Bilal Baig Explained

Bilal Baig
Birth Date:	^[1]
Birth Place:	Scarborough, Ontario, Canada^[2]

Bilal Baig is a Canadian writer and actor. They are best known for their play Acha Bacha and CBC series Sort Of (2021–2023).^[3]

Early life

Baig was raised in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

Career

Acha Bacha, a play which centers on a non-binary Pakistani-Canadian person struggling to reconcile their gender with their Muslim upbringing,^[4] was staged in a joint production by Theatre Passe Muraille and Buddies in Bad Times in 2018, and presented at Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace.^{[5] [6]}

Baig is the co-creator, a co-writer, and star of Sort Of, a CBC Television comedy series centering on a genderfluid character.^[3] Baig is the first queer South Asian Muslim actor to lead a Canadian primetime television series.^[7] The series premiered on CBC in 2021.

Sort Of was the top winner overall in television categories at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards in 2022 and Baig shared the award for Best Writing in a Comedy Series with writing partner Fab Filippo. Baig had declined to submit their performance for 2022 award consideration due to the gendered categories of Best Actor in a Comedy Series and Best Actress in a Comedy Series.^[8] Subsequently, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television announced that beginning with the 11th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023, gender-neutral awards for Best Performance will be presented instead of gendered actor and actress categories^[9] Baig was the winner of the inaugural Canadian Screen Award for Best Leading Performance in a Comedy Series at the 11th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023, in addition to their second award for Best Writing in a Comedy Series, again shared with Fab Fillipo.^[10]

Filmography

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result
2022	Gotham Independent Film Awards	Outstanding Performance in a New Series			^[11] ^[12]
2022	Peabody Awards	Entertainment	Sort Of		^[13]
2022	Canadian Screen Awards	Best Writing, Comedy	Bilal Baig, Fab Filippo		^[14]
2023	Canadian Screen Awards	Best Lead Performer, Comedy	Bilal Baig		^[15]
2023	Canadian Screen Awards	Best Writing, Comedy	Bilal Baig, Fab Filippo		^[16]

Notes and References

1. https://www.macleans.ca/longforms/bilal-baig-sort-of-queer-identity/
2. Web site: Toronto Star ePaper .
3. https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2020/10/15/entertainment-news-new-cbc-comedy-will-star-genderqueer-playwright-bilal-baig-as-a-gender-fluid-millennial.html "Entertainment news: New CBC comedy will star genderqueer playwright Bilal Baig as a gender-fluid millennial"
4. [J. Kelly Nestruck]
5. Jose Teodoro, "Acha Bacha explores queer South Asian-Canadian life with humour and heart" . Now, 8 February 2018.
6. Web site: Acha Bacha The Toronto Theatre Database . 2024-02-06 . en-US.
7. Web site: Nonbinary millennial is front and center in HBO Max dramedy 'Sort Of'. 2021-11-21. NBC News. 20 November 2021 . en.
8. Sadaf Ahsan, "Trans, non-binary actors push for more recognition as awards season approaches". Toronto Star, 20 June 2022.
9. Joseph Pugh, "Canadian Screen Awards switching to gender-neutral performance categories". CBC News, August 25, 2022.
10. https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/csas-final-night-2023-1.6811617 "The Porter, Sort Of showered in awards on the CSAs' final night"
11. Web site: Gotham . 2022-10-25 . 2022 Gotham Awards Nominations Full List The Gotham . 2024-02-07 . en-US.
12. Web site: Gotham . 2022-11-28 . 32nd Annual Gotham Awards Winners Announced The Gotham . 2024-02-07 . en-US.
13. Web site: Voyles . Blake . September 20, 2023 . 83rd Peabody Award Nominees . September 20, 2023.
14. Web site: 2022-02-15 . Bilal Baig, Fab Filippo . 2024-02-07 . Academy.ca . en-US.
15. Web site: 2023-02-22 . Bilal Baig . 2024-02-07 . Academy.ca . en-US.
16. Web site: 2023-02-22 . Bilal Baig, Fab Filippo . 2024-02-07 . Academy.ca . en-US.