Varada Sethu
{{short description|British actress (born 1992)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{EngvarB|date= January 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| image =
| caption = Sethu in 2025
| name = Varada Sethu
| birth_name = Varada Sethumadhavan
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1992|05|12|df=y}}
| birth_place = Kerala, India
| nationality = British
| occupation = Actor
| alma_mater = University of Bristol
| years_active = 2010–present
| known_for =
| education = Dame Allan's Schools, Newcastle upon Tyne
}}
Varada Sethu (born Varada Sethumadhavan, 12 May 1992) is a British actress. Her credits include Sket (2010), English: An Autumn in London (2012), Doctors (2015), New Blood (2016), Doctor Foster (2017), Hanna (2019), Strike Back: Vendetta (2020), Jurassic World Dominion (2022), and Annika (2023).
She portrayed Detective Sergeant Mishal Ali in Hard Sun (2018), Cinta Kaz in the Disney+ Star Wars series Andor (2022–2025), and Belinda Chandra in Doctor Who (2025).
Early life
Sethu and her twin sister Abhaya were born in Kerala, India, and are of Malayali ancestry. Sethu's parents are doctors. She moved to the North East of England at a young age and she grew up in Benton, Tyne and Wear,{{cite web|url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/geordie-actress-aimee-kelly-line-1405842 |title=Geordie actress Aimee Kelly in line for film award |publisher=chroniclelive.co.uk |year=2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181016023029/https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/geordie-actress-aimee-kelly-line-1405842|archive-date=16 October 2018 |url-status=live}} near Newcastle upon Tyne. Sethu attended Dame Allan's Schools and was a member of the National Youth Theatre. During her final year of sixth form, Sethu won the 2010 Miss Newcastle competition.{{cite web|url=http://www.ukmalayalee.com/latest-news/news.php?id=MTY1Ng== |title=Latest News |publisher= ukmalayalee.com |year=2010 |access-date=18 January 2018 |author1=Balagopal }} She went on to study veterinary medicine at University of Bristol, later switching to physiology.
Sethu has been performing the Indian classical dance traditions of both Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam from a young age. Sethu continued her acting education at the Identity School of Acting in London.{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/interview-with-kerala-born-british-indian-star-wars-actor-varada-sethu/article66139458.ece|title=Kerala-born British actor Varada Sethu on playing a rebel in 'Star Wars' show 'Andor'|work=The Hindu|date=22 November 2022 |last1=N |first1=Aswin V.}}
Career
In 2010, Sethu made her debut appearance on screen in the short film Impressions as Samena.{{cite web|url= https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xcuogn?retry |title= Impressions (Short Film) |publisher= dailymotion.com |year=2010 }} In 2011, Sethu landed the role of Kiran in the feature film Sket, then as Meghana Scariah in English: An Autumn in London in 2012. In 2015 she made an appearance as PC Kylie Green in the 2000 TV series Doctors.{{cite web|url= https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/varada-sethu/credits/3060028408/ |title= Verada Sethu Credits |work= tvguide.com |access-date=April 1, 2025}}
Her career continued in 2016 appearing as Peaseblossom in a 2016 TV movie version of A Midsummer Night's Dream.{{Cite web|url=http://www.identityschoolofacting.com/portfolio/varada-sethu/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518044223/https://www.identityschoolofacting.com/alumni/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2021-05-18 |title=Portfolio: Varada Sethu|website=identityschoolofacting.com |date=2021}} Also in 2016, Sethu acted alongside in Now You See Me 2 and as an Indian nurse in New Blood.
In 2017, Sethu appeared as Aisha in two episodes of Doctor Foster. In 2018, Sethu starred as DS Mishal Ali for six episodes in the BBC apocalyptic TV crime series Hard Sun.{{cite web|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2018-01-13/meet-the-cast-of-bbc1s-hard-sun/ |title=Meet the cast of BBC1s hard Sun |publisher= radiotimes.com |year=2018 |access-date=18 January 2018}}
In 2019, Sethu performed as a series regular in season seven of Strike Back: Revolution as Lance Corporal Manisha Chetri of the British Army.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nerdophiles.com/2020/02/28/strike-backs-varada-sethu-it-really-is-a-season-unlike-any-other/ |title=Strike Back's Varada Sethu: 'It Really Is A Season Unlike Any Other'|website=nerdophiles.com |date=February 28, 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/strike-back-best-character-deaths-philip-locke/|title=Strike Back: 10 Best Characters Killed Off Prematurely In The Show|website=Screen Rant|date=24 April 2020}} In 2022, She played rebel Cinta Kaz in both seasons of Andor.{{Cite web |last=Speicher |first=Jeffrey |date=2022-10-30 |title=Vel and Cinta's Relationship Shows Nothing Comes Before the Rebellion |url=https://collider.com/andor-vel-and-cinta-episode-7/ |access-date=2022-11-01 |website=Collider |language=en-US}}
In 2025, Sethu portrayed the companion Belinda Chandra in Doctor Who alongside Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor in Series 15.{{Cite web |title=Doctor Who - First Look at Ncuti Gatwa with Varada Sethu and Millie Gibson ahead of season two |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2024/doctor-who-ncuti-gatwa-varada-sethu-millie-gibson/ |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=www.bbc.co.uk |language=en}}{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-varada-sethu-character-newsupdate/|title=Doctor Who reveals who Varada Sethu will be playing|website=Radio Times|author=James Hibbs|date=27 July 2024|accessdate=28 July 2024}} Prior to this, she played Mundy Flynn in the Series 14 episode "Boom".{{cite web|url=https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/doctor-who-boom-review-steven-moffat-classic-3060813|title=Steven Moffat has written another Doctor Who classic|website=inew.co.uk|author=Stephen Kelly|date=15 May 2024|accessdate=15 May 2024}}
Filmography
= Film =
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
!Title !Role !Notes |
|---|
| 2010
| Impressions | Sameena |
| 2011
|Sket | Kiran |
| 2012
| Meghana Scariah | |
| rowspan=2| 2016 |
| Now You See Me 2
| Tressler Assistant |
| 2018
|Special Delivery | Parminder | Short film |
| 2020
|Bad News | Mindi | Short film |
| rowspan=2| 2022
| Shira | |
| I Came By
| Naserine 'Naz' Raheem | |
= Television =
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
!Title !Role !Notes |
|---|
| 2015
| Doctors | PC Kylie Green | 1 episode |
| 2016
| Indian Nurse |
| 2017
| Aisha |
| 2018
| Hard Sun | DS Mishal Ali |
| rowspan=2| 2019
| Lance Corporal Manisha Chetri, British Army |
| Hanna
| CIA Analyst McArthur | 2 episodes |
| 2020
| Lance Corporal Manisha Chetri, British Army | 9 episodes |
| 2023–present
| DS Harper Weston | 4 episodes |
| 2022–2025
| Cinta Kaz | 10 episodes; starring role |
| 2024
| rowspan="2" |Doctor Who | Mundy Flynn |
| 2025
| Series 15 (main cast) |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20160411210603/http://www.identityschoolofacting.com/portfolio/varada-sethu/ 2016 Portfolio - Varada Sethu]
- {{IMDb name| 4215324}}
- [https://vimeo.com/120310688 Vimeo showreel 2015]
- [https://vimeo.com/300713157 Vimeo spotlight 2018]
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sethu, Varada}}
Category:21st-century English actresses
Category:Actresses from Newcastle upon Tyne
Category:Alumni of the Identity School of Acting
Category:Alumni of the University of Bristol
Category:British people of Malayali descent
Category:English film actresses
Category:English people of Indian descent
Category:English television actresses
Category:Indian emigrants to England