AJ Ahmed is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Phaldut Sharma. The character made his first on-screen appearance in episode 4458, which was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on 9 July 2012. Sharma filmed his final scenes before Christmas 2013 and the character's final episode was broadcast on 10 January 2014, being episode 4783.
AJ is an extension to the established Masood family, the younger brother of established character Masood Ahmed (Nitin Ganatra). He is disliked by Masood's partner and ex-wife, Zainab Masood (Nina Wadia), but brings out a previously unseen fun side to his brother. AJ is portrayed as a mechanic who is cheeky, fun-loving, irresponsible, annoying and spontaneous, though he makes decisions by flipping a coin. Other storylines include a feud with Derek Branning (Jamie Foreman), divorcing his wife Aliyah Ahmed (Ann Wenn) and lending support to Masood through financial problems and his breakup with Zainab. The character has received mixed comments from critics, with Laura White from Inside Soap saying he is "the perfect tonic for a family almost constantly dogged with crisis", and Anthony D. Langford from AfterElton.com praising the character but wondering if the writers knew what to do with him.
Character creation and development Casting and introduction Sharma was recommended for the part of AJ by Nitin Ganatra (Masood) after the character was described to him, because producers wanted AJ and Masood to be funny together. The two actors had previously performed in comedy together in short film The Drop, Channel 4's Meet the Magoons and a programme called To Eat with Your Fingers, so Ganatra thought Sharma would be perfect for the role and he was the first person he thought of. Ganatra and the producers went through ideas of how a brother would affect Masood and what their relationship would be. Ganatra explained that he thought Masood only had one brother until he was told about AJ. When Sharma and Ganatra performed a scene together at Sharma's audition, the dialogue came so naturally to them that producers thought they were improvising, but, as Ganatra explained, they "know each other's style [and] have all these shortcuts. It's like having a real brother." Sharma was offered the part immediately after his interview. Sharma added in March 2013: "I've known Nitin for years and he really lobbied for me to get the role of AJ, and as soon as I finished my audition the producers offered me the part and asked if I wanted a cup of tea, to which I replied, 'Yes please, I've waited 20 years for that cup of tea', but it's been really nice to just jump onto a set with someone I've already bonded with—it's like having a pre-built family to bounce off." He had also previously worked with his co-stars Nina Wadia (Zainab Masood) and Marc Elliott (Syed Masood), so felt it was "cool" and "familiar" to work with them. Sharma revealed in an interview with Inside Soap that his own mother always thought he should play Masood's brother after watching EastEnders for many years. The first scene Sharma filmed was with Ganatra on the set outside The Queen Victoria public house, and he found it "really surreal".
The character and Sharma's casting were announced on 1 June 2012. The character's name stands for Amjad Jahangir. It was reported that AJ arrives in Albert Square hoping to reconnect with Masood and build bridges with his family, then AJ gets himself and Masood in trouble, so Masood wonders if AJ is running away from something. Sharma said "I think it's a really fun, colourful and lively part and I can't wait to see where it goes!" Speaking of AJ's arrival, Ganatra said that he felt "very confident, happy and excited about having a new character to play against", especially a new member of the family, "because the Masoods are always about family." AJ first appears in the episode originally broadcast in the UK on 9 July 2012, which is EastEnders 4458th episode.
Characterisation AJ is a mechanic, who is described as a chancer who "never misses an opportunity for excitement." He is characterised as a free-spirited, fun-loving and carefree rebel, who does not always realise how his spontaneity affects other people. He is described as cheeky, irresponsible, a bad influence, a joker, a charmer and a talker. It is said that he does not plan or do what people expect of him, is fun to be around and could be running away from life. A writer for the BBC said that he lives "like there's no tomorrow", and makes decisions based on the results of a coin flip. The coin, described as "lucky", is inspired by the Bollywood film Sholay, in which two friends make decisions based on the flip of a coin, though one friend does not know that both sides of the coin are the same. Ganatra stated in an interview on This Morning that he did not think that the two sides of AJ's coin were the same. Sharma described AJ as "the clown who loves to play" and "a little bit of a hippy", saying "he's got a real wheeler-dealer, Del Boy aspect to his character." He has twice compared AJ to a puppy dog, because he is nice but annoying, and he is fun but a nuisance. Sharma, who was brought up in Newport, said that "the charm, humour and personality" of Welsh people he knew helped him to create the character of AJ.
Laura Morgan from All About Soap called AJ "mischievous", and the magazine also called him "bothersome" and "crazy". Nathan Bevan from Western Mail has called him "gregarious", an "aggro-magnet", a "trouble-magnet", "wise-cracking" and "wheeler-dealing". He has also been called "flighty", a "tearaway", "naughty" and "good-for-nothing".
