Varada Sethu (born 1992) is an Indian-born British actress, best known for playing DS Mishal Ali in the BBC apocalyptic TV Series ''

Hard Sun ''Hard Sun'' was a pre-apocalyptic British television, British crime drama series, created and written by Neil Cross, starring Agyness Deyn and Jim Sturgess as the principal characters, DI Elaine Renko and DCI Charlie Hicks. The series is a BBC ...

''. She has also featured in ''

Now You See Me 2 ''Now You See Me 2'' (also known as ''Now You See Me: The Second Act'') is a 2016 American heist thriller film directed by Jon M. Chu from a screenplay by Ed Solomon and a story by Solomon and Peter Chiarelli. It serves as a sequel to 2013's '' ...

'' as the assistant to

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...

’s character.

Early life

Varada Sethu and her twin sister, Abhaya, were born in

Kerala, India 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 ...

. Sethu's parents were both doctors. Having moved to the North East of England at a young age, she grew up in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

. Sethu attended Dame Allan’s Schools and was a member of the

National Youth Theatre The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain (NYT) is a youth theatre and registered charity in London. Its aim is to develop and nurture young people through creative arts and theatrical productions. Founded in 1956 as the world's first youth th ...

. During her final year of sixth form, Sethu won the 2010 ''Miss Newcastle'' competition. She went on to study

Veterinary medicine Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

, later switching to

Physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...

. Sethu has been performing both

Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of S ...

and

Mohiniyattam Mohiniyattam, ( ml, മോഹിനിയാട്ടം), is an Indian classical dance form that developed and remained popular in the state of Kerala. Kathakali is another classical dance form of Kerala. Mohiniyattam dance gets its name fr ...

from a young age. Sethu continued her acting education at the

Identity School of Acting Identity School of Acting is a part-time drama school that was founded in London, England by Femi Oguns in 2003. A second branch and campus opened in Los Angeles, California in 2018. Identity School of Acting began in 2003 with 10 students at ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Career

Sethu appeared in a short film ''Appearances'' as Sameena in 2010. Later Sethu landed the role of Kiran in the 2011 feature film ''

Sket ''Sket'' is a 2011 British urban retribution thriller film, set in the inner estates of North West London. Released in October 2011, the film comes from the makers of '' Shank'' (2010) and '' Anuvahood'' (2011). Starring Lily Loveless, Aimee K ...

'', then as Meghana Scariah in '' English: An Autumn in London'' in 2012. In 2015 she made an appearance in the 2000 TV series ''

Doctors Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

'' as PC Kylie Green. Her career continued in 2016 appearing as Peaseblossom in a 2016 TV movie version of ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

.'' Also in 2016, Sethu acted alongside

and

Daniel Radcliffe Daniel Jacob Radcliffe (born 23 July 1989) is an English actor. He rose to fame at age twelve, when he began portraying Harry Potter in the film series of the same name; and has held various other film and theatre roles. Over his career, Rad ...

in ''

'' and as an Indian nurse in '' New Blood''. In 2017, Sethu starred as Aisha in 2 episodes of '' Doctor Foster''. Sethu also starred as DS Mishal Ali for 6 episodes in the British crime drama series ''

'' in 2018. In 2019, Sethu performed as a series regular in season seven of '' Strike Back: Revolution'' as Lance Corporal Manisha Chetri of the British Army. Sethu plays rebel Cinta Kaz in the 2022 series ''Andor''.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

2016 Portfolio - Varada Sethu
*
Vimeo showreel 2015Vimeo spotlight 2018
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sethu, Varada Living people 1992 births 21st-century English actresses Actresses from Newcastle upon Tyne Alumni of the Identity School of Acting British actresses of Indian descent English film actresses English television actresses Indian emigrants to England People educated at Dame Allan's School