Actor · Telugu cinema
Zarina Wahab
Zarina Wahab movies: 9 Telugu films on file, 1979–2026. Earliest on file: Hema Hemeelu (1979). Latest release: Dacoit: A Love Story (10 April 2026).
- Films on file
- 9 (9 as actor)
- Years on file
- 1979–2026
- Born
- 17 July 1959 · July birthdays (Wikidata)
- Selected films on file
- Devara: Part 1, Rakta Charitra, The RajaSaab
- Record
- Q3595441 on Wikidata
Zarina Wahab is an Indian actress who has worked mainly in Hindi and Malayalam films. She rose to prominence in the 1970s with Hindi films such as Chitchor and Gopal Krishna, and in later decades built a second career in Malayalam cinema, where she is remembered for films including Madanolsavam, Chamaram, Palangal and Adaminte Makan Abu. She has also appeared in Telugu and Tamil films.
Early life and training
Wahab was born in Visakhapatnam. Telugu is her mother tongue, and she also speaks Urdu, Hindi and English. She trained as an actor at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune.
Breaking into Hindi films
Her start in the industry was not easy. After the producer Raj Kapoor was critical of her appearance, she worked on her look and made a point of attending film parties and events until she was noticed and began getting cast. Her first leading role came in Basu Chatterjee’s Chit Chor (1976), and it set the pattern for much of her early career: she was usually cast as a middle-class girl, in films such as Agar, Jazbaat, Sawan Ko Aane Do and Raees Zada. Her performance in Gharonda (1977) earned her a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.
Malayalam comeback
Wahab returned to Malayalam cinema with Calendar in 2009 and has continued to work there since. Her role in the critically acclaimed Adaminte Makan Abu is among the best remembered of her later career.
Later roles
In Hindi cinema she played the mother of Rizwan Khan, Shah Rukh Khan’s character, in My Name Is Khan. In Telugu, she was part of the supporting cast of Virata Parvam (2022), a period romantic drama set amid the Naxalite movement and starring Sai Pallavi and Rana Daggubati. She now also plays older roles in television serials, and in 2026 she appeared in the social drama Teesri Begum.
Personal life
Wahab met the actor Aditya Pancholi on the sets of Kalank Ka Tika, and they married in 1986. They have a daughter, Sana, who is an actress, and a son, Sooraj, who made his Bollywood debut in the 2015 film Hero.
Career on file
Zarina Wahab appears in 9 Telugu films on file at Tollywood Desk, dated from 1979 to 2026. The earliest of them is Hema Hemeelu (1979), and the most recent release is Dacoit: A Love Story (2026). Measured by how many Wikipedia language editions cover them, the best-known titles here are Devara: Part 1 (2024), Rakta Charitra (2010) and The RajaSaab (2026). Other recent releases on file are Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu (2026), Manamey (2024) and Virata Parvam (2022).
Priyamani is the most frequent co-star, sharing three films with Zarina Wahab, followed by Vivek Oberoi (2) and Sudeepa (2). Among directors, Ram Gopal Varma cast Zarina Wahab most often, in two films. Bheems Ceciroleo and Sukhwinder Singh each scored two of them, more than any other music director. Across these films the credits on file name 8 different directors, 9 music directors and 39 other credited actors.
Runtime is on file for 8 of them; they average 153 minutes, and the longest is The RajaSaab at 183 minutes. Seven of them have a streaming (OTT) release noted on the site. By decade the list splits into 1970s (1), 2010s (2) and 2020s (6). 2026 is the busiest single year, with three films.
Figures come from the films on file at Tollywood Desk and change as records are added.