Tv Serial The Buddha Of Suburbia

Based on the 1990 novel of the same name by Hanif Kureishi, the series starred Naveen Andrews as the main character, Karim Amir. Its theme song, as well as other original music for the series, was written and performed by David Bowie (this work also inspired Bowie's related 'soundtrack' album of the same name).

The Buddha of Suburbia
DVD cover
Based on	The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi
Screenplay by	Hanif Kureishi Roger Michell
Directed by	Roger Michell
Starring	Naveen Andrews Roshan Seth Susan Fleetwood Steven Mackintosh
Composer	David Bowie
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	4
Production
Producer	Kevin Loader
Cinematography	John McGlashan
Editor	Kate Evans
Running time	55–60 minutes
Production company	BBC Films
Original release
Network	BBC Two
Release	3 November (1993-11-03) – 24 November 1993 (1993-11-24)

Unable to find distribution in America, the series was given a limited engagement screening at The Public Theater in Manhattan from December 1994 to January 1995.

Karim Amir is a mixed-race 17-year-old who lives in a South London suburb during the 1970s. With an English mother and a Pakistani father, Karim is uncertain of his cultural identity. As his father becomes a kind of spiritual guru to the surrounding middle-class neighbours, Karim begins to explore his cultural roots with hopes that he will achieve sexual and racial self-realisation.

Filming

Segments for the series were filmed at Naveen Andrews' old school Emanuel School.^{[citation needed]} The extras used in the series were real punks, skinheads, suedeheads, hippies, and musicians cast by actress Barbie Wilde.

Music

The series features many songs from the seventies, as well as music written and performed specifically for the series by David Bowie. While a soundtrack album by Bowie was released under the same name on 8 November 1993, the music on the album is completely reworked, with the exception of the programme's theme song "The Buddha of Suburbia". A promotional music video was made for the song, featuring Bowie performing the song while strolling around the London suburb of Bickley as scenes from the series are intercut throughout. The rest of the original television soundtrack remained unreleased.