Bollywood Star FARHAN AKHTAR Joins Marvel Project
Bollywood’s Farhan Akhtar (Toofan, The Sky is Pink) is in Bangkok, Thailand, to work on a new project for Marvel Studios, according to Yahoo! UK via local media reports. Although details of the project or the role haven’t been revealed, it was previously announced that Ms. Marvel is filming in Thailand beginning in March 2021.
Farhan Akhtar in Bangkok
There have been rumors for awhile now that Akhtar has signed with Marvel Studios. According to a source at E Times, “Farhan is currently stationed in Bangkok, along with an international cast and crew, for the shoot of a project with Marvel Studios, who are known to be one of the biggest film studios worldwide.”
Photo: FilmFare
“All other details of the project are strictly under wraps,” they added.
Filming in Atlanta before heading to Bangkok. Photo: @BRMarvelNews
When The Independent contacted Akhtar’s publicist about the actor signing with Marvel, they said “they have no information on this project.” However, because Ms. Marvel is currently filming in Bangkok, fans (and multiple sources) are speculating that the actor may appear in the Disney+ series and the studio is just keeping it under wraps.
Marvel Studios in India
For Marvel Studios, India is one of the fastest-growing markets for a number of its franchise films. In April 2019, Avengers: Endgame co-director Joe Russo visited Mumbai to promote Endgame and launch the Marvel anthem, saying that the team decided to start the film’s press tour in India because the country’s fans inspired the team while making the film.
Russo told the group of reporters how important the Indian market was to Marvel Studios, saying:
There was a recording of an Indian audience watching Infinity War and the moment Thor lands, the cheers sounded like a football stadium. We used to play that recording whenever we would get tired (working) on Endgame because it took us two years to make that movie.
Notably, Russo also promised that he would go to bat for Bollywood stars to play roles of Indian superheroes. “I will pick Bollywood stars to play Indian superheroes. I think moving forward, you are going to see a really diverse Marvel universe,” he said.
Joe Russo in Mumbai. Photo: Filmibeat
Russo didn’t share any other details about Marvel’s plan to introduce an Indian-origin superhero. But, the commitment to diversity set the stage for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 4 and the introduction of the first onscreen Muslim and Pakistani-American hero, Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), in Ms. Marvel on Disney+ and Captain Marvel 2 in theaters (the first movie starring Brie Larson as Carol Danvers did well in India).
What role do you think Farhan Akhtar might be playing in the upcoming Ms. Marvel? Or do you think the actor has been slated for a different project with Marvel Studios? Let Marvel Blog know what you think in the comments!
1 Response
[…] Hawkeye and Ms. Marvel are in the midst of production across the globe in places far-and-wide, like Thailand, and now it looks like Marvel Studios is set to begin production on […]