Mohan Kapur plays Iman Vellani’s father, Yusuf Khan, in Ms. Marvel. The highly popular web series is based on a Pakistani immigrant family living in New Jersey. It is currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. The Free Press Journal caught up with the veteran actor for a chat.
When asked how the show was conceptualised, he shares, “This has been a comic book for many years. Now suddenly, Marvel decided to make it. It’s been a phenomenal effort, and it’s all about representation, which is so required in today’s time. It is an amazing collaboration. In fact, I would say that it has taken the comic books to another level altogether. People love it!”
Elaborating further, he adds, “The show was shot in the US in Atlanta. I was not there in episodes four and five. I am currently stationed in Mumbai.”
Ms. Marvel was filmed during the pandemic and the cast followed the rules to the T. “There was a strict Covid protocol over there. We would be tested every alternative day whether we were shooting or not. There were huge restrictions, and we also amongst ourselves took it upon ourselves not to endanger the people around us and the production. It would be very irresponsible for any of us to go out and contract the virus. Nobody did. The magic of the writing helped all of us to bring the best of it,” he reveals.
Before embarking on the shoot, the cast held rehearsals. “We did rehearsals, and reading happened in the rooms. On the sets, we did for cameras. The environment became clean. There was so much positivity in those negative times. Well, I wouldn’t know so much about India. We were very highly restricted, but it was more out of our own self-imposed restrictions. They would request us not to go out and mingle around, and we ourselves too decided to only go out for shoots,” he says.
Opening up about his acting journey, Mohan explains, “My journey has been very blessed because there have been ups and downs. Fortunately, I never really had to go out and look for work. For some strange reason, work came to me. That way, it’s been good, but like anybody else who is struggling, you have to wait for work. Those are always trying and testing times. It’s been a fun and blessed journey.”
The actor has had a transition from TV serials to hosting and films. When asked if he has any regrets, he concludes, “Not really. I mean regrets are always there. I feel I wish I would have got a job like in a particular film or role. That’s part and parcel of the profession.”
