Farhan Akhtar is one of Bollywood’s most famous actors, but perhaps someone at Marvel didn’t get the memo.
A one-minute video for Ms Marvel, which offers a preview of episode four and introduces Akhtar and Aramis Knight to the series, was uploaded to the Marvel Entertainment YouTube page on Wednesday. However, in its description, the Bhaag Milkha Bhaag star's name was originally misspelt.
It read: “‘My name is Waleed.’ Check out Farout Akhtar and Aramis Knight in a brand new episode of Marvel Studios’ Ms Marvel, streaming tomorrow on Disney+,” along with the snippet: “Need to confirm title!“
It’s likely the spelling of Akhtar’s name came from his Instagram, where he goes by the username @faroutakhtar, which is where the confusion may have arisen. The spelling has since been updated, but for any Bollywood fan, this will seem like a careless mistake that could have been easily avoided, especially considering how well known he is in South Asia.
Akhtar is the son of acclaimed lyricist Javed Akhtar and screenwriter Honey Irani. His sister, Zoya Akhtar, is also a successful director, known for hit films such as Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Gully Boy.
Following his acclaimed directorial debut in 2001 with Dil Chahta Hai, Akhtar starred in his first film, the musical Rock On!! in 2008, and has since fronted a number of films, from Luck by Chance (2009) to Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013), that have been praised. In 2019, he appeared alongside Priyanka Chopra Jonas in the family drama The Sky Is Pink, which had its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Throughout the course of his career, he's won accolades such as the National Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi for Dil Chahta Hai and Rock On!!, as well as Filmfare Awards, IIFA Awards and Zee Cine Awards.
Besides Ms Marvel's lead Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan, Farhan is only one of many South Asian actors to appear on the Disney+ show, which also features Pakistani actors Fawad Khan and Mehwish Hayat, and stars Mohan Kapur in a recurring role as Kamala's father. Additionally, it also includes Indian and Pakistani music as well as numerous references to South Asian pop culture.
Ms Marvel tells the story of Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American teenager from New Jersey who obsesses about the Avengers and Captain Marvel, but struggles to fit in among her peers. That is, until she discovers she has superpowers and becomes her own superhero.
