Zareena Moidu, known by her stage name Nadia Moidu or simply Nadhiya, 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 subsequently starred in a series of commercially successful films.^[2]

She made her comeback in 2004 in Tamil films with M. Kumaran S/O Mahalakshmi, and received critical acclaim for her performance.^[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]

Early life

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.

Personal life

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]

Career

Nadhiya 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.^[2]

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

In the mid-1990s, she made a brief comeback as an actress, before moving to the US.^[12]

Filmography

Short films

Television