Meet Eshaan Akbar: The Bangladeshi actor from ‘Sex Education’

"Hi, are you busy", I asked the British- Bangladeshi comedian in English, and he replied with 'Nah, ami cha banachchilam' (No, I was making tea). I was quite surprised when I heard the popular comedian speaking in Bangla. Eshaan Akbar was born and raised in London; his mother was Bangladeshi, while his father is Pakistani. He respects both the cultures but is slightly inclined towards his love for Bangladesh.

Recently, the actor has been receiving praise for his acting debut in "Sex Education" season 4, where he plays the eccentric but entertaining Principle Lakhani at Cavendish College. Earlier on, the comedian became viral in 2019 for his segment 'Growing up in a mixed household' in BBC's "Mock the Week" programme.  He is the first person of Bangladeshi descent to be featured in popular shows like "Mock the Week", "Live at Apollo", Quite Interesting (QI), amongst others.

In an exclusive interview with The Daily Star, the comedian talked about his experience in "Sex Education" and how comedy helped him cope with the tragic death of his mother.

Netflix's popular series "Sex Education" was released on the streaming platform, on September 21. Eshaan played the goofy principle, who had a carefree attitude towards his institution. Although he didn't have an extended screen time, his comic timing surely kept the audience entertained in the final season.

"I auditioned for the role without any research or rehearsals. I just showed up and did a few scenes. To be honest, I didn't think the audition go very well. Later, I called my agent and informed him that I needed to practice before appearing for the audition. Three weeks later, they called me to confirm my role as the principle in the series," said Eshaan.

When asked about whether he liked any particular trait about Principle Lakhani, the comedian said, "Lakhani is quite an interesting character. The makers described his character as someone who is laid back and doesn't really bother what his students are up to. The series has several deep emotional stories and majority of the students are involved with one another."

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He continued, "On the contrary, Lakhani is pretty reluctant about his surroundings and could offer some kind of comedic foil to everybody's earnest seriousness. Thus, it presents a nice antithesis to what 'Sex Education' stands for."

"When I spoke to the producers, the first thing they told me that they were sure about casting me as the principal the moment I auditioned for the role," he revealed.

When asked whether South Asian artiste are being represented enough in media, the actor stated that although the situation is improving, South Asian actors are still being type cast in Hollywood films.

"Over the years, South Asian artistes have started to get represented in mainstream media. However, the challenge is that for the longest time, Asians have been represented in similar ways. I have also talked about this in my comedy show. We are never portrayed as the leading, sexy man or as a superhero. Generally speaking, the representation of Asians is that they are always the intelligent ones. It was great that I could play the principal of the college, but I would also love to see an equivalent stupid Asian character like Will Ferrell in Anchorman. I think progress is being made, but there is a long way to go," said the artiste.

The British-Bangladeshi comedian made his debut in stand-up comedy in 2014. What started off as a hobby, soon blossomed into a full-time career. Earlier this year, he performed at "The O2 arena" nine times – where each show consisted of around 20,000 people.

"Apart from pursuing my degree at the Queen Mary University of London, my father convinced me to learn Kathak. Later, I also choreographed Bollywood dance routine. Comedy just started off as a hobby when I performed five-minute spots at some open mic nights. After continuing it for some time, my mother suddenly passed away and comedy became my coping mechanism to escape from the pain of losing her," Eshaan expressed.

"Within a year, I got consumed by work and my shows started increasing in number and duration. Interestingly, I started off my career as a banker. Later I worked in various positions, including government policy advisor, speech writer, and also as a journalist. I have had my fair share of hard-core jobs, but I left my banking career as comedy shows were enough to pay my bills and of course, it's a fun thing to do," laughed the comedian.

Eshaan Akbar has appeared in many of popular British programmes, including "Mock the Week", "Quite Interesting", "Live at Apollo,"  amongst others.

He was the first Bangladeshi descendant to be on "Mock the week", a British topical satirical celebrity panel show. "Although it's embarrassing that, even in 2023, I was the first Bangladeshi artiste to get a shot at it. I was pleased that my work inadvertently represented Bangladesh. I am one of those individuals who is pleased to represent both my Bangladeshi and Pakistani ancestors," he said.

"However, I am slightly inclined towards my Bangladeshi roots than Pakistani ones," added Eshaan.

When asked about his experience in Bangladesh, the comedian said in Bangla, "Ami choto bela te prottek bochhor Bangladesh ey jetam and ami KG-1 ey porechhilam Dhanmondi International school ey."

"The last time I visited Bangladesh was in 2016, two years after my mother passed away. It was a rough journey since Bangladesh will always be associated with my mother's memories. However, I also have pleasant memories of eating Jackfruit at my khalu's place in Mohammadpur. My mother taught me Bangla, and I can also write in it. Being Bangladeshi gives me a sense of pride," concluded Eshaan.