Rizwan Manji, Hasan Minhaj, Alicia Silverstone & More Set For Imran J. Khan’s Pakistani American Coming-Of-Age-Film ‘Mustache’ For MakeSay; ‘The Bear’s Christopher Storer Among Additional Producers

EXCLUSIVE: 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.

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Details as to the roles of Silverstone and Minhaj haven’t been disclosed. 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,” said Khan. “I can’t think of a better team to partner with to bring this film to life.”

“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.”

“MUSTACHE is exactly the kind of paradigm shift we love to bring to the screen. A heartwarming and funny story that highlights an underrepresented culture and uplifts a diverse, auteur filmmaker,” added Won and Sittig in a joint statement. “Imran is an incredible talent and he draws from his own personal experiences growing up in the bay area in the 90s to create a film with laughs and a lot of heart. We couldn’t be more proud to bring this story to light.”

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.

Known for his turn as Ray Butani on Pop TV’s breakout comedy series Schitt’s Creek, Rizwan Manji has more recently been seen on series like Peacemaker, Roar and Atypical, and in films like Wedding Season. He’ll next be seen in Shazam! Fury of the Gods and writer-director Thom Harp’s indie comedy, The Donor Party.

Verma has previously been seen on CBS’ SEAL Team and in Julia Hart’s Disney+ film Stargirl — Ayana Manji, on the Disney Junior animated series Mira, Royal Detective and NBC’s Perfect Harmony.

Shafi’s feature credits include To Strike, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Mira Nair’s thriller The Reluctant Fundamentalist.

Silverstone is a Golden Globe nominee known for turns in films like Clueless whose recent credits include Netflix’s comedy Senior Year and FX’s American Horror Stories. Other upcoming projects for the actress include Grant Singer’s thriller Reptile and John Krokidas’ drama Tunnels, with Jaeden Martell, Anna Faris, Patrick Wilson and Susan Sarandon.

Minhaj is an actor and comedian known for hosting the Peabody Award-winning Netflix series Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj, and for comedy specials including Homecoming King and The King’s Jester, the latter of which debuted on the platform just this month. He has also recently appeared on Apple TV+’s The Morning Show and in films like The Spy Who Dumped Me. Also coming up for Minhaj is Justin Simien’s Haunted Mansion film for Disney, which is slated for release next August.

Khan is represented by UTA and Bellevue Productions; Rizwan Manji by A3 Artists Agency and 3 Arts Entertainment; Verma by People Store, Osbrink Talent Agency and Artistic Endeavors; Ayana Manji by The Characters Talent Agency, A3 Artists Agency and The MET Group; Shafi by Bella Agency in Toronto;  Silverstone by UTA, Untitled Entertainment and Gang, Tyre, Ramer; Minhaj by WME and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller; MakeSay by Heller Law and Latham & Watkins; and Storer by WME, Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment and Paul Hastings.

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