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Kamala Khan's Onscreen Parents Break Down Their Funniest Scenes With Iman Vellani In Ms. Marvel - Exclusive

There's no denying that Iman Vellani was meant to play Kamala Khan and her badass secret identity, Ms. Marvel, in the Disney+ series. Whether it's critics or Vellani's onscreen family, everyone's in agreement: Vellani is Kamala Khan. Though Vellani brings plenty of intense and empowering moments to the screen, she also taps into her comedic side — especially during scenes with Kamala's family. 

"Ms. Marvel" boasts spot-on casting for all the Khans, not just the hero herself. When it comes to Kamala's parents, Mohan Kapur plays Yusuf (her dad), while Zenobia Shroff plays Muneeba (her mom). Of course, each actor has their own dynamic with Kamala, but they all have comedic moments with the young star, and most of them weren't even intentional. 

During an exclusive interview with Looper, Mohan Kapur and Zenobia Shroff discussed their comedic moments with Iman Vellani and how they achieved the funniest family moments in "Ms. Marvel." 

Jumping on improvisation

Kapur and Shroff have some of the funniest and most wholesome moments with Kamala. As they attempt to understand and support her world, the generational and cultural gap offer some epic comedic moments — with the failed driving test, and Hulk costume fail immediately coming to mind.

On forming those comedic scenes, Shroff said, "[The] comedy came naturally. I've done a lot of improv. I've written a lot of characters, and — at least, personally, I can't speak for Mohan — I did not try to infuse it with that comedy." Noting some light improvisation, she added, "But every now and then, Saagar would throw out a line, and then we'd jump on that. Some of it was improv'ed a little bit, but I don't think that you can work so hard at comedy. Sometimes, you just do it, and it lands funny in your delivery or something. That's what happened." Well, the final product definitely feels effortless.

It's all who you work with

Kapur agreed with Shroff's sentiment, adding, "She's right, because there's a difference between [a] sense of humor and [comedic] timing. It doesn't have to be a funny line, but it's the way you say it." As it turns out, lines are often just lines — the comedy lies in the delivery.

"There are a lot of lines that Muneeba says [that] are not quintessentially funny, but the way the situation lends itself to [Zenobia] delivering that dialogue, it's hilarious, and she's done it so well. Working with Iman was a treat because she being [a] first-timer [is] natural," Kapur explained. "That whole thing was very organic, and ... the script — I always go back to that. The script gave us all the fodder that we needed. There was not too much effort put into it, aside from what came to us at the moment on the day."

Shroff jumped in by saying, "You're always only as good as the people you play with. Any actor who thinks that they are good on their own is delusional," and Kapur agreed. 

Noting the wisdom that comes with a heft Hollywood resumé, Shroff noted, "You will learn that on the way. You're only as good as the people you play with. Whether it's your scene or it's their scene, it's all action-reaction, so we created together. Sometimes, he would throw in an aside, and we'd jump on that."

New episodes of "Ms. Marvel" stream Wednesdays on Disney+.