Shefali Chowdhury is a British actress of Bangladeshi descent. Born in June of 1988, Chowdhury was raised in Denbigh, Denbigshire in Wales. As the youngest of five siblings, Chowdhury grew up to become a professional actress in high-profile media. She’s best known for her role in the Harry Potter film series, playing Parvati Patil.
Chowdhury’s first on-screen role was in the film Kannathil Muthamittal, the 2002 Indian musical war film directed by Mani Ratman. There, she played a refugee in an uncredited role. In the mid-2000s, the actress was cast in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, playing the classmate of the main character. She acted alongside Afshan Azad, another British Balgadeshi who played Parvati Patil’s twin sister, Padma. In Goblet of Fire, we saw Parvati’s character attend a date to the Yule Ball with Harry Potter.
Shefali Chowdhury continued her role as Parvati in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009). After the popular film franchise ended, she went on to act in short films like I Am the Doorway, based on a Stephen King story. Her latest role was in Odilo Fabian or (The Possibility of Impossible Dreams), playing a character known as the Doctor. Today, she hopes to set a good example for Bangladeshi girls aspiring to have increased representation in media.
