Mustache Film Review: A Heartfelt Treat

The coming-of-age film Mustache was released in 2023.

Mustache , a film written and directed by Imran J. Khan, was released on VOD (available to rent or buy) on July 31st, 2026. This delightful indie film portrays a highly specific story about a Pakistani-American Muslim boy, yet is universal enough to easily reach broad audiences. Notably, it features a star-studded team, at least in the South Asian Muslim film world (Rizwan Manji, Hasan Minhaj, Riz Ahmed), and won the Narrative Feature Competition Audience Award at the 2023 SXSW Film & TV Festival. I give this film a five-star review. What makes this film stand out as the first of its kind is that its high production quality matches how earnest and heartfelt the film is. It has no ulterior motive–it’s not trying to convince viewers of a political or religious message as many Muslim projects in the West do. It is only trying to tell the story of a boy as fully and authentically as possible.

Summary

Mustache follows a high school freshman, Ilyas, who is a bit of an oddball. Set in Northern California in the 90s, Ilyas is making the transition from a private Islamic school to a public high school. He navigates leaving the bubble of a sheltered Islamic environment while facing the Wild Wild West of haram teenage vices. His family also faces resulting challenges, particularly his immigrant parents. The cherry on top of all his struggles is his mortifying mustache–the thing that is awkwardly in between peach fuzz and a real mustache. Ilyas longs to shave it off, but his parents have forbidden him to do so. Throughout the film, viewers are hanging onto the edge of their seats as they root for Ilyas to balance adhering to his Islamic morals, obeying his parents, and being true to the young man he is growing into. The semi-autobiographical debut film explores a coming-of-age story with the themes of belonging, integrity, and discovering oneself.

Recommendations for Muslim Audiences

I highly recommend this film to adult Muslim viewers and I’d place it at 16/+, but encourage parental discretion to determine when this film would be appropriate for children to watch. (Parents’ guide below.) This film brings up very important issues that teenagers face and I believe this could be used as a way to start a healthy conversation, but if you’re concerned, it’s best to watch the film first. When I was a teenager, I would have loved to see a film like this that represented real issues…as the film says, “We have to invest in the youth.”

Parent’s Guide

- Drinking, Drugs, Smoking

- Marijuana

- Underage alcohol and other drug use

- Sex, Romance & Nudity

- Romantic themes (young romance: between two Muslims and a Muslim and non-Muslim)

- No sex or nudity but the image of an ejaculating penis is spraypainted on a wall at the high school

- References to wet dreams

- Minimal innuendo

- Language

- Minimal

- sh*tfaced

- Positive Role models

- A spectrum of positive role models mixed with negative role models

High Production Quality

The film itself is a masterpiece on all fronts–cinematography, score, and acting–deserving of a theatrical release.

The visuals encapsulate Ilyas’ milieu so perfectly, one which Desi-American Muslims rarely see on screen and millennials like myself fondly remember. The various sets are full of details like a bottle of Rooh Afza, old clunky desktop computers, branded gel pens, and vestiges of vintage wallpaper from the 60s. There is a specificity to the South Asian family homes that gives credit to a well-done set design. Touches from the 90s sprinkled throughout, such as clips of popular TV shows, AOL Instant Messaging (done in a brilliant way!), and burned mixtapes from Napster, are brilliant in keeping the film securely in its specific time and place. Lastly, the soundtrack/score is sweet and quirky.

The acting is wonderful. Not a single actor had a shoddy performance which is a pleasant surprise given the limited Desi-American/American Muslim acting scene. Audiences familiar with his work expect to see a masterful performance from Rizwan Manji, but having equally as good performances from Meesha Shafi and the children central in the film (Atharva Verma, Ayana Manji) are a treat. Moreover, minor characters are three-dimensional and busy with their own lives, which we get glimpses into often when their world intersects with the main plot. This is particularly evident in the commonplace interactions Ilyas has with his siblings and parents. No actor or character goes to waste in the course of the film.

