Asif Ali is an Indian actor and producer who works in the Malayalam film industry. He is best known for his roles in Salt N’ Pepper (2011), Sunday Holiday (2017), Vijay Superum Pournamiyum (2019), and Kooman (2022).
Wiki/Biography
Asif Ali was born on Tuesday, 4 February 1986 (age 37 years; as of 2023) in Thodupuzha, Idukki, Kerala. His zodiac sign is Aquarius. He completed his schooling at the Rajarshi Memorial Higher Secondary School, Vadavucode, Ernakulam, Kerala. He pursued his bachelor’s degree in business administration (BBA) between 2005 and 2008 at Marian College Kuttikkanam, Kerala. In an interview, he revealed that he wrote eighteen arrear exams during his college days, and it took him five years to complete his course.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 8″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
He belongs to a Malayali Muslim family in Thodupuzha, Idukki, Kerala. Asif Ali relocated to Kochi, Kerala when he started acting in films.
Parents & Siblings
His father, M. P. Shoukath Ali, is a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and was the former Thodupuzha Municipal chairman, and his mother’s name was Molly Shoukath Ali. His brother, Askar Ali, is an actor who predominantly appears in Malayalam films.
Asif Ali with his family
Askar Ali pursued his undergraduate degree at Marian College Kuttikkanam, Kerala. Askar Ali had worked as an assistant director in Tamil cinema. In 2017, Askar made his debut in the Malayalam film industry with Shyju Anthikkad’s directorial Honey Bee 2.5, and Asif Ali appeared in a cameo role as himself.
Asif Ali with his brother, Askar Ali
Wife & Children
He married Zama Mazreen Ali on 26 May 2013. Zama Mazreen belongs to a Muslim family in Kannur, Kerala, India. Zama attended the Providence Women’s College in Kozhikode, Kerala.
A picture of Asif Ali and Zama during their wedding ceremony
They have two children, his son, Adam Ali, and his daughter, Haya. Adam Ali was born on 17 April 2014, and Haya was born on 2 June 2017.
Asif Ali with his wife and kids
Career
Film
Asif Ali is often regarded by many as one of the best actors of his generation and was part of many critically and commercially successful films. Since making his debut in the Malayalam film industry in 2009, Asif successfully established himself as one of the prominent actors in the Malayalam film industry. In an interview, he revealed that he had felt dejected when some of his films failed at the box office, and he was referred to as the ‘torrent superstar’ by the audience as many of his movies which failed at the box office went on receive positive responses and his performances were also noticed after the DVD release. Asif Ali had done multiple cameo appearances in different Malayalam movies including Mallu Singh (2012), Ustad Hotel (2012), Vellimoonga (2014), Take Off (2016), Honey Bee 2.5 (2017), Unda (2019), and Rorschach (2022). In an interview, he said that he had agreed to appear in these many cameo roles because of his friendship with the cast and added that each of his characters had an identity, and it was more important for him than stardom or screen space and that he wanted to be a part of more good films.
Asif Ali with his brother Askar Ali at the sets of Honey Bee 2
Malayalam
In 2009, Asif Ali debuted in the Malayalam film industry with Shyamaprasad’s directorial ‘Ritu’ and played the role of Sunny Immatty, a homosexual. In an interview, he revealed that he had his doubts about the audience reception, but was surprised when his character gathered positive remarks. He played one of the lead characters (Tommy) in veteran Malayalam director Sibi Malayil’s Apoorvaragam, released in 2010. Asif won over the audience as Tommy and received multiple offers from the industry. In 2011, he was cast in the road action thriller, ‘Traffic,’ the film received a positive critical response and enjoyed success at the Kerala box office.
Asif Ali with Vineeth Sreeenivasan in the Malayalam film Traffic
In 2011, Asif Ali was cast opposite Nithya Menen, as the lead actor for Sibi Malayil’s ‘Violin’ and marked his first-ever role as the lead hero. He essayed on the role of Manu in Salt N’ Pepper (2011), directed by Aashiq Abu. Salt N’ Pepper received positive reports, and one of his dialogues (‘Attingal ano veedu?’) from the film became very popular.
