Actor Mohan Kapoor, who portrayed Yusuf Khan, the endearing father of superhero Kamala Khan in Marvel’s “Ms. Marvel,” shared his insights on the professional distinctions he observed while shooting for the series. He described the international set’s work environment as “heartening” and “deeply disciplined.”
In a conversation with Pooja Bhatt on her podcast, Mohan elaborated on the contrasts he experienced during the filming of “Ms. Marvel.” Reflecting on his time in the US, he was particularly impressed by the sight of women performing demanding technical tasks on set.
“The thing that was most heartening for me… I saw women doing heavy lifting and I mean heavy lifting. I am saying they were lifting big ass lights, literally lifting weights… I was like ‘behenji main karun?’ I was shocked… This is something I found very strange in the States. Everyone does their job,” he expressed.
Mohan drew a comparison to everyday life, recalling an incident during the COVID period at a supermarket where a staff member declined to assist beyond his designated duties.
“I was staying in an apartment and I wanted to stock up because it was Covid… So, I went into this supermarket… and there’s one guy stocking something up on a ladder… So I asked him where I could find… he said why don’t you look over there… He said ‘then you got me my friend.. that’s way above my pay grade…’ His job is just stocking…”
He noted that this same structural approach was apparent on the shooting floor. With COVID restrictions limiting crew size, the set operated like a “well-oiled machine.”
“In a professional environment in a shooting set, everybody was queued into it. Not learning on the job also because it was Covid; the number of times was reduced. So, everyone was like a well-oiled machine. You had to be on time doing everything,” he mentioned.
Recalling a specific incident on the first day of shooting, he noted that a one-hour delay due to a camera issue was promptly documented.
“The EP (executive producer) came with his iPad and asked the director to log the reason for the delay. Everything had to be accounted for,” Mohan stated, emphasizing that the lack of such accountability remains a significant concern in India across various sectors.
“I find that as a problem in India holistically. There is no accountability,” he pointed out.
“Ms. Marvel” is the seventh television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, following the journey of Kamala Khan, a 16-year-old Avengers fangirl who navigates fitting in until she discovers her own powers.
Iman Vellani stars as Kamala Khan, along with Matt Lintz, Yasmeen Fletcher, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapoor, Saagar Shaikh, Laurel Marsden, Azhar Usman, Rish Shah, Arian Moayed, Alysia Reiner, Laith Nakli, Nimra Bucha, Travina Springer, Adaku Ononogbo, Samina Ahmad, Fawad Khan, Mehwish Hayat, Farhan Akhtar, and Aramis Knight.
Despite being the most senior actor on “Ms. Marvel,” Mohan consistently sought feedback from younger co-actors.
“I remember in ‘Ms. Marvel,’ me and this lady who played my wife, Zenobia Shroff, were the only two people who had done work before. Considering my body of work, I was the most senior person. If it was a scene where I felt I needed feedback….”
“Even after hearing a ‘wow’ from people, I would go to the younger actors and say, ‘Was I alright? Did I pitch it right?’…”
“She said, ‘You’re Mohan Kapoor; you have done so much work, why are you asking?’ There is a reason… I said, ‘I have worked in India. Our sensibilities and the way we pitch our dialogues and emotions are different.’”
Mohan also highlighted the uniqueness of his Marvel journey, having appeared across three franchises: “Ms. Marvel,” “The Marvels,” and “Daredevil: Born Again.”
“Three Marvel franchises… The only character in the Marvel universe that traversed through ‘Ms. Marvel,’ ‘The Marvels,’ and ‘Daredevil…’”
Describing the experience as surreal, he remarked: “On the red carpet, they asked me, ‘Has your dream come true?’ I said that coming from India, I never dreamt that I would be here. I don’t have that audacity… But what I am doing is my dream, and I don’t want to wake up.”