Shamna Kasim
Shamna in 2019
Born	Thayyil, Kannur, Kerala, India
Other names	Poorna, Chinnaty[1]
Occupation(s)	Actress, dancer
Years active	2004–present
Spouse	Shanid Asif Ali ​ (m. 2022)​ [2]
Children	1

Shamna Kasim, also known by her stage name Poorna, is an Indian actress, dancer, and model, who appears in Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil and Kannada films.^[3]

With a career spanning more than 2 decades, Poorna has starred in over 50+ films and is a household name with her regular appearances on films and television.

Early life

Shamna Kasim completed her Bachelor of Arts in English by correspondence.^[4] She resides in Kochi, Kerala.^[1]

Career

2004–2010: Early struggle and breakthrough

Shamna who started her career in 2004 starred in several Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu movies that were average grossers. Subsequently, her biggest hit came with Josh, a Kannada movie that completed 100 days in the theatres. In the mid-2010s, Kasim appeared in a series of films where she portrayed a ghost, with The Hindu labelling her as "the ghost queen of South films".^[5]

2011–2015: Experimental roles and television

She essayed the lead role in Avunu (2012) and the sequel Avunu 2 (2015) that were successful at the box office. In this brief period of time, she turned down several similar scripts, before acting as a ghost again in Raju Gari Gadhi (2015), which became a surprise hit at the box office.^[5] Kasim extended her appearance from silver screen to numerous Television projects in Telugu and Malayalam, particularly as a Judge in dance reality shows that bought her closer to the audiences.

2017–present: Established success

Shamna shaved her head completely bald for her role in the Kodiveeran (2017),^[6] but the movie met with average reviews. She then starred in multiple commercially successful movies appearing in pivotal and supporting roles like Adanga Maru, Madhura Raja, Kaappaan, Akhanda, Dasara - the latter 4 which have grossed more than 100 crores in the box office. With a special appearance in 2024's first Telugu blockbuster Guntur Kaaram, she performed alongside Mahesh Babu in Kurchi Madhatapetti song. Kasim is currently shooting and awaiting new releases.

Personal life

On 12 June 2022, Shamna married businessman Shanid Asif Ali in a close-knot wedding ceremony at Dubai. The couple have a son, Hamdan Asif Ali.

In June 2020, police arrested members of a gang on a complaint lodged by Shamna's mother that they blackmailed her daughter.^[7][8] Police revealed that the gang locked film actresses in hotel rooms and forced them to accompany as escorts for transporting black money.^[9][10]

Filmography

Film

Television

Television shows