Asif Ali with Mythili in Salt N Pepper
In 2014, Asif Ali was announced as the lead actor in the action film Asuravithu and played the role of Don Bosco. Asuravithu was a box office flop, with Asif receiving heavy criticism for his performance as Don Bosco. In an interview, Asif revealed that he could not do justice to the character and deliberately opted out of such roles for a long time. Asif Ali essayed on the role of Tony in Bachelor Party (2012), directed by Amal Neerad. He was cast in the critically acclaimed period drama Ozhimuri, released in 2012.
Asif Ali (Sarath Chandran) with Bhavana as Adv Balamani from the movie Ozhimuri
In 2013, Asif Ali was cast as the lead actor in the comedy thriller Honey Bee; his character, Sebastian, was well-received among the audience, especially the youth and the film was a commercial success. His performance as Ajay in the movie Nirnayakam earned him accolades and helped him showcase his talent. Khalid Rahman’s debut directorial ‘Anuraga Karikkin Vellam’ (2016), was a commercial success and was praised among the family audience. Asif Ali paired with Rajisha Vijayan in the romantic comedy film and gave one of his best performances.
Asif Ali with Rajisha Vijayan at the sets of Anuraga Karikkin Vellam
Asif Ali essayed on the role of Nuhukannu in the critically acclaimed Kaattu (2017) and bagged a positive response for his performance. However, the film was not a commercial success. Arun Kumar Aravind who directed the film said,
“We happened to make a few sketches to shape the look of Nuhukannu and it’s the face of Asif Ali that came to our mind…”
Asif Ali as Nuhukannu in Kattu
In 2018, Asif was cast in ‘B.Tech’ directed by Mridul Nair. According to the director, B.Tech was inspired by several real-life incidents. Asif Ali paired up with Aishwarya Lekshmi for Vijay Superum Pournamiyum (2019), the movie received a positive critical response and was commercially successful. He played the role of ‘Govind Balakrishnan opposite Parvathy Thiruvothu (Pallavi Raveendran) in the critically acclaimed film Uyare (2019), his performance as Govind Balakrishnan, a character with shades of grey was well-received among the audience.
Asif Ali with Parvathy in Uyare
He played the role of Sleevachan in Kettyolaanu Ente Malakha (2019) opposite Veena Nandakumar (Rincy), and the movie was well-received among critics and the audience. In 2022, Asif Ali made a cameo appearance in the Mammootty starrer Rorschach and was kept a secret until the movie was released. Asif had no dialogue in Rorschach and was covered by a Rorschach mask. In an interview, he revealed that he felt proud when the audience identified him from his eyes and mannerism.
Asif Ali (right) with Mammootty in Rorschach
He was cast in Jeethu Joseph’s mystery thriller Kooman (2022) and played the role of C.P.O. Giri Shankar. Asif Ali received positive critical reviews for his performance as the egomaniac Giri Shankar. In 2023, it was announced that Asif had committed to Maheshum Marutiyum, in which he would play the lead hero opposite Mamta Mohandas.
Producer
In 2015, Asif Ali made his debut as a film producer with the Malayalam film Kohinoor, he was the lead actor in the movie and the film was distributed by Time Ads. Kohinoor received positive critical reviews and was a commercial success, Asif co-produced the film with Sajin Jaffer and Brijeesh Muhammed under the banner Adam’s World of Imagination.
Logo of Asif Ali’s production house
Kavi Uddheshichathu..? (2016) was jointly produced by Asif and Sajin Jaffer under Adam’s World Of Imagination, and Asif was the distributor of the movie. According to some reports, Kavi Uddheshichathu..? was an average hit. He was the distributor for some other films including Honey Bee 2 (2017), Vimaanam (2017), Goodalochana (2017), and Iblis (2019).
