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Zenobia Shroff

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Zenobia Shroff
Shroff in 2018
Born (1965-05-27) May 27, 1965 (age 59)
Bombay, India (present-day Mumbai)
CitizenshipUnited States
EducationCircle in the Square Theatre School
Occupation(s)Actress, comedian
Years active1989–present
Known forMuneeba Khan in Ms. Marvel[1]

Zenobia Shroff (born May 27, 1965) is an Indian-born American actress. Shroff has been an actress, writer, teaching artist and sketch comedian for over 30 years and she is known for her role in the 2017 film The Big Sick,[2] and as Muneeba Khan in the Disney+ TV series Ms. Marvel and The Marvels.

Early life

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Shroff grew up in a Parsi family in South Bombay, in what is now known as Mumbai.[3]

Career

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Shroff began her professional career at age sixteen as a commercial print model. After seven successful years as a model, she switched to acting. She got her acting start in Mumbai under the mentorship of Pearl Padamsee. She then moved to study acting at New York City's Circle in the Square Theatre School.[4][5] Soon after, she appeared at the Broadway Castillo Theatre, where she played several roles such as Nora in Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House to German avant-gardist Heiner Müller.[6] She also performed in Erotic Adventures in Venice at the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club and in Milan Kundera's Jacques and His Master.[citation needed]

2007–2016

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In 2007, she was cast as Roxanne in Little Zizou, written and directed by Sooni Taraporevala. For that role she was nominated as best actress at the New York Indian film festival.[7] A few years later, she appeared in When Harry Tries to Marry, an American romantic comedy film. She followed that up with her first Bollywood film, Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu alongside Imran Khan. The film received critical acclaim.[8] Her solo show, Show How to Succeed as an Ethnically Ambiguous Actor premiered at the Planet Connections Festival in June 2016. For that performance she has been nominated as Outstanding Solo Performer.[9]

Shroff has been a lifelong dancer, starting with the classical Indian temple dance, Bharat Natyam for several years and moving onto jazz and modern as a young adult. She is a founding company member of the Shiamak Davar dance company with whom she toured nationally doing musical theatre including playing Anita in West Side Story, Cabaret, and A Chorus Line.[10]

2017–present

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She has performed stand-up at the Guild Gallery, the Indo American Arts Council,[11] Don't Tell Mama, UCB and the South Asian International Performing Arts Festival.[citation needed] She went on to perform her show, Show How to Succeed as an Ethnically Ambiguous Actor, with over 30 characters in and off-Broadway at the Castillo Theatre in a full run in the summer of 2017.[12] Also in 2017, she was cast as Kumail Nanjiani's mother in The Big Sick, produced by Judd Apatow. The cast was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2018.[13]

She has appeared in the American medical drama series The Resident, American political drama television series Madam Secretary, and a recurring role as Priya Ullah in seasons 4 and 5 of The Affair.[14] In 2020, she voiced one of the many counselors named “Jerry”, in the Disney-Pixar film Soul.

In 2022, she was cast as Muneeba Khan in the Marvel Studios series Ms. Marvel on Disney+. She reprised the role in the 2023 film The Marvels.[15]

Personal life

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She holds a master's degree in Psychology.[16]

Filmography

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Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released

Film

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Year Title Role Notes Refs.
1989 Percy Vera
2008 Little Zizou Roxanne [7]
2010 When Harry Tries to Marry Geeta Shankar [7]
2012 Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu Nicole Braganza [7]
2016 Misaligned Nadia's Mother Short film
2017 The Big Sick Sharmeen [2][17]
2019 (t)here Geeta (Mother) Short film [18]
2020 Save Yourselves! Su's Mom Voice role [19][20]
2020 Soul Counselor Jerry Voice role [21]
2021 7 Days Rita's Mom [22]
2023 The Marvels Muneeba Khan [23]
TBA This Tempting Madness † TBA

Television

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Year Title Role Notes Refs.
2018–2019 The Resident Himaya Pravesh 3 episodes [17]
2018 The Affair Priya Ullah 6 episodes [17]
2018 The Greatest American Hero Leena TV film
2018 Madam Secretary Indian Prime Minister Vanya Kharti Episode: "E Pluribus Unum" [17]
2022 Ms. Marvel Muneeba Khan Main role (6 episodes) [24]

References

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  1. ^ Swaroop, Ananya (August 12, 2022). "Brown Mom Supremacy: Never Have I Ever & Ms. Marvel Represent (Our)Moms Like It's Nobody's Business!". www.mansworldindia.com. Man's World India. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Scene Stealer: Zenobia Shroff as Kumail Nanjiani's Mother in 'The Big Sick'". 8 December 2017.
  3. ^ "Ms. Marvel star Zenobia Shroff talks Marvel motherhood". Entertainment Weekly. 2022-06-22.
  4. ^ "Zenobia Shroff: The Big Sick changed the game for me". Elle India. 2018-05-30.
  5. ^ "Little Zizou's Zenobia Shroff Stands Up". Lassi With Lavina. 2010-10-01.
  6. ^ "Little Zizou's Zenobia Shroff Stands Up". Lassi With Lavina. 2010-10-01.
  7. ^ a b c d "'Not All Brown People Look Alike': Ms Marvel Actor Slams Western Press for Misrepresentation". 17 June 2022.
  8. ^ Saltz, Rachel (13 February 2012). "After Mumbai, Letting His Socks Down in Las Vegas". The New York Times.
  9. ^ "Planet Connections Theatre Festivity Awards Come to Cherry Lane This Weekend; Nominees Announced". BroadwayWorld. 2016-08-08.
  10. ^ "'Ms. Marvel': The Cast on the Most Challenging Scene — the Bollywood Wedding Dance".
  11. ^ "Indo-American Arts Council, Inc".
  12. ^ "Writing is Live 2022 – Theatre Arts & Performance Studies".
  13. ^ "SAG Awards: 'Three Billboards,' 'Big Little Lies' Top Nominees". Hollywood Reporter. 2017-12-13.
  14. ^ Collins, Sean T. (2018-07-01). "'The Affair' Season 4, Episode 3 Recap: Playing the Savior". The New York Times.
  15. ^ Hussaini, Syed Fahadullah (September 7, 2021). "Ms. Marvel Star Reveals Show Characters Return In Captain Marvel 2". www.screenrant.com. Screen Rant. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  16. ^ "Zenobia Shroff in EXOTIC OBSERVATIONS". Indo-American Arts Council. 2010-08-12. Archived from the original on 2018-02-16.
  17. ^ a b c d "Why Muneeba Khan from Ms. Marvel Looks So Familiar". 12 July 2022.
  18. ^ https://www.thereshortfilm.com [bare URL]
  19. ^ "SXSW Announces Midnighters, VR and More".
  20. ^ "Review: 'Save Yourselves!,' starring Sunita Mani and John Reynolds".
  21. ^ "Zenobia Shroff (Visual voices guide)". Behind the Voice Actors. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  22. ^ "Movie Review: 7 Days".
  23. ^ Hussaini, Syed Fahadullah (September 7, 2021). "Ms. Marvel Star Reveals Show Characters Return In Captain Marvel 2". www.screenrant.com. Screen Rant. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  24. ^ "'Ms Marvel' star Zenobia Shroff talks Marvel motherhood". Entertainment Weekly.
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