Ali Fazal is an Indian actor born in 1986 who works primarily in Hindi cinema, with a notable presence in international productions. He is best known to Indian audiences for his role as Guddu Pandit in the Amazon Prime Video series Mirzapur, and to international audiences for his appearance in the Hollywood film Victoria & Abdul (2017), in which he played Abdul Karim opposite Judi Dench.
| Full name | Ali Fazal |
|---|---|
| Born | 1986 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Primary industry | Hindi cinema; international film and television |
| Notable works | Mirzapur, Victoria & Abdul, Fukrey series, 3 Idiots |
Fazal was educated in Lucknow and later attended The Doon School in Dehradun before pursuing higher studies in Pune. His early exposure to theatre during his college years shaped his transition into acting on screen.
Fazal made his Hindi film debut in a brief but recognisable role in Rajkumar Hirani's 3 Idiots (2009), where he played Joy Lobo. He subsequently appeared in films including Always Kabhi Kabhi (2011) and Bobby Jasoos (2014), gradually building a portfolio of supporting and lead roles.
He gained wider recognition through the comedy Fukrey (2013) and its sequel Fukrey Returns (2017), in which he played Zafar as part of an ensemble cast. The franchise became one of the better-known mid-budget comedy series in Hindi cinema during the 2010s.
Fazal featured in Furious 7 (2015), part of the Hollywood Fast & Furious franchise. His most prominent international role came in Stephen Frears's Victoria & Abdul (2017), where he played Abdul Karim, the Indian attendant who became a confidant of Queen Victoria. The film was a Working Title and BBC Films production and brought him significant international press.
Fazal plays Guddu Pandit in Mirzapur, the Amazon Prime Video crime drama set in the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh. The series, which premiered in 2018 and continued into subsequent seasons, became one of the platform's flagship Indian originals and is regarded as a defining role in his career.
He has continued to work across formats, including the courtroom drama Section 375 (2019), the period crime film Mirzapur universe, and the Michael Winterbottom co-production The Trial-related projects. He also appeared in the international ensemble film Death on the Nile (2022), directed by Kenneth Branagh.
Fazal is married to actor Richa Chadha; the couple's relationship has been publicly acknowledged over several years and they married in 2022.
Ali Fazal is among a small group of contemporary Indian actors who have built parallel careers in Hindi cinema, Indian streaming originals, and Hollywood productions. His trajectory from supporting roles in mainstream Hindi films to leading parts in long-form streaming drama and international cinema reflects a broader shift in opportunities available to Indian screen actors during the 2010s and 2020s.