Ahmad Saber's "Ramin Abbas Has MAJOR Questions"

Ahmad Saber is a young adult author who grew up on an all-girls college campus next to a massive fort in Pakistan. He now lives in Canada, and loves Broadway (favorite show = Phantom), travel (favorite place = 4-way tie between NYC, Seoul, Paris, and Melbourne), and Taylor Swift (favorite album = folklore) He's also a self-professed Chocolate Chip Cookie Connoisseur and has crowned New York's Culture Espresso’s as the best in the world.

Ramin Abbas has MAJOR Questions is his debut novel and is based in part on his own lived experience, exploring the inherent challenges of being queer and Muslim, and the struggle to reconcile faith with sexuality.

Saber is also a medical doctor specializing in rheumatology.

Here he dreamcasts an adaptation of Ramin Abbas has MAJOR Questions:

This is an incredibly fun exercise! I haven’t thought about my book as a movie before this, so I didn’t have any particular actors and actresses in mind when writing the story. Secondly, my book’s character cast is mostly male and basically all South Asian/Desi, so this exercise is a bit tougher due to the relative paucity of brown people of color in Hollywood. Add to that the challenge of casting teenagers, and you have a mammoth task ahead.

That being said, I do have a few names in mind as below.

But first, a quick synopsis of the book for context: Ramin Abbas Has MAJOR Questions tells the story of Ramin Abbas, a closeted gay senior at Hikma High, an all-Muslim school in Toronto. All he wants to do is be a devout Muslim and delay the “gay problem” until he makes it to college in New York City. But when it’s discovered that his grad portfolio is missing mandatory physical activity hours, the principal decides there’s only one solution: Ramin must join the soccer team. Except there’s a problem. Fahad, the captain of the soccer team, is way too hot and Ramin’s crush on him refuses to die. Which is just about the worst thing that could’ve happened because Ramin really does not want to enter a love triangle with Allah and a boy. Leaving Ramin with one of many major questions that may be impossible to answer: stay loyal to Allah, or take a shot at first love?

Okay, now to the dream cast!

Director: Kabir Akhtar. As the key director on Never Have I Ever, and as a person of color himself, Kabir would likely capture the heart and the humor of the story the best.

Production Studio: Without a doubt, See-Saw films (with the wisdom of Euros Lyn shared with Kabir!) I loved what they did with Season 1 of Heartstopper.

Ramin Abbas (titular protagonist): I couldn’t come up with anyone existing - I really think this one would have to be an open casting call! (And I know our Ramin would just walk in one day)

Fahad Khan (“Captain Handsome” from the soccer team): Anirudh Pisharody (“Des” in Never Have I Ever) - he captures the “dreamy Desi jock” look immaculately

Ramin’s Mom: Zarna Garg (A Nice Indian Boy) - she could bring the clueless Desi parent vibe in a humorous way

Mr. Jamal (Hikma High Principal): Raymond Ablack - I think he would capture the sarcastic side of the character very well

Layla Luscious (Muslim drag queen): The one and only, Priyanka! (Mark Suknanan)

Zayn (Ramin’s little brother): Moosa Mostafa (“Eugene” in Wednesday)

Omar Saleh (Ramin’s soccer friend): Zac Kara (Doin’ It, Grand Army)

Assim Qureshi (Le Méchant): Karan Soni (A Nice Indian Boy, Deadpool) - this one is purely out of fun because I’d love to see Karan Soni in a villainous role! I know he has the bad guy side hidden in there somewhere. Can’t be all innocence.

Visit Ahmad Saber's website.

The Page 69 Test: Ramin Abbas Has MAJOR Questions.

--Marshal Zeringue