Meesha Shafi is not just an exceptional singer but she has tried her hands at acting in well known projects locally and internationally. So, the news of her starring in a Pakistani-American film isn’t a surprise, however she will be joined by well known comedian/ host Hasan Minhaj and American actor Alicia Silverstone (Clueless, Tropic Thunder).
According to a report in Deadline, the Pakistani-American coming-of-age film titled Mustache is going to be award-winning writer/director Imran J. Khan’s first feature and is going to be largely autobiographical. It also stars Rizwan Manji (Schitt’s Creek), Atharva Verma (Stargirl), Ayana Manji (Mira, Royal Detective) among others.
“Mustache follows Ilyas (Verma), an eccentric 13-year-old boy who sets off to navigate the social hierarchy of his new California public school with a mustache his parents will not allow him to shave off. Manji will play Ilyas’ father Hameed, with Pakistani-Canadian singer Shafi playing his mother, and Manji’s daughter Ayana set to portray his school friend, Yasmeen. Details as to the roles of Silverstone and Minhaj haven’t been disclosed,” the report said.
Christina Won (Birdman) and Jessica Sittig of MakeSay are producing along with American Light and Fixture’s Christopher Storer and Tyson Bidner — the duo behind the hit series Ramy and The Bear for Hulu and FX, respectively.
“I’m very humbled and honored to be partnering with the amazing people at MakeSay as well as the talented Christopher Storer to bring my very personal and often eccentric film, MUSTACHE to life,” said Khan. “I can’t think of a better team to partner with to bring this film to life.”
Talking about the project and the unique storyline, Rizwan Manji told Deadline.
“I am excited to be a part of a project that tells a universal coming of age story in ways that we haven’t seen before and from a diverse perspective,” remarked Rizwan Manji. “Mustache is an honest representation of growing up Muslim in the 90s. I found the script special, and immediately connected to the father son relationship that is central to the film.”
“Mustache is exactly the kind of paradigm shift we love to bring to the screen. A heartwarming and funny story that highlights an underrepresented culture and uplifts a diverse, auteur filmmaker,” added Won and Sittig in a joint statement. “Imran is an incredible talent and he draws from his own personal experiences growing up in the bay area in the 90s to create a film with laughs and a lot of heart. We couldn’t be more proud to bring this story to light.”
Imran J. Khan has previously written and directed a number of award-winning shorts including 2016’s Prom, which was based on ideas from Minhaj’s stand-up special Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King. He’s worked on the editing teams for films ranging from Space Jam: A New Legacy to Minions: The Rise of Gru, and was recently selected for the Pillars Artist Fellowship, created by Riz Ahmed’s Left Handed Films and Pillars Fund to champion and mentor Muslim writers and directors.
Meesha Shafi’s feature credits include Bollywood’s Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Bilal Lashari’s Waar and Mira Nair’s thriller The Reluctant Fundamentalist as well as she has done TV serial Mor Mahal.
