Do you know Ms Marvel Kamala Khan is a huge Shah Rukh Khan fan?

She's Pakistani American, loves Shah Rukh Khan and gets permission from her protective parents to be 'distracted' from her studies for a party, but only if 'Abbu' takes her. That is Kamala Khan, Marvel's latest superhero whose very name emblemises a composite South Asian culture and identity. Ms Marvel, a high school student, dealing with teen angst and pains growing up in Jersey City, makes her debut on OTT on Wednesday.

Also read: Shah Rukh Khan to do a cameo in Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt’s Brahmastra?

Pakistani Canadian actor Iman Vellani plays the first South Asian superhero of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and hopes the series is a 'good start' for more such stories. "It's so wonderful, and it truly sets the example for other studios and other people to tell their own stories because obviously, Ms Marvel cannot represent every single South Asian Muslim person, but it's a start, and it's a good start," the actor said in a recent global roundtable interview. 

An avid gamer and voracious fan-fiction scribe, the cleverly named Kamala, synthesising various identities of region and religion in her moniker, is a Captain Marvel fan with an overactive imagination. She feels she doesn't fit in at school and sometimes even at home until she gets superpowers like the heroes she's always looked up to. 

The series, which also references Partition, has already caught the attention of Marvel's South Asian fans, particularly those living in India and Pakistan. The numerous Bollywood and Shah Rukh Khan mentions, a positive focus on Islam as a religion and the familiar areas of conflict between parents and their children has added to its popularity. 

The references to South Asia are many and detailed. Kamala, for instance, believes 'Baazigar' is Shah Rukh's best movie to date. There is also this dialogue, "There's no such thing as a bad Shah Rukh Khan movie." 

The series features Indian actors Mohan Kapur and Zenobia Shroff as Kamala's affectionate but overprotective parents, Yusuf and Muneeba Khan. They want their daughter to spread her wings but find themselves at odds with her and her ambitions. Muneeba's family also carries the scars of the Partition of the subcontinent and hides a major secret. 

In keeping with the South Asian appeal of the show, Pakistan's Fawad Khan and India's Farhan Akhtar have been announced as cast members but don't make an appearance in the first two episodes provided to critics. Ahead of the show's release, actor-director Akhtar shared a post to praise Marvel for its 'conscious inclusiveness' and celebration of diversity. 

Read: Farhan Akhtar's post on Ms Marvel

Based on the comics created by Bisha K Ali, the series starts streaming in India on Disney+Hotstar from June 8 in English, Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam. Besides Vellani, the series' cast includes Matt Lintz, Yasmeen Fletcher, Saagar Shaikh, Rish Shah, Nimra Bucha and Travina Springer with Aramis Knight. The directors are Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, Meera Menon and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. 

(With inputs from PTI)