Soubin Shahir (born 12 October 1983) is an Indian actor and director who works in

Malayalam cinema Malayalam cinema is an Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, ''Elippathayam' ...

. He began his film career as an

assistant director The role of an assistant director on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have to tak ...

in 2003 and worked under several directors. Soubin made his acting debut in 2013 with a supporting role in ''

Annayum Rasoolum ''Annayum Rasoolum'' () is a 2013 Indian Malayalam-language romantic drama film directed by Rajeev Ravi (in his directorial debut) and written by Santhosh Echikkanam from a story by Ravi. Set in Vypin islands in Kerala, the plot revolves around ...

''. He made his directorial debut with the drama '' Parava'' (2017). In 2018, he won the

Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor The Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor is an honour, begun in 1969, presented annually at the Kerala State Film Awards of India to an actor for best performance in a Malayalam film. Until 1997, the awards were managed directly by the Depar ...

for his leading role in '' Sudani from Nigeria'', the film was also a major commercial success.

Early life

Soubin was born and raised in

Fort Kochi Fort Kochi, Fort Cochin in English, Cochim de Baixo ("Lower Kochi") in Cochin Portuguese creole, is a neighbourhood of Cochin (Kochi) city in Kerala, India. Fort Kochi takes its name from the Fort Manuel of Cochin, the first European fort ...

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a 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 regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

, India. He has a brother and sister. His father Babu Shahir was an

and production controller who had worked in films such as ''

Manichithrathazhu ''Manichitrathazhu'' () is a 1993 Indian Malayalam-language epic psychological horror film directed by Fazil, written by Madhu Muttam, and produced by Swargachitra Appachan. The film stars Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi and Shobana with Nedumudi Venu ...

'', '' Godfather'', ''

In Harihar Nagar ''In Harihar Nagar'' is a 1990 Indian Malayalam-language comedy thriller film written and directed by Siddique-Lal. The film, set in the fictional locality of Harihar Nagar follows four unemployed bachelors: Mahadevan (Mukesh), Govindan Kutty ...

'' among others.

Career

Soubin started his film career as an

in the industry with Siddique's ''

Chronic Bachelor ''Chronic Bachelor'' is a 2003 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy drama film, written and directed by Siddique. It is about the life of Sathyaprathapan, a bachelor. It features Mammootty, Mukesh, Rambha, Indraja, Bhavana, Innocent an ...

'' (2003). He assisted directors like Fazil, Siddique, Rafi-Mecartin, P. Sukumar,

Santhosh Sivan Santosh Sivan (born 8 February 1964) is an Indian cinematographer, film director, producer and actor known for his works in Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi cinema. Santosh graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India and has to date ...

Rajeev Ravi Rajeev Ravi is an Indian cinematographer, director, and producer from Kochi, Kerala. He's best known for his work in Hindi and Malayalam films. After graduating from Film and Television Institute of India, Pune in 1997, he started his career ...

, and

Amal Neerad Amal Neerad (born on 7 October 1976) is an Indian film director, cinematographer and Film producer, producer who mainly works in Malayalam Cinema. He attended the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata (first batch). He was awarded ...

. He made his acting début in Fazil's ''

Kaiyethum Doorath ''Kaiyethum Doorath'' () is a 2002 Indian Malayalam-language romance film written, directed and produced by Fazil. The film was the acting debut of Fazil's son Fahadh (credited as Shaanu) who co-starred with Nikita Thukral. Mammootty appear ...

'' (2002) while working as an assistant director. He got a breakthrough role with

Alphonse Putharen Alphonse Puthren is an Indian film director, producer, actor, editor, writer, and ad film maker. He works mainly in the Malayalam Cinema. He made his directional debut with the critically acclaimed Malayalam - Tamil bilingual suspense-thrill ...

's ''

Premam ''Premam'' (transl. Love) is a 2015 Indian Malayalam-language coming of age romance film written and directed by Alphonse Puthren. Produced by Anwar Rasheed, it features Nivin Pauly and Sai Pallavi in the prominent roles. The plot follows Geor ...

'' (2015) where he played the role of a PT teacher. This led to his popularity as an actor in the industry. His popular roles include in films '' Charlie'' (2015), ''

Maheshinte Prathikaaram ''Maheshinte Prathikaaram'' () is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language comedy drama film directed by Dileesh Pothan, in his directorial debut and produced by Aashiq Abu. The film stars Fahadh Faasil in the titular role alongside a supporting cast i ...

'' (2016), ''

Kali Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hinduism, Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In t ...

'' (2016), ''

Darvinte Parinamam ''Darvinte Parinamam'' () is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language action comedy film directed by Jijo Antony. It stars Prithviraj Sukumaran, Chemban Vinod Jose, Chandini Sreedharan, and Balu Varghese. Written by Manoj Nair, it revolves around th ...

'' (2016), ''

Kammatipaadam ''Kammatipaadam'', alternatively spelled as ''Kammatti Paadam'', is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language action drama film directed by Rajeev Ravi and written by P. Balachandran. The film stars Dulquer Salmaan, Vinayakan, Shaun Romy, Manikandan ...

