Written by: Nida Qasim
Posted on: June 22, 2022 | 
| 中文
Iman Vellani (as Kamala Khan) in Ms. Marvel
The much-talked-about Marvel mini-web series showcases the story of Kamala Khan, a 16-year-old Pakistani-American fangirl of the Avengers who struggles to fit in at her school, and sometimes even at home, until she gets her own unique superpowers. This coming-of-age series is based on the Marvel comics by the name of Ms. Marvel, edited by Sana Amanat and adapted for TV by Bisha K. Ali. El Arbi and Fallah, Meera Menon, and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy are the directors of the series, and Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso and Bisha K. Ali are its executive producers. Iman Vellani stars as Kamala Khan, while the cast also includes Aramis Knight, Saagar Shaikh, Rish Shah, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Matt Lintz, Yasmeen Fletcher, Laith Nakli, Azhar Usman, and Travina Springer. Notable Pakistani actors include Nimra Bucha, Fawad Khan, as well as guest stars including Samina Ahmad, Mehwish Hayat and Alyy Khan.
Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan and Yasmeen Fletcher as Nakia
Ms. Marvel debuted on Disney+ on June 8, 2022, and will consist of six episodes, to be released weekly until July 13. The series is to be exclusively released in cinemas in Pakistan in three parts. The first two episodes will screen on June 17, and will play for a week. The next two episodes will release the following week on July 1, and the final two on July 15.
Dinner table scene
In September 2020, newcomer Iman Vellani was cast in the lead role of Kamala Khan by means of a WhatsApp forwarded casting call, sent to her by her aunt. This led her to submit a self-tape, before being asked to audition at Marvel Studios' offices in Los Angeles. Vellani noted that Kamala Khan led a simple life but was endowed with extra powers, and so was not concerned about high school, boys and relationships, family, culture or religion. She also added that the character "felt so much like me", due to the similar background, ethnicity, and love for the Marvel universe.
Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan and Mohan Kapur as Yusuf Khan
The inspiration for the series is from South Asian sources, and Ms. Marvel's costume was inspired by burkinis and shalwar kameez, with subtle "cultural details" in the fabric. The official poster for the series features artwork by the Pakistani artist and illustrator Shezil Malik. Some of her artwork is also used in the show to represent Kamala Khan’s heritage as a Muslim/Pakistani-American superhero. Co-executive producer Amanat called Ms. Marvel a "great platform" to showcase South Asian music, with the selections a "blend" of songs by Pakistani artists. Some of the songs featured in the series include Rozii by Eva B, Peechay Hutt by Hassan Raheem, Talal Qureshi and Justin Bibis, and the evergreen popular song Ko Ko Koreena by Ahmed Rushdie.
Matt Lintz (Bruno Carreli), Yasmeen Fletcher (Nakia) and Iman Vellani (Kamala Khan) in Ms. Marvel
A variety of themes are touched upon in the series that relate not only to Pakistani Muslims, but also to immigrant families. The first two Ms. Marvel episodes hint that the show will explore the family experiences of Kamala’s during the 1947 Partition of India and Pakistan. Kamala and her friend Nakia are shown doing wudu (ablution), and in a brief exchange at their mosque, they discuss how the men’s sections are so much better cared for than the women’s sections. The show also brings up the difficulty of finding one’s shoes outside the mosque, when Nakia complains that she can’t find her Versace shoes. The show portrays lives of different Muslims in a matter-of-fact way, highlighting the different practices that exist within Muslim communities as well. “Kamala doesn’t cover her hair, but Nakia does, for she chose to do so, but is also fashion conscious,” says Sana Amanat, an executive producer on the series and an original creator of the comic book character. “I do believe Islam to be a pluralistic faith. There are many kinds of people. We in our own community have to be more accepting of that.” Kamala “may or may not pray five times a day,” Amanat says, “but she does go to the mosque. She’s part of our community and she’s proud of it.”
Sana Amanat, the executive producer and the original creator of the character
This series is one of a kind for its commitment to breaking age old stereotypes of Muslims in film and television that we have grown accustomed to. The show portrays the family in all its three-dimensional humanity. They speak in a mix of Urdu and English to each other and to friends. Kamala says bismillah before starting her driving exam. All the Muslim characters say Salaam when they greet each other. There's Islamic calligraphic art on the walls of her house. There's nothing underlying or nefarious about all of this. “For too long Hollywood and the media have relied on reductive, one-dimensional monolithic characters, as well as lazy sign-posting," said Rifat Malik, who runs American Muslim Today, a non-profit news outlet that challenges the media's negative stereotypes about Muslims.
Iman as Kamala Khan, the superhero
The series has been very well received. Destiny Jackson at Empire felt that the series was able to balance the comedic and dramatic moments, with "witty visual gags and well-rounded, warmly funny, instantly likeable characters", adding that Ms. Marvel had "an authentic take on Pakistani-American culture; the show takes admirable care in explaining the rituals and realities of life as a modern Muslim". Malala Yousafzai praised the series for its reflection of Pakistani people, and was "struck by how familiar Kamala Khan’s life seemed to me", saying the series was "for every young person trying to find their place in the world".
Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan and Matt Lentz as Bruno Carreli
Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, who directed two episodes of the series expressed that, “For the first time I thought to myself: this is a project I would love to be a part of because it is a story that matters. [Kamala] is brown, she is South Asian, she has Pakistani roots and she’s a Muslim,” adding that Marvel’s decision to add a superhero like Kamala gives “brown girls, minorities, and so many people around that world a chance to see a reflection of themselves in the character. More importantly, as a Pakistani woman I know the importance of having representation of language, food, clothes, music [in a big project like Ms. Marvel], and how that can help shape the world’s perspective of a culture and a country.”
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