Biography
Akhtar is known for the bumbling Muslim extremist Faisal in Chris Morris's film Four Lions. Other comedic performances include Gupta in The Angelos Epithemiou Show, Maroush in The Dictator and Smee in Joe Wright and Pan. Akhtar has also won acclaim for his dramatic performances: in 2015, he was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor for his 2014 role as Wilson Wilson on Channel 4's Utopia. He played shopkeeper Ahmed alongside Toby Jones in the BBC mini-series Capital, and DS Ira King i...
Known For
Complete Filmography
Dickens: Phantoms and Fiction
2023
as Readings
Captivating documentary exploring the haunting world of Charles Dickens' supernatural tales through actor readings, archive footage and immersive visu...
The Walk
2023
as Amar
Pilgrimage or purgatory? Every Wednesday Amar endures a 24-mile round trip on foot to the JobCentre and back to sign on.
The Puppet Asylum
2023
as The Narrator
Otto Baxter, a filmmaker with Down's Syndrome, directs and stars in this musical horror-comedy short based on his life, set in Victorian London.
Murder Mystery 2
2023
as The Maharajah
After starting their own detective agency, Nick and Audrey Spitz land a career-making case when their billionaire pal is kidnapped from his wedding.
Enola Holmes 2
2022
as Lestrade
Now a detective-for-hire like her infamous brother, Enola Holmes takes on her first official case to find a missing girl, as the sparks of a dangerous...
Ali & Ava
2022
as Ali
Sparks fly after Ali and Ava meet through their shared affection for Sofia, the child of Ali’s tenants whom Ava teaches. Ali finds comfort in Ava’s wa...
Save the Cinema
2022
as Tom
The true story of Liz Evans, a hairdresser and leader of a youth theatre in Carmarthen, Wales, who began a campaign in 1993 to save the Lyric theatre ...
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
2021
as Dan Rider
The extraordinary true story of eccentric British artist Louis Wain, whose playful, sometimes even psychedelic pictures helped to transform the public...
Robin Robin
2021
as Dad Mouse (voice)
A bird raised by mice begins to question where she belongs and sets off on a daring journey of self-discovery.
Everybody's Talking About Jamie
2021
as Iman Masood
Jamie New is 16 and doesn’t quite fit in—instead of pursuing a "real" career he dreams of becoming a drag queen. Uncertain about his future, Jamie kno...
Enola Holmes
2020
as Lestrade
While searching for her missing mother, intrepid teen Enola Holmes uses her sleuthing skills to outsmart big brother Sherlock and help a runaway lord.
The Nest
2020
as Steve
Rory is an ambitious entrepreneur who brings his American wife and kids to his native country, England, to explore new business opportunities. After a...
Raagni - The Movie
2019
as Maulana Wahdi
RAAAGNI THE MOVIE - is a British bilingual film for cinema release, dialogues (English /Urdu, though mainly in English). The film is set in London and...
The Show
2019
as Carpenter
Sometimes the drama backstage is better than anything on it... Sometimes the drama backstage threatens to destroy everything on it.
Murder Mystery
2019
as The Maharajah
On a long-awaited trip to Europe, a New York City cop and his hairdresser wife scramble to solve a baffling murder aboard a billionaire's yacht.
Swimming with Men
2018
as Kurt
A man who is suffering a mid-life crisis finds new meaning in his life as part of an all-male, middle-aged, amateur synchronised swimming team.
Victoria & Abdul
2017
as Mohammed
Queen Victoria strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk named Abdul Karim.
Hampstead
2017
as Donald's Lawyer
Emily Walters is an American widow living a peaceful, uneventful existence in the idyllic Hampstead Village of London, when she meets local recluse, ...
The Big Sick
2017
as Naveed Nanjiani
Pakistan-born comedian Kumail Nanjiani and grad student Emily Gardner fall in love but struggle as their cultures clash. When Emily contracts a myster...
The Last Dragonslayer
2016
as Mr. Brittles
In a fantasy world where magic is being superceded by technology, an orphaned teen discovers her destiny to become a dragonslayer.
The Circuit
2016
as Gabe
Newly arrived in town Nat and Gabe accept a dinner invitation from the volatile Hungarian Helene and her boorish husband Sasha. Whilst the other guest...
Murdered by My Father
2016
as Shahzad
Every parent wants the best for their kids, and Shahzad is no exception. Ever since his wife died, he's been trying to keep his two kids Salma and Has...
Convenience
2015
as Shaan
Two friends attempt to rob a petrol station but are so useless that they end up working there all night.
Pan
2015
as Sam "Smee" Smiegel
Living a bleak existence at a London orphanage, 12-year-old Peter finds himself whisked away to the fantastical world of Neverland. Adventure awaits a...
War Book
2015
as Mo
Government officials practice their response and decisions in a simulated escalation of nuclear threat.
Keeping Up with the Joneses
2013
as Jerry
MP's wife Celia discovers her husband's true colours when she is taken hostage by his criminal business associates.
Jadoo
2013
as Vinod
This comedy revolves around two brothers, both wonderful chefs, who fall out catastrophically. At the climax of their dispute they rip the family reci...
Stranger Things
2013
as Mani
Oona, a recent graduate in anthropology, has returned to her dead mother’s seaside cottage in southern England to prepare it for sale. Her arrival dis...
The Dictator
2012
as Maroush
The heroic story of a dictator who risks his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.
Four Lions
2010
as Faisal
Four Lions tells the story of a group of British jihadists who push their abstract dreams of glory to the breaking point. As the wheels fly off, and t...
Traitor
2008
as Hamzi
When straight arrow FBI agent Roy Clayton heads up the investigation into a dangerous international conspiracy, all clues seem to lead back to former ...