'' (2016), '' Anuraga Karikkin Vellam'' (2016), ''

Mayanadhi ''Mayaanadhi'' () is a 2017 Indian Malayalam-language romantic thriller film directed and co-produced by Aashiq Abu, and written by Syam Pushkaran and Dileesh Nair. The film stars Tovino Thomas as a criminal on the run and Aishwarya Lekshmi a ...

'' (2017), ''

Comrade in America ''Comrade in America'' (abbreviated as ''CIA'') is a 2017 Indian Malayalam-language adventure film directed by Amal Neerad, starring Dulquer Salmaan and Karthika Muralidharan in the lead roles. The music is composed by Gopi Sundar, and Renad ...

– CIA'' (2017), and ''

Kumbalangi Nights ''Kumbalangi Nights'' is a 2019 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by Madhu C. Narayanan. The directorial debut was written by Syam Pushkaran and jointly produced by Fahadh Faasil and Nazriya Nazim under their production house Fa ...

''. His first full lead role was in the film '' Sudani from Nigeria'' (2018) for which he won the

''.S.R. Praveen (27 February 2019)
"Kerala State film awards: ‘Kanthan...’, 'Sudani from Nigeria' win honours"
''The Hindu''. Retrieved 27 February 2019.''

Personal life

On 16 December 2017, he married his fiancée Jamia Zaheer. Jamia is a marketing professional, based in

Kochi Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

. The couple has a son born in May 2019.

Filmography

As actor

As director

Awards and nominations

;Won *2018:

Kerala State Film Awards The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have been bestowed by Kerala State Cha ...

for Best Actor ( Sudani From Nigeria) *2018:

66th Filmfare Awards South The 66th Filmfare Awards South ceremony honoring the winners and nominees of the best of South Indian cinema in 2018 is an event that was held on 21 December 2019 in Chennai. The nominations for all the main awards were announced on 13 December ...

for Best Actor-Critics( Sudani from Nigeria) *2018:

Asianet Film Awards The Asianet Film Awards is an award ceremony for films presented annually by Asianet, a Malayalam-language television network from the south-Indian state of Kerala. Asianet says that awards ceremony has been instituted to honour both artis ...

for Honorary special award( Parava) *2018:

Vanitha Film Awards The Vanitha Film Awards are presented annually by ''Vanitha'', an Indian magazine from the ''Malayala Manorama'' group in the south Indian state of Kerala. The awards ceremony has been instituted to honour both artistic and technical excellence i ...

for Best debut director ( Parava) *2017:

Asiavision Awards Asiavision Awards have been held annually since 2006 to honor the artistes and technicians of Indian cinema and television & is organized under the leadership of renowned journalist Nissar Syed. More than 40,000 people across United Arab Emirates ...

for Best debut director ( Parava) *2017: Asianet Comedy Awards -All-rounder award *2015: Asianet Comedy Awards for Best Pair with

Vinay Forrt Vinay Kumar, professionally credited as Vinay Forrt is an Indian film and stage actor. He hails from Fort Kochi, Kerala and is a theatre activist with more than a decade's worth of experience in the theatrical field as well as a postgraduate in ...

(

) ;Nominated *2016: 1st IIFA Utsavam -Performance in a supporting role (Malayalam) for ''

Chandrettan Evideya ''Chandrettan Evideya'' () is a 2015 Malayalam-language romantic fantasy comedy film directed by Sidharth Bharathan. The film was produced by Sameer Thahir, Shyju Khalid and Ashiq Usman. It stars Dileep alongside Anusree, Namitha Pramod and ...

'' *2016: 5th South Indian International Movie Awards – Best Comedian (Malayalam) for

*2017:

6th South Indian International Movie Awards The 6th South Indian International Movie Awards is an awards event held at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, Abu Dhabi on 30 June and 1 July 2017. SIIMA 2017 will recognize the best films and performances from the past year, along with speci ...

– Best Comedian (Malayalam) for

*2018:

Filmfare Award for Best Director – Malayalam The Filmfare Best Director Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of ...

for Parava *2018:

7th South Indian International Movie Awards The 7th South Indian International Movie Awards is an awards event held at Dubai on September 14 and 15, 2018. It aims to recognize notable films and performances from the past year in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada films along with specia ...

-Best director (Malayalam) for Parava *2021:

9th South Indian International Movie Awards The 9th South Indian International Movie Awards is an awards event held at Hyderabad International Convention Centre, Hyderabad on 18–19 September 2021. The ceremony (9th SIIMA) recognized and honored the best films and performances from the ...

-Best Supporting Actor (Malayalam) for

References

Sources

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shahir, Soubin Male actors in Malayalam cinema Indian male film actors Living people Male actors from Kochi 21st-century Indian male actors Film directors from Kochi Malayalam film directors 1983 births Indian film actors Indian film directors Indian producers