Soubin Shahir

Before anyone saw Soubin Shahir act, he was learning filmmaking behind the camera. Born on 12 October 1983 and raised in Fort Kochi, he started as an assistant director on Fazil's Kaiyethum Doorath (2002), in which he also appeared, then worked on Siddique's Chronic Bachelor (2003) and with filmmakers such as Rafi-Mecartin, Santhosh Sivan, Rajeev Ravi and Amal Neerad. His credited acting debut came in 2013 with Annayum Rasoolum. Today he acts, directs and produces in Malayalam cinema. Audiences took notice when he played Shivan, the PT teacher in Alphonse Puthren's Premam (2015). Supporting parts came after that in Charlie, Maheshinte Prathikaaram, Kammatipaadam, Mayanadhi and Kumbalangi Nights. Sudani from Nigeria (2018) handed him his first full lead and the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor. In 2024 he played Siju David, called Kuttan, in Manjummel Boys, a film he also produced; he is a partner in the production company Parava Films. Coolie (2025) was his first full-length role in Tamil cinema, and his dancing in its song "Monica" was well received. Coming up in Malayalam are Bachelor Party D'eux (2026) and Night Shows, his first film with director Ranjan Pramod, in which a cast of newcomers surrounds him.