Siya Malasi

Siya Malasi
NationalityIndian
Occupations
  • Actress
  • model

Siya Malasi is an Indian actress and model. She was a contestant in the second season of MTV Supermodel of the Year in 2021. In 2023, she portrayed the character Chandi in the Hindi-language action crime drama Rana Naidu. Later that year, she starred in the debut commercial for Tata Starbucks's #ItStartsWithYourName campaign, which went viral on Facebook and Twitter, receiving over 12 million views and leading some people to call for a boycott of Starbucks.

Biography

In 2021, Malasi was a contestant on the second season of the Indian reality television competition show MTV Supermodel of the Year, where she placed tenth.[1][2] While competing on the series, she talked openly about coming out as a transgender woman.[3] Malasi continues to work as model, and appeared in a haircare campaign for Tweak India.[4]

As an actress, Malasi has appeared in television series and commercials. In 2023, she played Chandi in the Indian Hindi action crime drama Rana Naidu.[5] In March 2023, Malasi portrayed Arpita, a transgender woman meeting with her parents in a coffee shop, in a Pride Month commercial for Starbucks, which launched the company's campaign titled #ItStartsWithYourName.[6] The commercial went viral and was received over twelve million views on Facebook and Twitter.[6] The campaign caused debate on social media platforms, with some calling for a boycott of Starbucks and other's celebrating the company's LGBTQ inclusivity.[6]

References

  1. ^ Winters, Bryce J. (22 October 2021). "Supermodel of the year season 2 winner: Roshni Dada is the winner of Supermodel of the year season 2". TheNewsCrunch. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  2. ^ Digital Desk, Northeast Live (24 October 2021). "MTV Supermodel: Arunachal's Roshni Dada Wins, Sikkim's Eksha Runner Up". Northeast Live. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  3. ^ Sahu, Sushri (5 October 2021). "MTV Supermodel of The Year Fame Siya Malasi On How Inclusive Fashion Is And Her Experience As A Trans Woman". Mashable India. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  4. ^ Chawla, Trisha (8 November 2019). "5 unholy habits causing hair damage when you least expect it". Tweak India. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  5. ^ "Gaurav Chopra Opens Up on Doing Sex Scene With Trans Actor in Rana Naidu, Says 'It Was Bold...' | Exclusive". News18. 27 March 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Suliman, Adela; Hassan, Jennifer. "Why a Starbucks ad on trans rights sparked joy and fury in India". The Washington Post. Retrieved 1 June 2023.