Rizwan Manji, Hasan Minhaj, Meesha Shafi On-Board Coming-Of-Age Movie ‘Mustache’
As reported in Deadline, Rizwan Manji (“Schitt’s Creek”), Atharva Verma (“Stargirl”), Ayana Manji (“Mira, Royal Detective”), Meesha Shafi (“The Reluctant Fundamentalist”), Alicia Silverstone (“The Killing of a Sacred Deer”) and Hasan Minhaj (“The King’s Jester”) have signed on to star in the Pakistani American coming-of-age film “Mustache” — the first feature from writer-director Imran J. Khan.
Largely autobiographical for its filmmaker, “Mustache” follows Ilyas (Verma), an eccentric 13-year-old boy who sets off to navigate the social hierarchy of his new California public school with a mustache his parents will not allow him to shave off. Manji will play Ilyas’ father Hameed, with Pakistani-Canadian singer Shafi playing his mother, and Manji’s daughter Ayana set to portray his school friend, Yasmeen.
Details as to the roles of Silverstone and Minhaj haven’t been disclosed yet. But Christina Won (“Birdman”) and Jessica Sittig of MakeSay are producing along with American Light and Fixture’s Christopher Storer and Tyson Bidner — the duo behind the hit series “Ramy” and “The Bear” for Hulu and FX, respectively. Cooper Wehde and Parker Mays are co-producing. MakeSay and Cinereach are financing the pic, with the Toronto-based Andrew Bronfman of Good Movies Inc. serving as exec producer. UTA Independent Film Group will represent worldwide sales.
“I’m very humbled and honored to be partnering with the amazing people at MakeSay as well as the talented Christopher Storer to bring my very personal and often eccentric film, “Mustache” to life,” Khan told Deadline. “I can’t think of a better team to partner with to bring this film to life.”
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Khan has previously written and directed a number of award-winning shorts including 2016’s “Prom,” which was based on ideas from Minhaj’s stand-up special “Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King.” He’s worked on the editing teams for films ranging from “Space Jam: A New Legacy” to “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” and was recently selected for the Pillars Artist Fellowship, created by Riz Ahmed’s Left Handed Films and Pillars Fund to champion and mentor Muslim writers and directors.
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“I am excited to be a part of a project that tells a universal coming-of-age story in ways that we haven’t seen before and from a diverse perspective,” remarked Rizwan Manji. “Mustache” is an honest representation of growing up Muslim in the 90s. I found the script special, and immediately connected to the father-son relationship that is central to the film.”