Awards
- 2010: Asianet Film Awards – Best Villain – Apoorvaragam
- 2011: Asianet Film Awards – Best Star Pair – Salt N’ Pepper
- 2015: Film Critics Awards – Special Jury for Best Actor – Nirnayakam
- 2016: Asianet Film Awards – Best Star Pair along with Rajisha Vijayan – Anuraga Karikkin Vellam
- 2017: Asianet Comedy Awards – Entertainer of the year
Asif Ali (left) received the Best Entertainer of the Year Award from Kunchacko Boban
- 2017: Vanitha Film Awards – Best pair – Anuraga Karikkin Vellam
- 2018: Vanitha Film Awards – Best pair – Sunday Holiday
- 2019: Asianet Film Awards – Performer of the year
- 2019: Red FM Malayalam Music Awards – Best Performer of the Year
Asif Ali received the Best Performer of the Year Award from Mohanlal
- 2020: Vanitha Film Awards – Most Popular Actor – Kettiyollaanu Ente Maalakha
Car Collection
Asif Ali is a vehicle enthusiast and owns a lot of cars. After becoming an actor, he bought a Fiat Punto, and some reports suggested that he drove an almost 5000 kilometres trip with his Fiat Punto. Apart from the Fiat Punto, he has many cars, including BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz G-Class, Audi Q7, Land Rover Defender 110 and Mini Cooper S.
- Asif Ali with his Land Rover Defender 110
Asif Ali with his Land Rover
- Asif Ali with his Mini Cooper S
Asif Ali with his Mini Cooper
Facts/Trivia
- In 2013, Asif Ali and his driver were held by the Kerala police at Tirurangadi for suspiciously following the vehicle of Minister P.K. Jayalakshmi. The fog light of his BMW was on, and the officials who escorted the minister misunderstood this and alerted the nearby police stations, and the actor and his driver were taken to a nearby police station. Later, they were allowed to leave as no charges were pressed against them by the minister or officials.
- In an interview, he revealed that his parents knew about his debut film (Rithu-2009) only after the movie posters had appeared in the newspapers; his parents disliked the idea of him pursuing a career in the film industry. However, later, they realized his passion and supported his decision.
- In 2014, following the birth of his son, Adam Ali, Asif took his wife, Zama Mazreen, to Marian College Kuttikkanam, Kerala, and celebrated his happiness along with his teachers.
Asif Ali along with his wife, Zama visited Marian College Kuttikkanam
- In an interview, he revealed that during the initial phase of his career, he had committed to films purely out of friendship and was hesitant to say no to projects which did not appeal to him, and added that might have been one of the main reasons for the long list of flops in his career.
- In 2016, his house in Thodupuzha was attacked by some people. Asif was not at his home during the time of the attack. His father, M. P. Shoukath Ali, a CPIM member, told the media that the attack was motivated by political rivalry.
- Some of his fans attended Asif Ali’s wedding ceremony. Later, Zama and Asif participated in the wedding ceremony of one of them, who was present for their marriage.
Asif Ali and his wife attending a fan’s wedding
- In an interview, he revealed that he was most inspired by the Tamil actor Kamal Hassan, and he loved the Malayalam actors Mammootty and Mohanlal as he grew up.
- In 2020, Asif Ali and his wife Zama Mazrin visited the COVID-19 kitchen organized by the Malayalam film employees. They helped the volunteers who provided food for the poor people during the lockdown.
Asif Ali and his wife visited the COVID-19 kitchen
- Malayalam actor Mammootty gifted Asif Ali a Rolex watch when Asif played the character of Dileep Balan in the blockbuster film Rorschach (2022).
Asif Ali with his Rolex watch
- Asif Ali worked as a video jockey at the Yes Indiavision channel to overcome his fear of facing the camera and prepared himself to be an actor.
Asif Ali (left) working as a VJ for Yes Indiavision
- In 2021, he released the book titled ‘Ennum Mayathe’ authored by his mother-in-law Mumtaz Azad, at the Sharjah International Book festival.
- He follows a non-vegetarian diet and is a massive foodie. In an interview, he revealed among his favourite dishes, his Mom’s biriyani, manga meen curry, and chakka kurru mezhukavarutti hold a special place.
- In 2021, Asif Ali appeared on the Malayalam game show Anchinodu Inchodinchu, hosted by veteran Malayalam actor Suresh Gopi on Surya TV.
Asif Ali with Suresh Gopi
- In an interview, he revealed that he had once manhandled some people who came to watch the shooting of one of his films; Asif added that he lost his control after the people continued to make vulgar comments about one of his costars even after multiple warnings.
- In 2021, the UAE government issued a Golden Visa to Asif Ali to honour his contribution to the entertainment sector.
Asif Ali receiving the UAE Golden Visa
- Asif Ali owns a Suzuki Hayabusa.
Asif Ali (middle) on his Suzuki Hayabusa
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education