The Story

The story aspect of Mustache leaves nothing to be desired. The plot is dynamic, fluctuating with quieter and louder moments, while building up to a satisfying crescendo at the climax of the film. The cliffhanger at the end is capable of sparking a debate worthy of Inception ’s ending! The characters, major and minor, all have their own real lives with real stakes underpinning Ilyas’ story in the film. This makes for fun overlaps in the plot, especially with thematic echoes that connect the characters in complex webs. For example, the theme of desired/undesired hair comes up with Ilyas’ hatred of his mustache, his sister using Nair to remove her mustache, and his father wearing a toupee. With the theme of creative expression, we have Ilyas acting, his mom painting, and the lessons in acting class reappearing towards the end. The pacing is great–nothing feels like it’s moving too quickly or dragging on unnecessarily. The story is a simple one–coming-of-age, going to a new school–yet deep. The story elements keep the film enjoyable and captivating.

From the Perspective of a Muslim Viewer

As mentioned earlier, the film seems like it only has one goal: to tell viewers about Ilyas starting at a public high school and how that puts his life into a tailspin. Mustache accomplishes that simple goal wonderfully and refreshingly–without the baggage that usually accompanies Western Muslim films. Because it is set before 9/11, the political setting of the film is a reprieve from the Islamophobia that exploded in the following decade and its long-lasting effects. It’s a nice change that reminds Muslim audiences that we’re just plain old humans sometimes even though the Muslim existence is highly politicized and political. Mustache also does something remarkable in its approach to religion, faith, and spirituality. It doesn’t seem like it has a nefarious religious agenda from whichever end of the spectrum you consider it. No one could argue that it is pushing a preachy message of unquestioning, perfect submission to all of Islam’s rules and principles or that it is pushing a rejection of Islam and everything it asks of Muslims. The film ultimately sends a magnanimous message of grace and self-accountability as individuals explore how their faith actually takes shape in the real world. That said, some Muslim viewers on either end of the conservative and secular spectrum might find the middle-of-the-road approach frustrating because it does not fit their own world views. The film also avoids the pitfall of solely focusing on Ilyas developing as a Muslim–he’s exploring his relationships with family and peers as well as who he is at the core of his being and how he can make sense of the world around him. Mustache somehow tackles the subject of young Muslims exploring their religious values in a heartwarming way.

From the Perspective of a Millennial Pakistani-American Muslim who Grew up in Southern California

The film authentically pays homage to the specific cultural and religious background of Ilyas and company to the extent that nothing feels out of place. Avoiding common film tropes, there is not a single adhaan or wedding in the film–it’s a miracle! There are very subtle details that make this film feel like a documentary, such as the natural-sounding recitation of the Quran, the individuals following slightly different fiqh rules during prayer scenes, the incorporation of Urdu in the film and the ease with which characters flow in and out of it, the prominence of dawats (Desi dinner parties) and community banquets with diverse attendees for Muslims in America at this time, and even the 90’s hijab styling using square scarves and large chin pins. Although I never attended Islamic school myself, my experiences in Sunday School rang true enough to the depictions in the film. Mustache is so authentic, it feels like I’m watching high-quality home videos and thus had me in all my nostalgic feels.

Final Thoughts

Mustache is a delightful, heartfelt film that is worth a watch, particularly for American Muslim millennials. It delivers an earnest, authentic story of a boy experiencing growing pains. Imran J. Khan has grabbed my attention and I eagerly await his future projects. I’m fairly certain Mustache is one of the best films I’ll watch for the next few years. I mustache you a question–will you agree after watching it yourself?

Once you watch it and if you also fall in love with this movie, I encourage hyping up this film as much as possible. Try sharing about it on your socials and go above and beyond by hosting a screening with friends and family in your local community. Supporting Mustache shows that there is a market for future projects like this. As an English teacher, I’m always game for a discussion, so here are some culturally specific discussion questions you might ponder yourself or use at your screening. Perhaps this is even a film that could be shown in third-spaces for youth groups.

Discussion Questions

- What is the significance of the mustache throughout the film? Does it change?

- Does this film resonate with any of your own personal experiences?

- How were Islam and personal faith/spirituality represented throughout this film?

- What was your favorite moment of the film?

- Who was your favorite or least favorite character in the film and why?

- Do you like the cliffhanger ending of the film? What do you think Ilyas ended up doing?

- Would you recommend this film for others to watch? To who?

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