Nadira Mehrin (born 17 September 1999 in Manacaud, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala) is an Indian actress, news anchor, journalist, and LGBTQ+ activist from Kerala. Born into a conservative Muslim family as Najib, she realised her gender identity at sixteen and came out at seventeen, after which she was asked to leave her home. Despite having no financial support, she completed a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from A.J. College of Science & Technology, Kerala, with funding from the trans community and tuition income. She later earned a postgraduate degree in Political Science from University College, Thiruvananthapuram, becoming the first transgender person in Kerala to use the government's transgender quota for a first master's degree, and a second postgraduate degree in Theatre from Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit - the first transwoman to do so under the same quota. In 2018, she won the Miss Trivandrum beauty title. She became vice president of the All India Students' Federation (AISF) in 2022 and has been vocal in LGBTQ+ rights activism, including founding the online campaign Kaleidoscope in 2021. She works as a news anchor for the Malayalam channel 24 News and made her film debut in the anthology Freedom Fight (2021), directed by Jeo Baby. In March 2023, Nadira became the first transgender contestant in the history of Bigg Boss Malayalam, participating in Season 5. She was widely considered a 'Ticket to Finale' holder and chose to exit the house before the finale on her own terms, taking a walkout prize of ₹7,75,000 after 93 days.
Being the first transgender person in Kerala to gain admission to a government academic course under the transgender quota for her first post-graduation degree; her news anchor role at 24 News (Malayalam); appearing in the Malayalam anthology film Freedom Fight (2021); choosing to walk out of Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 5 with ₹7.75 lakh in prize money.
