‘Ms. Marvel’ Star Iman Vellani to Lead Zarrar Kahn’s Climate Thriller ‘Suffering Is Optional’ (EXCLUSIVE)

May 15, 2026 10:30pm PT ‘Ms. Marvel’ Star Iman Vellani to Lead Zarrar Kahn’s Climate Thriller ‘Suffering Is Optional’ (EXCLUSIVE)

By Naman Ramachandran

Plus Icon

Naman Ramachandran

Latest

• ‘Ms. Marvel’ Star Iman Vellani to Lead Zarrar Kahn’s Climate Thriller ‘Suffering Is Optional’ (EXCLUSIVE) 3 hours ago
• India’s Indie Filmmakers Form Collective to Fight Theatrical and Streaming Barriers (EXCLUSIVE) 4 hours ago
• ‘Colony’ Director Yeon Sang-ho on AI, Individuality and Why Zombies Still Matter 8 hours ago

See All

Iman Vellani, who broke out as the lead of Marvel’s “Ms. Marvel,” is set to headline the climate thriller “Suffering Is Optional,” a Canadian co-production written and directed by Zarrar Kahn for CityLights Media.

Vellani will play Noor Rahman, a 20-year-old drama student who is cast in the lead role of an India-set adaptation of “Hamlet.” Pushed by an exacting director to pour her grief into the performance, she is simultaneously visited by the ghost of her deceased partner, who carries an impending climate prophecy. Torn between artistic ambition and institutional abuse, she must find a way to contend with both. The film explores themes of power and coming of age in a corrupt society, with campus culture wars and climate grief at its center.

Related Stories

Elon Musk to Pay $1.5 Million to Settle SEC Lawsuit Alleging He Failed to Disclose Twitter Share Purchases Ahead of Acquisition