Ms Marvel aka Kamala Khan's on-screen parents Mohan Kapur and Zenobia Shroff open up about their superhero kid!

New Delhi: Marking a historic move, Marvel Cinematic Universe has introduced its South-Asian superhero in Marvel Studios’ Ms Marvel, now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam, with new episodes dropping every week. The highly-appreciated series introduces Pakistani-Canadian debutant Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan aka Ms Marvel, a teenage superhero who is thrust into a remarkably rich, new mythology that takes her to exciting places where she discovers truths about her past and family. 

An avid gamer and a voracious fan-fiction scribe growing up in New Jersey, Kamala is a superhero megafan with an oversized imagination— particularly when it comes to Captain Marvel. After feeling like a misfit at school and sometimes even at home, her life takes a new turn as she is bestowed with superpowers that change her life forever. 

Mohan Kapur who plays the father of Kamala Khan in the series said, "Yusuf is a warm, caring, compassionate man, but his wife Muneeba definitely has the upper hand in the household."

“He adores Kamala and always encourages her to follow her dreams, although his wife tends to be a bit stricter. He understands where his wife is coming from, but he also understands it’s the 21st century and she’s a young teenage girl living in Jersey City. He tries to protect and soften things for her when Muneeba gets too overbearing and judgmental,” he further added. 

Kamala’s family on the show is her anchor through life. While her father Yusuf is more open to his daughter’s creative aspirations and fascination with superheroes, her mother Muneeba is rather conservative and wants her daughter to follow a traditional path with family and her future focus. 

Meanwhile, Zenobia Shroff who plays the mother of Kamala Khan agreed that her character is a “bad cop to Yusuf’s good cop.”

“The story of Ms Marvel is beautifully written with Yusuf and Muneeba having a lovely dynamic between them, but she is much harder on Kamala. I think it’s one of those things where you get a teacher who says, ‘I was tough on you because I knew how great you could be.’ Muneeba knows Kamala’s potential and that there’s something special inside her, but she still wants to protect her from all that,” said Zenobia Shroff. 

While Kamala stretches the boundaries of her family dynamic, her brother Aamir played by Saagar Shaikh is her ally in softening her parents’ traditional values and expectations. 

Talking about his reel relationship with Kamala, Shaikh said, “He’s kind of aloof and is not as funny as he thinks he is, but I think Kamala gets a lot of her quirks from him. They’re both kind of dorky in their own ways, but he chooses to focus on his relationship with fiancé Taisha instead of superheroes and artistic pursuits. Their parents are stricter than you find in the average American household, so he’s kind of the middleman between Kamala and their parents. He’s cool, but he also can be strict when he needs to be.”

Iman Vellani makes her acting debut as Ms Marvel and is supported by a diverse and deeply talented supporting cast including Farhan Akthar, Mohan Kapur, Matt Lintz, Yasmeen Fletcher, Zenobia Shroff, Saagar Shaikh and Rish Shah as Kamran, Mehwish Hayat, Samina Ahmed, Laurel Marsden, Arian Moayed, Adaku Ononogbo, Alysia Reiner, Azhar Usman, Laith Nakli, Nimra Bucha and Travina Springer, with Aramis Knight.  The series has been directed by Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah, Meera Mohan and two-time Academy Award® winner Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy with Bisha K Ali as the head writer. Meanwhile, along with Sana Amanat, the series has been executive produced by Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Adil & Bilall and  Bisha K Ali.