Abbas

Mirza Abbas Ali, known professionally as Abbas, was born on 21 May 1975 in Howrah, West Bengal, India, into a Tamil-speaking Muslim family. His grandfather, Farrukh Mirza, acted in Bengali theatre, while his paternal family was related to Bollywood star Feroz Khan.

Abbas aspired to become an Air Force pilot but did not clear the National Defence Academy entrance; he then considered pursuing an MBA. During his college years in Bangalore, he developed an interest in modeling and won the "Face of 94" contest, which propelled him into the fashion industry.

His modeling career led to his entry into films. He made his debut in the Tamil romantic drama Kadhal Desam (1996), co-starring Tabu and Vineeth. The film, with hit songs by A. R. Rahman (notably "Musthafa Musthafa"), was a massive success and made Abbas an overnight sensation, especially among young audiences. His distinctive hairstyle in the film became known as the "Abbas cut" across South India. 

Abbas made his Telugu debut with Priya O Priya (1997) and acted in the blockbuster Rajahamsa (1998). He also worked in Pooveli (1998), a big Tamil hit, and Kannezhuthi Pottum Thottu (1999), a super-hit Malayalam film. He played Rajinikanth's son-in-law in Padayappa (1999), one of Tamil cinema's top grossers of the year.

Full Name	Abbas
Other Name(s)	Mirza Abbas Ali
Occupation	Actor/Model/Motivational Speaker
Date of Birth	21-May-1975 (51 years)
Gender	Male
Nationality	India
Religion	Islam
Zodiac Sign	Gemini
Height	175 cm
Weight	71 kg
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black

Abbas starred in multi-starrers like Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000), alongside Mammootty, Ajith Kumar, Aishwarya Rai, and Tabu, which was a commercial and critical hit. He appeared in the epic Hey Ram (2000) with Kamal Hassan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Rani Mukerji.

In 2001, he played a prominent role as the romantic rival in Minnale with R. Madhavan, a major box office hit. Aanandham (2001), featuring Mammootty and Sneha, is often cited as his best performance and a blockbuster success.

Abbas enjoyed success with films like Pammal K. Sambandam (2002), Nee Premakai (2002), Adi Thadi (2004), Kannada hit Appu and Pappu (2010), and the title role in Ramanujan (2014).

By 2015, Abbas chose to retire from mainstream cinema and moved to New Zealand, where he worked various jobs and supported Indian film projects in the region. He later returned to India and became a motivational speaker, raising awareness on mental health and sharing his industry experiences.

Abbas is remembered for his charming screen presence and versatility, starring alongside superstars like Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Mammootty, Ajith Kumar, and Madhavan. His song "Musthafa Musthafa" from Kadhal Desam remains an evergreen hit about friendship. The "Abbas cut" hairstyle became a youth trend in the late 1990s.