Soubin Shahir

Soubin Shahir (born 12 October 1983) is an Indian actor, director and producer who works in Malayalam cinema. He began his film career as an assistant director in 2003 and worked under several directors. Soubin made his acting debut in 2013 with a supporting role in Annayum Rasoolum. He made his directorial debut with the drama Parava (2017). In 2018, he won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor for his leading role in Sudani from Nigeria, which was also a major commercial success. He portrayed one of the main characters in Manjummel Boys, which went onto become the highest grossing Malayalam film ever and one of the highest-grossing Indian films of 2024.

Early life
Soubin was born and raised in Fort Kochi, Kerala, India. He has a brother and sister. His father Babu Shahir was an assistant director and production controller who had worked in films such as Manichithrathazhu, Godfather, In Harihar Nagar among others.

Career
Soubin started his film career as an assistant director in the industry with Siddique's Chronic Bachelor (2003). He assisted directors like Fazil, Siddique, Rafi-Mecartin, P. Sukumar, Santhosh Sivan, Rajeev Ravi, and Amal Neerad. He made his acting début in Fazil's Kaiyethum Doorath (2002) while working as an assistant director. He got a breakthrough role with Alphonse Putharen's Premam (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 (2016), Kali (2016), Darvinte Parinamam (2016), Kammatipaadam (2016), Anuraga Karikkin Vellam (2016), Mayanadhi (2017), Comrade in America – CIA (2017), and Kumbalangi Nights. His first full lead role was in the film Sudani from Nigeria (2018) for which he won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor''. ''

In 2024, he played the part of Siju David aka "Kuttan" in Manjummel Boys. He also produced the movie. It went on to receive critical acclaim and set several box-office records, becoming the highest grossing Malayalam film, and the first film from the industry to earn more than ₹200 crore. It also emerged as one of the highest-grossing Indian films of 2024.

He is also a partner in Parava Films, a production company that has produced hits like Manjummel Boys.

Personal life
On 16 December 2017, he married his fiancée Jamia Zaheer. Jamia is a marketing professional, based in Kochi. The couple has a son born in May 2019.

Awards

 * 2018: Kerala State Film Awards for Best Actor, for the movie, Sudani From Nigeria
 * 2018: 66th Filmfare Awards South for Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor – Malayalam for the movie, Sudani from Nigeria

Controversy
The Enforcement Directorate is investigating money laundering allegations related to the Malayalam movie Manjummel Boys. A case has been registered, and notices have been issued to the film's producers and actors Soubin Shahir, Babu Shahir, and Shawn Antony.