Nadhiya

Zareena Moidu, known by her stage name Nadiya Moidu, is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu films. She made her debut in the 1984 Malayalam film Nokketha Doorathu Kannum Nattu for which she won Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Malayalam.^[1]

She made her comeback in 2004 in Tamil films with M. Kumaran S/O Mahalakshmi, and received critical acclaim for her performance.^[2][3] In 2013, she received critical acclaim in Tollywood for both the roles she played, as Prabhas's mother in the film Mirchi and for playing a stubborn aunt in Attarintiki Daredi. For the latter, she received the Nandi Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.^[4][5]

Nadiya was born to Malayali parents and spent her childhood in Sion, Mumbai.^[6] She had her primary education from The J.B Vachha High School for Parsi Girls, Mumbai, and her pre-university degree from Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art. She couldn't continue her college studies after that as she became busy with movies by then.^[7] She earned her associate degree in Media Management and B.A. in Communication Arts - Radio & Television, while living in the United States.

Nadiya married Shirish Godbole in 1988. The couple has two daughters Sanam and Jana. After their wedding, she lived in the United States with her husband and daughters. In the year 2000, she moved to London, United Kingdom and lived there until 2007.^[8] She returned to India in 2008 and currently resides in Mumbai with her family.^[9]

Nadiya made her debut in the Malayalam film Nokketha Doorathu Kannum Nattu (1984), alongside Mohanlal and Padmini for which she won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Malayalam.^[10] This movie was remade in Tamil as Poove Poochudava in 1985 with Padmini and marked her debut in Tamil.

Nadiya claims she was considered for the role of Revathi in Mouna Ragam, a 1986 Tamil film, but declined due to prior commitments.^[11]

She then ventured into Tamil and Telugu cinema and became a popular actress in both industries during the 1980s and 1990s.^[12] She was a trendsetter even at those times working on her own terms and starred alongside all the big stars of the time such as Rajinikanth, Vijayakanth, Sathyaraj, Prabhu, Suresh and Mohan.^[13]

In the mid-1990s, she made a brief comeback as an actress, before moving to the United States.^[14]

After a successful career in the film industry, Nadhiya took a break from acting and focused on her personal life. However, she made a strong comeback to the big screen in the late 2000s and continued to impress the audience with her acting prowess. Nadhiya made a successful comeback in the year 2004 with the movie M. Kumaran Son of Mahalakshmi.^[15]

Apart from films, Nadhiya has also appeared in some television serials and shows. She is known for her graceful and elegant screen presence, and her acting skills have earned her a dedicated fan following.

• Nadia Moidu at IMDb
• Nadiya Moithu at MSI