Ali Fazal was born on 15 October 1986 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. He grew up in a middle-class Muslim family. His father, Mohammad Rafiq and mother, Uzma have been his role models.

His favourite actors are Shahrukh Khan, Kajol and Al Pacino. He likes to play basketball and his favourite colour is blue. 

As a young basketball player, he used to dream of playing for his country in international games. 

Ali's debut film

Before making his debut as an actor, he worked as a model for various agencies. He worked in advertisements of PizzaHut and Micromax. He also performed as a dancer in Mumbai’s Prithvi Theatre. 

Ali debuted in a 2008 film called ‘The Author and of the Line’. He played the role of Vij.

He appeared in an American television show ‘Bollywood hero’ in which he played the role of Monty Kapoor. This was his first venture American television industry. 

The same year, he was seen in Rajkumar Hirani’s ‘3 Idiots’. The success of the movie introduced him to popular directors and celebrities of the industry. The film received several Filmfare awards and is based on Chetan Bhagat’s Five Point Someone. 

Gaining popularity 

His character in 3 Idiots earned many roles. He was seen in Fukrey, Baat Ban Gayi, Sonali Cable.  

In the popular American franchise of Fast and Furious, he played a brief role in the seventh instalment.

In 2011, Ali worked for Shahrukh Khan’s production house ‘Red Chillies Entertainment’. He played the role of Fazal Sameer Khanna in ‘Always Kabhi Kabhi’. He had to lose 15 kilograms for the role. The film received negative reviews was unsuccessful at the box office.

In the year 2014, he was listed in Times of India’s ‘Most Desirable Men’.

Ali played a supporting role in a comedy-drama ‘Bobby Jasoos’. Initially, he refused to work in the movie because of his less screen time, but then he agreed to be a part of it because of his character’s unusual romance with Vidya Balan’s character. 

He did his first intimate scene with Riya Chakravarti in a song of the movie ‘Sonali Cable’. 

Ali's contribution to charities 

Ali is active on his social media accounts and holds strong political views. He also extends his support to various charitable organizations. 

He participated in a cancer awareness campaign ‘Cancerthon’ organized by NDTV and Fortis group.

In 2015, he played the role of the protagonist in a psychological thriller ‘Khamoshiyan’. And in 2016, he worked with the director Anand L Rai in his film called ‘Happy Bhag Jayegi’. His co-actors were Abhay Deol and Diana Penty. He was also seen in the spin-off of the film ‘Happy Fir Bhag Jayegi’.

International recognition

In 2017, he received critical appreciation for working in a period British-American movie ‘Victoria and Abdul’. The movie tells the story of Queen Victoria and her servant Abdul Kareem. The role of Queen Victoria was played by Judy Dench, a popular English actress. 

Ali’s role was greatly admired in ‘Mirzapur’. He played the role of Guddu Pandit in this web series which was released in 2018. He continued his role in the second instalment as well. 

In 2019, he was awarded with Industry Trendsetter Award by the federation of Bollywood Film Journalists Awards.

On Twitter, Ali shared information about his very first job. He worked at a call centre at the age of 19 to pay his college fee. His first salary was Rs 8000 a month.

In 2020, he appeared in a popular M Poirot franchise movie ‘A Death on the Nile’ in which he played the role of Andrew Katchadourian. The movie is based on Agatha Christie’s novel. 

Ali’s mother passed away in 2021. She had been suffering from health complications for many years. 

Ali's marriage with Richa Chadha

He launched his first film production house with his partner Richa Chadha. The production company is called ‘Pushing Buttons Studio’.

Ali married Richa Chadha, actress and his long-time partner, in September 2022. 

Ali Fazal earns around 40 lakhs for one movie. 

Ali’s latest film Fukrey is set to release in December 2023.