The much anticipated Marvel show ‘Ms Marvel‘ has received a lot of hype, and for good reasons. The show about a Pakistani-American superhero is getting a two-part theatrical release in Pakistan, with the first part screening in cinemas tomorrow.
‘Ms Marvel‘ follows the story of a Pakistani-American teenage girl, Kamala Khan, played by Iman Vellani, a Pakistani-Canadian actor. Kamala, who is a massive superhero fan, discovers that she has superpowers. Now, she must juggle her responsibilities as Ms Marvel, while also balancing school, faith and culture.
The Pakistani screening of ‘Ms Marvel‘ will be in two parts, with episodes 1 and 2 being merged into the first part coming out June 16, and the second part, consisting of episodes 3 and 4, coming out June 30.
The show is particularly significant for Pakistani Muslims, as it features the first Pakistani and Muslim superhero to lead a title in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As if that wasn’t enough, it features many established names in the Pakistani showbiz industry.
For starters, the series has been directed by Oscar-winning Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, and a lot of the promotional posters for the series have been designed by Pakistani illustrator Shehzil Malik, who is known for her work for Aurat March.
Churrails actor Nimra Bucha plays a role as the mysterious mother of a senior at Kamala’s high school, who she also has a crush on. Fawad Khan and Mehwish Hayat have also been confirmed to be part of the Ms Marvel cast, and while who they play hasn’t been revealed yet, fans are speculating that the two will play Kamala’s great-grandparents in a flashback scene to the 1947 Partition.
A week ago, a clip of the first episode circulated online, garnering mixed reviews from Pakistanis, who felt misrepresented.
For once I thought maybe they would represent us correctly. And once again they have let us down.#MsMarvel https://t.co/fzOeABbZKE
— Muhammad (@ikzindabad123) June 9, 2022
Why is there Punjabi in this movie this girl is Indian from Karachi? Where does Punjabi fit in here also no one says chak de phatte except in Bollywood 💀😭 https://t.co/hEh50O5Udd
— guru randhawa Hate Account (@dmvbanda) June 11, 2022
However, after the second episode aired in the US, the response seems to have shifted and is overwhelmingly positive now. People are praising the show for its realistic and positive portrayal of Muslims, and not shying away from really doing justice to the culture and faith Kamala belongs to.
I am very glad that Marvel isn't shying away from Kamala's religion at all and they're showing us more and more of her as a Muslim that's going to be such impactful representation #MsMarvel pic.twitter.com/3VcwIvftal
— Ahamed Yaser (@yaser_ahamed_) June 15, 2022
#MsMarvel episode 2 spoilers
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the partition was a terrifying and emotional event for all people included and it has caused so much generational trauma and decades of irreversible damage to india and pakistan, im glad it was talked about pic.twitter.com/CpXqM0BdWF— zara | ms marvel era⚡️ (@flipflopzara) June 15, 2022
Hi Netflix. You see this? This little scene? This wasn’t hard AT ALL. And it’ll mean EVERYTHING to loads of Muslim women. #MsMarvel pic.twitter.com/JFhx2a3BNR
— Hadeed Butt (@mhadeedbutt) June 15, 2022
