- Riz Ahmed plays Ganesh, a scientist, in Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's film Digger with Tom Cruise
- Ahmed's look in Digger has drawn comparisons to Malayalam actor Fahadh Faasil
- Ganesh's character is rooted in Kerala, reflecting South Indian immigrant heritage and ocean interest
Riz Ahmed will be seen playing the role of Ganesh, a scientist in Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's political black comedy Digger, starring Tom Cruise. Riz's first look has attracted attention in India for an unexpected reason. Ahmed's look, featuring a high forehead, thin moustache, large glasses, and neatly styled appearance, has drawn comparisons with Malayalam actor Fahadh Faasil. Of note, Fahadh Faasil himself auditioned for the role in 2025.
Now, speaking to The Hollywood Reporter India, Riz spoke about his role, the character's roots in Kerala, and the comparisons with Fahadh Faasil.
When asked how aware he was of the comparisons with Fahadh Faasil, he said, "Oh wow... It's interesting because the reason I chose Kerala (as a place of origin) was because of the surname Ganesh and how that's more common in South Indian immigrants as well, and how that can often get assigned as a family name amongst those communities."
"I also wanted the connection to the sea and that kind of stuff in his heritage, since he's interested in the environment and the oceans."
"I'm not familiar with Fahadh Faasil's films, but I'm going to make sure to check out his work now. I know that there's such an incredible industry in South India with so many stars... I always want to kind of watch more movies from India and see what's going on there," he added while talking about Fahadh.
In August 2025, Fahadh told Cue Studio that he had been in talks for a role in the filmmaker's next project.
"It was not like he rejected me, but it was the accent that he was concerned about. To perfect the accent, I was told to go to the US and stay there for three or four months. But they weren't ready to pay for that. That's why I skipped it. Otherwise, I would have gone running. The commercial aspects of it wouldn't have worked out. I didn't feel that kind of fire to do so much for my accent," Fahadh said.
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