Bangladesh’s Breakout Actor In French Cinema

In a rare and refreshing moment of South Asian representation in European film, Bangladeshi-born Ahassan Uddin has made his cinematic debut in the newly released French film Délocalisés. And he didn’t just slip into a side role, he’s front and center on the film’s poster, playing Rahul Kool, an Indian translator caught between corporate power plays and worker solidarity.

Image by @juliamugnierphotography

Ahassan’s story unfolds like a film script in its own way. Having moved to Paris with his family in 1994 in search of better opportunities, he grew up straddling cultures, bullied in school, often seen as “the outsider,” and navigating a new language and identity in a city that didn’t always make space for people like him. But like many immigrant stories, his is also one of resilience. “Learning French came naturally since I started early,” he said. “Had I been older, it would’ve been harder.”

Ahassan’s entry into showbiz wasn’t through theatre or film school, but through a talent competition - the 2023 Mr. Franco Desi pageant. He joined just to perform a dance in the talent segment. He won. Ramp shows followed. Offers trickled in. And then came Délocalisés, courtesy of a Facebook casting call his friend spotted. With zero expectations and nothing but his modeling photos in hand, Ahassan auditioned. Against 200 hopefuls, he landed the role, a decision the director had to defend to a skeptical crew due to Ahassan’s lack of acting experience.

But when the cameras rolled, he delivered - including a scene that required him to slap the lead actor. “I accidentally hit him too hard,” Ahassan laughed. “The reaction you see in the movie? That’s real!”

Image by @juliamugnierphotography

The film, directed by Ali Bougheraba, follows Redouane Mahrez, a Frenchman sent to India with promises of promotion, who finds himself lost in translation and trapped in cultural misunderstandings, with Rahul, played by Ahassan, as his reluctant guide. Filmed across India and Paris and during Kolkata’s scorching 44-degree Ramadan heat, the movie explores globalization, exploitation and identity with unexpected nuance.

Ahassan’s Bollywood-loving childhood and self-taught Hindi helped him embody Rahul with empathy and flair. And for a Bangladeshi actor to make such a debut in French cinema where South Asian faces are still few and far between, it’s nothing short of historic.

“I’d love to work in Bollywood, Bangladeshi films, or anywhere exciting,” he said. “Becoming an actor has always been my dream. If I can keep doing this, that would be the best thing for me.”

Image by @juliamugnierphotography

With Délocalisés now in theatres, Ahassan Uddin has not only broken into French cinema, he’s redefined what immigrant dreams can look like on the global screen.