‘Ms. Marvel’ Casts Bollywood Star Farhan Akhtar In a ‘Really Exciting’ Role Teases Showrunner
Ms. Marvel won audiences over with its thrilling first episode. But there is plenty more action to come as the Disney+ Marvel series continues. This includes Bollywood star Farhan Akhtar making an appearance opposite star Iman Vellani. And as teased by the showrunner, his secret role will be “really exciting.”
Who is ‘Ms. Marvel’ star Farhan Akhtar?
Akhtar is an Indian actor, director, producer, screenwriter, and singer. He is the son of renowned poet, writer, and lyricist Javed Akhtar and actor/screenwriter Honey Irani. His older sister, Zoya Akhtar, is also an award-winning screenwriter and director.
After starting his career as a filmmaker’s apprentice and assistant director, Akhtar made his directorial and writing debut in 2001 with Dil Chahta Hai, according to his IMDb profile. The film earned national acclaim and received several accolades.
In 2002, Akhtar helped his father co-write the lyrics to the Oscar-nominated Hindi film, Lagaan. And in 2004, he and his sister wrote the lyrics for the Hollywood movie Bride and Prejudice.
Akhtar went on to make several blockbuster Bollywood movies, including Don, Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd., and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. He made his acting debut in the 2008 film Rock On and has since appeared in dozens of movie and TV projects alongside actors like Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Deepika Padukone.
Farhan Akhtar’s role in ‘Ms. Marvel’ is ‘really exciting,’ teases showrunner
Farhan Akhtar is confirmed to appear in Ms. Marvel at some point. But true to Marvel’s style, his role remains top secret.
Without giving away any character details, Ms. Marvel creator and showrunner Sana Amanat talked about Akhtar’s role in the series. And she teased that fans will find it pretty thrilling.
“I can’t tell you anything about Farhan Akhtar’s role,” she said in a recent interview with Times of India. “But I will say it is awesome! We love Farhan and it is really, really exciting.”
The ‘Ms. Marvel’ cast is full of famous South Asian stars
Akhtar isn’t the only South Asian star in Ms. Marvel. The cast also includes Pakistani actors Fawad Khan, Mehwish Hayat, and Samina Ahmed.
When talking to India Today, Amanat revealed that she’s a “huge fan” of Akhtar’s. And she noted how excited she is to introduce him and the other South Asian actors to the Marvel audience.
“What’s really cool is that — outside of the diaspora communities, I don’t think that much of the Western world really understands or knows [these] great actors who have had long careers,” Amanat said.
“For us, that’s really incredible to be able to have them in our show,” she added. “It gives a different kind of gravitas to the whole show because of their stature and how great they are.”
Akhtar is also pretty excited about becoming part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In an Instagram post, the actor shared a photo of his character and a message of gratitude.
“Grateful that the universe gifts us these opportunities to grow, learn, and in this case, have a ton of fun while doing it,” Akhtar wrote.
Ms. Marvel airs Wednesdays on Disney+.
