Varada Sethu | |
|---|---|
| Born | Varada Sethumadhavan (1992-05-12)12 May 1992 (age 32) Kerala, India |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Dame Allan's Schools, Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Alma mater | University of Bristol |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Known for | Hard Sun (2018) Strike Back (2019–2020) Star Wars: Andor (2022–present) Doctor Who (2025–) |
Varada Sethu (bornVarada Sethumadhavan, 12 May 1992) is a British-Indianactor, best known for playingDetective Sergeant Mishal Ali inBBC television seriesHard Sun (2018),Cinta Kaz in theDisney+Star Wars seriesAndor (2022–present) andBelinda Chandra in the BBC-Disney+co-productionDoctor Who (2025–present). In 2010, Sethu won theMiss Newcastle beauty pageant competition.
Sethu and her twin sister, Abhaya, were born inKerala, India,[1] and are ofMalayali descent.[2][1] Sethu's parents are both doctors. Having moved to the North East of England at a young age, she grew up inBenton, Tyne and Wear,[3] nearNewcastle upon Tyne. Sethu attendedDame Allan’s Schools and was a member of theNational Youth Theatre.[3] During her final year ofsixth form, Sethu won the 2010Miss Newcastle competition.[1] She went on to studyveterinary medicine atUniversity of Bristol, later switching tophysiology.[1] Sethu has been performing bothBharatanatyam andMohiniyattam from a young age.[1] Sethu continued her acting education at theIdentity School of Acting inLondon.[4][5]
In 2010, Sethu made her debut appearance on screen in the short filmImpressions as Samena.[6] In 2011, Sethu landed the role of Kiran in the feature filmSket,[3] then as Meghana Scariah inEnglish: An Autumn in London in 2012. In 2015 she made an appearance in the 2000 TV seriesDoctors as PC Kylie Green.
Her career continued in 2016 appearing as Peaseblossom in a 2016 TV movie version ofA Midsummer Night's Dream.[4] Also in 2016, Sethu acted alongsideMichael Caine andDaniel Radcliffe inNow You See Me 2 and as an Indian nurse inNew Blood.
In 2017, Sethu starred as Aisha in 2 episodes ofDoctor Foster.
In 2018, Sethu starred as DS Mishal Ali for six episodes in the BBC apocalyptic TV crime SeriesHard Sun.[7]
In 2019, Sethu performed as a series regular in season seven ofStrike Back: Revolution as Lance Corporal Manisha Chetri of the British Army.[8][9]
She played rebel Cinta Kaz in the 2022 first season ofAndor.[2]
Sethu is set to portray thecompanion Belinda Chandra inDoctor Who alongsideNcuti Gatwa as theFifteenth Doctor andMillie Gibson asRuby Sunday inSeries 15 in 2025.[10][11] Prior to this, she played Mundy Flynn in theSeries 14 episode "Boom".[12]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Impressions (short film)[6] | Sameena |
| 2011 | Sket[3] | Kiran |
| 2012 | English: An Autumn in London | Meghana Scariah |
| 2016 | A Midsummer Night's Dream[13] | Peaseblossom |
| Now You See Me 2[13] | Tressler Assistant | |
| 2018 | Special Delivery (short film) | Parminder |
| 2020 | Bad News (short film) | Mindi |
| 2022 | Jurassic World Dominion | Shira |
| I Came By | Naserine 'Naz' Raheem |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Doctors | PC Kylie Green | 1 episode |
| 2016 | New Blood | Indian Nurse | 3 episodes[13] |
| 2017 | Doctor Foster | Aisha | 2 episodes[7][13] |
| 2018 | Hard Sun | DS Mishal Ali | 6 episodes[7] |
| 2019 | Strike Back: Revolution | Lance Corporal Manisha Chetri, British Army | 10 episodes[9] |
| Hanna | CIA Analyst McArthur | 2 episodes | |
| 2020 | Strike Back: Vendetta | Lance Corporal Manisha Chetri, British Army | 9 episodes |
| 2023–present | Annika | DS Harper Weston | 4 episodes |
| 2022–present | Andor | Cinta Kaz | 8 episodes; starring role |
| 2024–present | Doctor Who | Mundy Flynn | Series 14: "Boom" (guest cast) |
| Belinda Chandra[11] | Series 15 (main cast) |
