around outer East London and a lean shoot that wrapped in a matter of weeks.

The film earned nominations from British independent awards and drew attention to emerging talent across the cast and crew. Daniel Mays co stars, and the production highlights how the Microwave model can launch careers by pairing tight resources with strong scripts and local crews.

‘Ill Manors’ (2012)

Musician and filmmaker Ben Drew, also known as Plan B, directs this multi strand East London story that blends narrative scenes with original tracks that comment on the characters. Riz Ahmed plays Aaron and anchors one of the intersecting arcs, with nonprofessional performers appearing alongside established actors and with on location shooting across London estates.

The project arrived with a companion album that expanded its world through music and gave the film a distinct identity. Its production approach mixed social realism, rapid schedule planning, and community casting workshops, and it went on to receive recognition at British independent ceremonies.

‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ (2012)

Mira Nair adapts Mohsin Hamid’s novel into a cross border thriller that tracks a Pakistani graduate who rises in American finance and is later drawn into a tense interview with a journalist. Riz Ahmed leads the cast as Changez Khan, with scenes set in Lahore, Istanbul, and New York and with Kate Hudson, Liev Schreiber, and Kiefer Sutherland in key roles.

The film premiered at major festivals and brought together crews from multiple countries under Nair’s longtime production banner. It uses bilingual dialogue and location heavy photography to frame identity, media, and security through a character driven lens.

‘Trishna’ (2011)

Michael Winterbottom relocates a classic Thomas Hardy story to Rajasthan and Mumbai and shapes it into a contemporary drama about class and power. Riz Ahmed plays Jay Singh opposite Freida Pinto, with extensive on location work that uses bustling city streets and rural landscapes to mirror the characters’ shifting lives.

The production leans into natural light, handheld camerawork, and a mix of Hindi and English dialogue. It screened at international festivals and continued Winterbottom’s practice of blending literary source material with modern settings and small footprint crews.

‘City of Tiny Lights’ (2016)

Pete Travis adapts Patrick Neate’s novel into a neon soaked London noir about a private investigator hired to find a missing person. Riz Ahmed stars as Tommy Akhtar, navigating a case that threads through property deals, community politics, and old friendships, with filming across West London neighborhoods.

The film premiered at Toronto and later screened at the BFI London Film Festival. Billie Piper and Cush Jumbo join the ensemble, and the production balances classic detective beats with contemporary London detail, including faith communities, sports bars, and late night minicab offices.

‘Mogul Mowgli’ (2020)

Riz Ahmed co writes this feature with director Bassam Tariq and plays a British Pakistani rapper whose career is interrupted by a sudden illness just before a major tour. The film integrates original music, Urdu and English dialogue, and stylized sequences that draw on South Asian performance traditions and family memory.

It premiered in the Panorama section in Berlin and won multiple prizes at the British Independent Film Awards. Produced by Pulse Films and backed by partners focused on artist led projects, the feature emphasizes intimate scale filmmaking supported by bold sound design and close up framing.

‘Four Lions’ (2010)

Chris Morris directs this satirical feature produced by Warp Films about a group of inept would be militants in Northern England. Riz Ahmed plays Omar and features alongside Nigel Lindsay, Kayvan Novak, and Adeel Akhtar, with principal photography in Sheffield and London and with research informed writing sessions preceding the shoot.

The film won awards from British comedy institutions and became a touchpoint for discussions of satire and extremism in modern media. Its production combined location work, a compact budget, and a script developed through long form interviews and newsroom style writers rooms.

‘Una’ (2016)

Theatre director Benedict Andrews makes his feature debut with this adaptation of a notable stage play by David Harrower. Riz Ahmed appears in a key supporting role opposite Rooney Mara and Ben Mendelsohn, with the story unfolding in a workplace setting and in a remote coastal house, and with production based in the UK.

Cinematography emphasizes stark interiors and tight close ups that echo the play’s origins. The film screened at international festivals and drew notice for its trio of leads and its careful transfer from stage to screen while retaining an intense two hander structure.

‘Centurion’ (2010)

Neil Marshall stages a survival action drama about the fabled Ninth Legion in Roman Britain, focusing on soldiers cut off behind enemy lines. Riz Ahmed appears among the core group of fighters alongside Michael Fassbender, Dominic West, and Olga Kurylenko, with shooting in Scottish locations that supply rugged terrain and harsh weather conditions.

The production features practical stunts, horseback chases, and period costuming built for heavy use in remote landscapes. It fits within Marshall’s run of muscular genre pieces and showcases Ahmed early in a physically demanding ensemble that required extensive training.

‘The Road to Guantanamo’ (2006)

Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross direct this hybrid of documentary interviews and dramatized reenactments about the Tipton Three. Riz Ahmed portrays Shafiq Rasul in the scripted sections, with the filmmakers intercutting testimony from the real men with staged sequences that trace travel, capture, and detention.

The film won prizes at the Berlin International Film Festival and brought wide attention to its subjects through television and theatrical releases. Its production approach blends journalistic methods with indie filmmaking techniques, using handheld cameras, archival footage, and a small cast to recreate events across multiple countries.

Share the films you plan to watch next and tell us which lesser known Riz Ahmed performance surprised you in the comments.