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Beyond AMMA row: Ansiba Hassan has been her mother, 5 siblings’ pillar of support since 15
Having started working at 15 to support her single mother and five siblings, Ansiba Hassan has been her family's pillar of strength ever since.
Ansiba Hassan is best known for her role in the Drishyam movies. (Credit: IE Malayalam)
Despite these being the weeks when Ansiba Hassan should have made headlines for her role and performance in director Jeethu Joseph’s Mohanlal-led Drishyam 3, the third instalment in the eponymous franchise, the massive attention the actor is receiving has been for unpleasant reasons.
Over the past few days, Ansiba has been all over the news after she decided to fight back against the purported attacks she has been facing in the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) for some time.
Ansiba Hassan-Tiny Tom controversy
While Ansiba Hassan’s sudden resignation as the organisation’s joint secretary itself grabbed the attention of many, the issue snowballed into a massive controversy after she levelled serious allegations against fellow actor Tiny Tom, a member of AMMA’s executive committee. Accusing him of spreading baseless rumours about her interactions with others, Ansiba claimed that he even referred to her as a “jihadi” on one occasion.
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She also alleged that actor and AMMA vice-president Lakshmipriya filed a police complaint against her in January this year, alleging that she was responsible for her domestic issues. While Lakshmipriya admitted to filing the complaint against Ansiba, Tiny refuted the allegations against him.
Regardless of all that, Ansiba’s story isn’t just about the Drishyam franchise and the ongoing controversy. Having started working at 15 to support her single mother and five siblings, she has been her family’s pillar of strength ever since and has made a name for herself in the industry.
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Who is Ansiba Hassan?
Born on June 18, 1992, in Kozhikode, to Hassan and Rasiya, Ansiba Hassan is the eldest among the couple’s six children. More than Ansiba, her mother wished to see her become an actor. “It was my mother who wanted me to become an actor even more than I did. We have only a 16 or 17-year age difference between us, and I share everything with my mother. My father is a photographer. We are six siblings,” she shared during a 2015 interview with Manorama Online.
She continued, “My mother had a great desire to act in films, but because she came from a conservative family, it wasn’t possible back then. So, she decided that she would at least make her daughter an actor. She took me to theatres to watch every single movie without fail. Eventually, I also developed a craze for cinema.”
Ansiba Haasan’s entry into cinema
Recalling her first step into the limelight, she shared, “I participated in a reality show when I was in Class 9. It was my mother who, without my knowledge, had my younger brother send my photos for the show. I was named the popular heroine in that competition.”
After her appearance in the reality show, Ansiba Hassan made her acting debut in director Sathyan Anthikkad’s Mohanlal-starrer Innathe Chintha Vishayam (2008). Although she did a handful of films after that, both in Malayalam and Tamil, it was Drishyam (2013) that earned her significant fame.
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During her appearance in Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 6, Ansiba revealed more about her childhood and her entry into cinema. In the “family round,” her mother and one of her brothers appeared on the show, and they spoke about the crises she had overcome. Ansiba apparently set aside her personal life for her mother and siblings.
How Ansiba Hassan saved her family
The family fell into a crisis after her parents separated. When she was in Class 6, Ansiba Hassan was enrolled in a hostel to continue her studies. Eventually, her mother had to sell their home to support Ansiba and her siblings. Subsequently, she began working at 15 to support her family.
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In due course, the actor realised her dream of owning a home in 2019. Built on five cents of land in Nadakkavu, the house covered an area of 2,550 sq ft. The five-bedroom residence was designed in a contemporary style, with a major focus on lighting.
Over the years, Ansiba Hassan has appeared in movies such as Annarakkannanum Thannalayathu, Udumban, Little Superman, She Taxi, Vishwasam Athalle Ellaam, Paakanum Pola Irukku, Drishyam 2, CBI 5: The Brain, and Kurukkan, among others.
‘Sole breadwinner of my family’
However, Ansiba recently alleged a notable dip in film offers over time. “At present, I have very few film offers, and I still don’t know why. I am the sole breadwinner of my family and had to protect myself. But I realised that by staying silent, I was only protecting those making accusations against me,” she told Onmanorama while reacting to the ongoing controversy.