Role within the Masood family
AJ is a member of the Pakistani Masood family, headed by Masood Ahmed, played by Ganatra. Masood is married to Wadia's character, Zainab Masood (though at the time of AJ's arrival they are divorced and planning to remarry), and they live with their children Syed Masood (Elliott), Tamwar Masood (Himesh Patel) and Kamil Masood (Arian Chikhlia). Masood and AJ also have an older brother, Inzamam Ahmed (Paul Bhattacharjee). AJ is younger than Masood. AJ has been called "the black sheep" of the family and "a delinquent uncle".
AJ and Masood had lost touch for three years prior to AJ's arrival, and had fallen out because of an argument between Zainab and AJ's wife Aliyah, said to be that Aliyah once made an obscene comment to her. AJ was described as "the polar opposite to his control freak sister-in-law [Zainab]", and it was said that "sparks [would] fly in the Masood household as the battle lines are drawn [between them]." Zainab thinks AJ is reckless and she has little time for him. Ganatra said that there is tension between AJ and Zainab, and although Zainab does not necessarily dislike AJ, she does not like that AJ gets Masood into trouble, and Zainab's hatred for Aliyah does not help. Inside Soap called Zainab AJ's archrival.
AJ brings out a different side to Masood, which Ganatra said could "upset the status quo". He said that AJ was brought in "to stir up Masood's life, and that has exciting prospects", and they would "get up to all sorts of shenanigans." Presenter Kate Thornton, when interviewing Ganatra, said AJ was a "playmate" for Masood, while Wadia said that AJ brings the comedy back to Masood. Inside Soap Kate White called AJ "a world away from family man Masood", while Soaplife said AJ is "not a good influence but he sure puts a smile on [Masood's] face and a new spring in his step." Daniel Kilkelly from Digital Spy said that AJ's influence on Masood is "infectious". AJ's arrival allows people to see what Masood was like before he married Zainab, as all that was known about him to that point was his life with her. Ganatra stated: "So by opening this door, you get to see what Masood was like in his childhood and as a teenager. Masood did have a naughty streak—he was in a band with his brother, and they got up to mischief. Masood [...] has been put on the straight and narrow [since]. But prior to that, he was a teenager like any other—getting into trouble, and that was in cahoots with his brother AJ!" Ganatra said that, as British Asians, Masood and AJ grew up going to clubs and getting into trouble with girls. Now, Masood sees AJ as somebody with "no responsibilities, no children and no stress of having to provide for a family" and as AJ suffers marital problems, is feeling lonely and has no children, Ganatra said "they want each other's lives, which is quite a nice dynamic to play." He added that "AJ would love the stability of a family life like Masood's, while Masood would love to pack his bags, get drunk and perhaps end up in a stranger's bed. I'm interested to see him bring out Masood's naughty streak—and where that could take them..." AJ is accepting of Syed's homosexuality and his relationship with Christian Clarke (John Partridge).
Sharma said that AJ would be an "unlikely saviour" for the Masood family when they find themselves in financial trouble. Although he called AJ the "family rebel", he said that the character is "doing what he can to help out with the money problems [because] when the going gets tough, AJ will step in to help his loved ones—and while he will probably never take the conventional route, he'll always get something sorted out in the end." He gets a job, and then helps to lift the family's spirits by organising a fireworks display, on which Sharma said, "AJ is just trying to help out his family in his own, dysfunctional way." In November 2012, Zainab makes a promise never to interfere in people's lives, so AJ decides to use the opportunity to test her. Sharma explained: "He is ready to test her promise to the limits! AJ knows exactly how to push all of Zainab's buttons, and now he's going to take full advantage of the fact that she won't let herself be the control freak she normally likes to be!" Jane Simon from the Daily Mirror said AJ is "thoroughly enjoying" testing Zainab's new policy.
Relationship with other characters In AJ's first episode, he makes an enemy of Derek Branning (Jamie Foreman) when he and Masood crash a shopping trolley into his car. An insider said that AJ should be worried, explaining: "AJ is a bit of a talker and tries to blag his way out of the situation but that just makes things even worse. Derek is quick to rough him up a little to make him realise he's not to be messed with. The confrontation really shocks AJ but he's not going to be pushed around by some bullying bloke he's just met." The Daily Star said that "Derek is the one person AJ really shouldn't make into an enemy", while interviewer Phillip Schofield stated: "If you knock the wing mirror off Derek's Jag you are in for trouble."