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Zaira Wasim
at the 20th International Children's Film Festival India 2017
Born	(2000-10-23) 23 October 2000 (age 24) Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Nationality	Indian
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2015-present
Family	Zahid Wasim(Father) Zarqa Wasim(Mother) Zohraiz Wasim(Brother)
Awards	National Award Zee Cinema Awards

Zaira Wasim (born 23 October 2000) is an Indian film child actress. She made her acting debut with the biographical sports drama film Dangal (2016), which emerged as the highest-grossing Indian film of all time. Wasim's acclaimed young portrayal of an Indian sportswoman Geeta Phogat in Dangal won her the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress. She further rose to prominence with the starring role of an aspiring singer in the musical drama film Secret Superstar (2017), following which she received the National Child Award for Exceptional Achievement. She is also the Youth Ambassador of The Bengaluru Midnight Marathon 2017.

Personal life

Zaira was born in Kashmir, to Zahid and Zarqa Wasim. Her father works as a executive manager in Srinagar while her mother is a teacher. She completed her Class X schooling from St. Paul's International Academy, Sonwar Bagh, Srinagar for which she scored 92 percent in her Board examinations. She is presently studying as Class XI student with Humanities stream in Jammu’s Heritage School under Central Board of Secondary Education. She is a very bright student in school and wants to study along with her acting career.

Career

Prior to Hindi films, Zaira has acted in two television commercials. In 2016, she starred in her first film Dangal, playing the childhood version of the Indian sportswoman Geeta Phogat. The film went on to become a major commercial success, winning Zaira several awards.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Controversies

In 2016, publicity photos of Wasim surfaced showing her with trimmed hair for her role in the film Dangal. This resulted in her being trolled online by radical muslims for having been "un-islamic" by acting in a film. In January 2017, a local news organization published the news and photos of her meeting with Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. This resulted in further criticism and Wasim receiving death threats because Mufti had described Wasim as a "Kashmiri role model". In response, Zaira issued an apology on her Facebook and Instagram account which she deleted shortly after. But not before, the message was picked up and publicized by news media which added further fuel to the controversy. Subsequently, several Indian celebrities have voiced their support for Wasim, denouncing her critics.

In January 2017, the Indian sports minister Vijay Goel during a visit to an art gallery tweeted a message "Our daughters are breaking out of their cages and moving forward". This was accompanied by a photo of him standing before a painting depicting two women – one in a hijab and another cowering in a cage. Zaira responded to Goel requesting him not to connect her to “such a discourteous depiction” and that women in hijab were “beautiful and free”. Goel responded saying that she had misinterpreted his tweet, he appreciated Wasim’s work and meant to discourage “evil and patriarchal notions".

References

1. Cain, Rob (12 June 2017). "'Dangal' Tops $300 Million, Becoming The 5th Highest-Grossing Non-English Movie Ever". Forbes. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
2. ^ "64th National Film Awards" (PDF) (Press release). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
3. "Kiran Rao thanks Kashmir school for backing 'Dangal' actress".
4. "'I wish my parents would praise me but they don't'".
5. ^ "Dangal girl Zaira Wasim on growing up in Kashmir: Teenagers there have a view on everything". The Indian Express. 9 February 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
6. "Secret Superstar actor Zaira Wasim: A girl with a new song".
7. "64th National Film Awards: Zaira Wasim wins Best Supporting Actress for Dangal". Retrieved 2017-10-11.
8. "Movie Awards 2017: News18 Movie Awards 2017 Nominees, Latest New". News18. Retrieved 2017-12-04.
9. "Star Screen Awards 2018: Here's The Complete List Of Winners!". Desimartini. HT Media. 4 December 2017.
10. Reporter (2017-07-31). "Winners of Big Zee Entertainment Awards 2017". Total Reporter. Retrieved 2017-10-11.
11. "Secret Superstar actor Zaira Wasim receives exceptional achievement award from President Kovind". Hindustan Times. 16 November 2017.
12. "Zee Cine Awards 2018: Check out the nominations list | Free Press Journal". www.freepressjournal.in. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
13. "'Islamic State will kill you': Masked men threaten Dangal actress Zaira Wasim in Srinagar | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis". dna. 2017-01-20. Retrieved 2017-10-25.
14. "'Dangal' Girl Zaira Wasim Deletes Controversial Open Letter". The Quint. Retrieved 2017-10-25.
15. "Zaira Wasim: Bollywood celebs come out in support of Dangal girl". hindustantimes.com/. 2017-01-17. Retrieved 2017-10-18.
16. "Dangal star Zaira Wasim spars with sports min Vijay Goel for his hijab tweet". hindustantimes.com. 2017-01-20. Retrieved 2017-10-18.

External links

• Zaira Wasim at IMDb

• 2000 births
• People from Srinagar
• 21st-century Indian actresses
• Living people
• Kashmiri people