So, before I ascended and became Starboy McLovin I was a boy who grew up in Lahore being a movie fan. I was used to the fact that nobody on screen in English movies looked like me and it never really bothered me. Don’t get me wrong, any mention of my country, good or bad, resulted at least in a mild grin. Representation as a concept has been a big topic recently in the cultural zeitgeist, and thanks to Ms. Marvel I think I have finally gotten to a point where I get why.
Ms. Marvel follow Kamala Khan, a 16-year-old first generation Pakistani Avengers fan who initially finds it difficult to fit in until she realizes that she also has superpowers. Ms. Marvel is the latest show in the MCU so you can expect all of the baggage that comes with it. It was cool to see Pakistani actors in the show, even though I think most of them did struggle a bit with being natural while acting in English. Iman Vellani does a great job portraying Kamala Khan and I am genuinely excited to see her in The Marvels.
I think Ms. marvel is worth checking out just to get a taste of Pakistan, and dip your toes in a culture which hardly ever gets the limelight in the west. I watched most of the show with my family, and we were constantly laughing with how perfectly were some most of the things depicted. From saying “Bismillah” before starting things, overprotective parents, switching from English to Urdu mid sentences, randomly listening to Bollywood songs, and the list could go on. It is a love letter to and a crash course in Desi culture and I love it.
The show depicts the partition of British India. An event in history that is not talked that much about in the West, but has directly or indirectly impacted hundreds of millions of people living today. Even my younger siblings that grew up primarily in Europe were surprised to learn about the horrors of such event and its aftermath.
As you may have noticed I don’t really talk about the quality of the show that much. It is above average in terms of MCU shows, and it’s tough to say how much would have I enjoyed the show without the personal connection I have with it. This is the first show which I think would have actually benefited from more episodes, which I can’t really say for other MCU shows. I think even though you don’t really care about the MCU or superheroes, the show still has merit as it portrays my culture in a way that really hits home.