Zarin Shihab (born 15 August 1994) is an Indian actress who appears in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

films. She is known for her breakout role in the 2019 spy thriller series ''The Family Man'', where she played Sahaya Mary, a nurse crucial to the show's plot. Born in Uttar Pradesh and a graduate from

IIT Madras The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras or IIT-M) is a public technical university located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the eight public Institutes of Eminence of India. As an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), ...

Zarin Shihab made her screen debut with ''

The Family Man ''The Family Man'' is a 2000 American romantic fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Brett Ratner, from a screenplay by David Diamond and David Weissman. The film stars Nicolas Cage and Téa Leoni, with Don Cheadle, Saul Rubinek, and Jerem ...

''. In 2023, Zarin made her entry into Malayalam cinema through the film ''

Trishanku Trishanku (), born Satyavrata, is a king of the Suryavamsha (Solar dynasty) featured in Hindu texts. His legend is described in the epic Ramayana''.'' He is the father of Harishchandra. Etymology The name ''Trishanku'' is a combination of Sanskri ...

'' (2023) and has since started in the films '' B 32 Muthal 44 Vare'' (2023) and ''

Aattam ''Aattam'' () is a 2023 Indian Malayalam-language thriller film written and directed by Anand Ekarshi. The film was produced by Ajith Joy through Joy Movie Productions. The film won the 2023 Grand Jury Award at the Indian Film Festival of Los ...

'' (2024). She is a recipient of

Kerala Film Critics Association Awards The Kerala Film Critics Association Awards are presented annually by the Kerala Film Critics Association to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Malayalam language film industry of India. The awards were instit ...

for Best Actress for ''Aattam.''

Early life

Originally a native of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

, Zarin was born in

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

and later moved to states like

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

and

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

due to her father's job in the air force. Hindi was the first language she learned to read and write. She enrolled in the

for a five-year-long integrated program in MA English, furthering her passion for language and literature and later spent seven years in

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

for acting, writing, and directing plays. During her college days, Zarin was actively involved in theatre and participated in short films. She herself pursued theatre for seven years.

Career

Zarin Shihab made her screen debut with the 2019 hindi spy thriller series ''

''. The series was streamed in

Amazon prime Amazon Prime (styled as prime) is a paid subscription service of Amazon which is available in many countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services inclu ...

and she gaining significant attention for her portrayal of a Malayali nurse. In 2021, she appeared in the film ''

Rashmi Rocket ''Rashmi Rocket'' is a 2021 Indian Hindi-language sports drama film directed by Akarsh Khurana and produced by Ronnie Screwvala. It stars Taapsee Pannu as the titular character alongside Abhishek Banerjee and Priyanshu Painyuli. The film prem ...

'' directed by

Akarsh Khurana Akarsh Khurana is an Indian director, writer and actor, son of actor Akash Khurana, who is critically acclaimed for writing and directing various shows. His notable works are TVF Tripling (as a writer), Yeh Meri Family (actor), Mismatched (as ...

and in 2022 she was featured in ''

India Lockdown India Lockdown is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Madhur Bhandarkar and produced by P J Motion Pictures and Pen India Limited along with Bhandarkar Entertainment. The film stars an ensemble cast of Shweta Basu Prasad, Aahan ...

'' directed by

Madhur Bhandarkar Madhur Bhandarkar (born 26 August 1968) is an Indian film director, script writer, and producer. In 2016, Bhandarkar was honoured with the Padma Shri, the Indian honours system, fourth highest civilian honour, by the Government of India. He i ...

. She was then cast in the TV series ''

Jugaadistan ''Jugaadistan'' is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language comedy drama television series produced under the banner of Lionsgate India. The series stars Sumeet Vyas, Arjun Mathur, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Rukshar Dhillon, Taaruk Raina, Gopal Datt and ...

''. In 2023, Zarin made her entry into Malayalam cinema through the film ''

'' directed by Achyuth Vinayak, portraying the character Sumi Nair. In the same year, she starred in another Malayalam film '' B 32 Muthal 44 Vare'' directed by Shruthi Sharanyam which was produced by the

Kerala State Film Development Corporation Kerala State Film Development Corporation (abbreviated as KSFDC), is an organization founded by the Government of Kerala, India for promoting the film market in the state. It was founded in 1975, a period when the production of Malayalam films ...

, where she played the role of Iman. In 2024 she played the female lead character in the Malayalam film ''

'' directed by Anand Ekarshi. She earned acclaim at film festivals for her performances in the Malayalam films ''B 32 Muthal 44 Vere'' and ''Aattam'' where she depicted characters confronting workplace harassment.

Filmography

Films

Television

Accolades

References

External links

* {{authority control Living people Actresses in Hindi cinema Actresses in Malayalam cinema 21st-century Indian actresses 1994 births