Posted in: Disney+, Marvel, streaming, TV | Tagged: Anjali Bhimani, DesiQuest, exclusive, Iman Vellani, interview, ms marvel

Ms. Marvel: Anjali Bhimani on Importance of Representation, Season 2

Anjali Bhimani (DesiQuest) on playing Auntie Ruby in Ms. Marvel, cultural impact & visibility. And, yes... we ask the Season 2 question.

Ever since Anjali Bhimani started her on-screen acting career, she's taken off running. Her second project was HBO's The Sopranos in 2006. With a combination of her versatility, passion for pop culture, and gaming, Bhimani has been one of the busiest actresses in the industry, working across all genres from comedy, soap operas, crime procedurals, science fiction, fantasy, and superheroes. Among the projects & franchises she's appeared in include Flight of the Conchords, Law & Order, Pretty Little Liars, Bones, Criminal Minds, Modern Family, Fallout, NCIS, Uncharted, Young Sheldon, Apex Legends, Blindspot, Seal Team, Critical Role, Kung Fu Panda, and Diablo. She's also earned the rare distinction of working on multiple Marvel projects playing various characters starting with 2019's Runaways (Mita Mansari) on Hulu, Sony's Spider-Man 2 for PlayStation 5, and Disney+'s Ms. Marvel (Auntie Ruby). While promoting her latest project in EffinFunny live-play Dungeons & Dragons campaign DesiQuest, Bhimani spoke to Bleeding Cool about the cultural reverence of her second MCU series and if she expects a season two of the Disney+ series given the reception and the recent release of Marvel Studios' The Marvels.

Ms. Marvel: Anjali Bhimani on How Series Made South Asians Felt Seen

Bleeding Cool: Can you speak about how much 'Ms. Marvel' has done for cultural relevance for the show to exist and how do you feel about being part of a show?

Bhimani: Every time a historically underrepresented group has a chance to tell a story that is about more than just their culture, race, or story where the cultural background is the tapestry on which the story is told or the pallet on which that story is told. That makes a huge leap for that group because what it does, is it doesn't just show you the people and you think, "That's what it looks like to have that." What it does is it normalizes it because I grew up knowing tons of people, like the people in that show, and so did many other people, but there's also a lot who haven't grown up with that experience.

When you have a show like [Ms. Marvel] where people can watch it and realize that there is more that is similar across these cultures than isn't, everybody's got family dynamics and a fear of stepping into their own power when they're younger. All parents are wondering whether they should discipline their children more or let them run free. These are all universal things we all experience. When you see it experienced by people who you may not have seen in your normal day-to-day life, then that becomes more normal for you.

When you go out into the world, it makes sense. I hope that … and I say one of the greatest things about the show for me is hearing from people, "Oh my God! I feel seen because this is just like where I grew up, or this is like my family." Hearing that from people who are not just Pakistani Muslims in New Jersey, people of all backgrounds start to understand the commonalities. That is an extraordinary thing, and that is where inclusivity comes in. That is where the arts are important for us. As artists, no matter what we are creating in the world, to include people in our stories and help them see that all these stories are universal. That's a special thing, and the creators of Marvel knew what they were doing when they put [Kamala Khan] together. Having Iman Vellani as our lead is about the greatest thing ever because there couldn't be a more perfect person to play this model.

Have you heard any rumblings about any continuation of Ms. Marvel?

I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you [laughs]. I suspect that what I have heard is what you expect. I am also allergic to spoilers, so if I were to even intimate something right now, I would probably start breaking out in hives. I didn't even tell my husband that I was filming 'Ms. Marvel' for a year and a half. That's how much I hate spoilers. I'll leave it at that.

Effinfunny's DesiQuest which also stars Jasmine Bhullar, Sandeep Parikh, Omar Najam, and Rekha Shankar. The first episode is now available. For more information, you can check out the series here. You can also check out our interview with Bhimani's Ms. Marvel co-star, Travinga Springer, here.

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