Afshan Azad
Afshan Azad (born 12 February 1989) is a British actress and model. She is best known for playing the role of Padma Patil in the Harry Potter film series, beginning in 2005 with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Padma was portrayed by Sharon Sandhu.
Afshan Azad | |
---|---|
Azad in 2019 | |
Born | Longsight, Manchester, England | 12 February 1989
Nationality | British |
Occupation | Actress, model |
Years active | 2005 – present |
Known for | Padma Patil in the Harry Potter film series |
Spouse(s) | Nabil Kazi (m. 2018) |
Early life
Azad was born in Longsight, Manchester, England and is of Bangladeshi descent. She attended Whalley Range High School, and then studied AS-level chemistry, biology, English and business studies at Xaverian College in Rusholme.[1]
Career
Azad is known for her performances as Padma Patil in five of the Harry Potter films, starting with 2005's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. She acquired the role when casting agents visited her school and, after having attended several auditions, chose her for the part. Azad had stated that she had auditioned "just for the fun of it" and surprisingly got the part.[2]
She has also told the press that her best friends on the set of Harry Potter were Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley), Katie Leung (Cho Chang), Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood), and Scarlett Byrne (Pansy Parkinson). Azad and Shefali Chowdhury (who played the character of Azad's twin sister Parvati Patil) were also good friends.[2]
In 2017, Azad will guest present an episode of the CBBC series Marrying Mum & Dad with Ed Petrie whilst Naomi Wilkinson is away.[3]
Assault court case
When she was 22, Azad's father and brother attacked her because of her relationship with a Hindu boy.[6][7]
On 29 June 2010, Azad's father, Abdul Azad, and brother, Ashraf Azad, appeared in Manchester Magistrates' Court, charged with threatening to kill her.[8] They were released on bail. Azad's brother was charged with "assault occasioning actual bodily harm", whilst Azad stayed with friends in London.[9] On 20 December 2010, Azad did not attend court when the prosecution accepted her brother's guilty plea to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and a judge ruled both men were not guilty of threatening to kill Azad.[10] On 21 January 2011, Azad's brother was imprisoned for six months.[11]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | Padma Patil | |
2007 | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Also provided voice for the video game | |
2009 | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | ||
2010 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 | ||
2011 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 | ||
See also
- British Bangladeshi
- List of British Bangladeshis
- List of Harry Potter cast members
References
- Halle, Deborah (13 February 2006). "Student off to Hogwarts – again". Manchester: Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 24 June 2009.
- "NR chats to GOF's Patil twins". Newsround. BBC. 17 November 2005. Retrieved 11 February 2007.
- Afshan Azad [@afshan_azad] (8 April 2017). "I can now proudly say I'm guest presenting alongside @edpetrie for an episode of Marrying Mum & Dad for the CBBC ch…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- "Harry Potter stars reunite for co-star's wedding - see all the photos from the reunion". news.com.au. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- "Actor Who Played Padma Patil in Harry Potter Films Gets Hitched". news.com.au. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
- Black, Caroline (2 July 2010). "Afshan Azad Allegedly Threatened and Assaulted by Family, Say Reports". Crimesider. London: CBS News. Archived from the original on 4 July 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
- Piazza, Jo (26 March 2015). "'Harry Potter' Star in Family Feud Over Hindu Beau". Fox News. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
- "Harry Potter girl's family arrested over threats". ninemsn. 13 September 2009. Archived from the original on 4 July 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
- "Afshan Azad Allegedly Threatened and Assaulted by Family, Say Reports". CNN. 2 July 2010. Archived from the original on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
- "Harry Potter actress's brother admits attacking her". BBC News. 20 December 2010. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
- "Harry Potter actress's brother jailed for attacking her". BBC News. 2 July 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
External links
- Afshan Azad at IMDb