Who is Jeremy Shadwell from The Buddha of Suburbia and what is their importance?

Jeremy Shadwell is a theatre director of limited talent. He gives Karim his first acting job. His actors grow to hate him, although his productions are quite successful. His insistences on making Karim wear dark makeup and adopt an Indian accent in the play show him as a person with little awareness of racial issues. He is inherently racist without even realizing it.