The Disney+ original series Ms Marvel is about a Pakistani-origin girl who gains superpowers in the United States, and the show’s use of desi music emphasizes the show’s distinct brown identity within the Marvel Universe.
Most storytellers will tell you that music plays an important role in setting the tone and really immersing the viewer in the experience in an audio-visual medium. That’s why there are Oscars for sound engineers and mixers, as well as nearly a dozen categories for film soundtracks in the United States. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a knack for employing music to set the mood for its movies. Few films have perhaps done it as well as Guardians of the Galaxy. Ms. Marvel is now continuing the tradition. The show uses music to not only set the tone but also to highlight the protagonist’s South Asian ethnic origin.
There are some spoilers for Ms. Marvel episodes 1 and 2 ahead!
Ms. Marvel has a scene in the first episode where the protagonist Kamala Khan goes shopping. The excursion is to Jersey City’s south Asian market, as it is for Kamala’s brother’s forthcoming wedding. The song Ko Ko Korina is playing in the background. Many people in India may be unaware of the iconic song, yet it is still one of the most popular in Pakistan. It is widely recognized as South Asia’s first pop song, performed by Ahmed Rushdi for the 1966 film Armaan. That immediately establishes the show’s tone. Because it is a show about a brown girl from Jersey City, the soundtrack reflects that.
Scenes with a sprinkling of desi music can be found throughout the first two episodes, whether it’s Eva B’s Urdu rap Rozi, which talks about girls smashing glass ceilings, or Nahid Akhtar’s Sohniye I Love You from the Pakistani film Babul Veer. Coke Studio makes an appearance as well, with Peechay Hutt from season 14 included.
It isn’t entirely Pakistani music, though. The show also features Indian music, whether it’s as prominent as a Rajinikanth film or as obscure as a Ritviz single. The most famous of the bunch is AR Rahman’s Oh Nanba from Lingaa, which features SP Balasubramaniam’s vocals. Raja Kumari’s Goddess, Ritviz’s Sage, Ishq Bector, Kully Bhamra, and Angus Campbell’s Disco Gully are among the songs on the soundtrack. Aye Hip-Hopper and Daaku Daddy’s creator now has a track on a Marvel programme.
What makes Ms. Marvel so distinctly South Asian is how well the songs mesh into the story. They aren’t merely there to fill in the gaps in the audio of the show. So you can hear Tesher singing Jalebi Baby in the background while Kamal is gushing over the new boy at her school. Similarly, we hear Eva B singing, “Jo Kuch Bhi seekha galtiyon se hi seekha Maine,” when the credits for the first episode begin to roll after Kamala is in a predicament.
Ms. Marvel’s USP, though, is that it is about a Pakistani girl living in Jersey who is attempting to save the world. Riz Ahmed and his Deal With It discuss how far south Asian representation has progressed in mainstream media to illustrate this. He raps, “We just had Apu, now we got movie stars,” referring to the famous (now infamous) character from The Simpsons.
All of this adds up to Ms. Marvel being the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most Bollywood/Lollywood avatar. Any lover of the South Asian film industry would tell you that without music, no good brown narrative can be conveyed. Ms. Marvel is no exception.
This week, Ms. Marvel will be available to stream on Disney+ worldwide and Disney+ Hotstar in India. The show’s first episodes will air on June 8, with future episodes airing on a weekly basis.