Roshan Mathew

Roshan Mathew’s one of those actors who just sort of slipped into the Malayalam film scene and then—boom—suddenly he’s everywhere. Born and brought up in Kerala in a Syro-Malabar Catholic family, he did the usual rounds: school in Kottayam, then off to Madras Christian College for a Physics degree. But let’s be real, he wasn’t really there for science. Theatre snagged him, and before you know it, he’s knee-deep in college plays and even started his own crew, Theatre No. 59, with some buddies. From there, it was a hop, skip, and a jump to screens big and small. He first popped up in the web series Tanlines back in 2015—not exactly a blockbuster, but hey, everyone starts somewhere. Vasuki was his first film, but Aanandam is where people actually sat up and noticed this guy. Suddenly, he’s that familiar face in Malayalam movies, popping up as the lead in flicks like Viswasapoorvam Mansoor, Orayiram Kinakkalal, Moothon, and Kuruthi. He didn’t stick to just Mollywood though—Netflix’s Choked: Paisa Bolta Hai got him into Bollywood, and later he shared screens with heavyweights like Alia Bhatt and Shefali Shah in Darlings. He’s not just about acting—Roshan’s dabbled in directing too, with a play called A Very Normal Family in Kochi. Awards? Yeah, he’s got a few, like the CPC Cine Award and SIIMA for Moothon, plus a bunch of nominations for movies like Koode, Thottappan, Kappela, and CU Soon. Not bad for a guy who started out doing college theatre, right?