Friday, 25 April 2025
Friday, 25 April 2025
A box office success, a music video that beat Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’s composition on YouTube, a deal with Warner Music Group — actress-dancer Nora Fatehi, who turned 33 on Thursday, is certainly on a roll.
The latest in a series of Nora’s successful ventures was the song Snake, the music video of which emerged as the second most viewed video on YouTube globally in 24 hours. But before venturing into music, Nora made it big in 2024 with Bollywood hit Madgaon Express and ramp appearances that left her fans in awe. Here’s a look at the birthday girl’s accomplishments in the past one year.
Debuting with the 2014 film Roar: Tigers of the Sundarbans alongside Abhinav Shukla and Aaran Chaudhury, Nora gained fame in Bollywood with her dance numbers including Manohari in Baahubali and Kamariya in Stree.
Nora, who was already well-known as a singer with her 2018 singing debut with the Arabic version of the song Dilbar, and later with her breakthrough performance in the FIFA World Cup anthem Like the Sky in 2022, signed a recording contract with Warner Music Group for her music projects in February 2024.
On June 6, 2024, the 32-year-old artist released her first single, NORA, under the Warner Music Group label. In the music video, Nora blended Indian classical with contemporary hip-hop and Moroccan dance moves. The video, helmed by Abderrafia Elabdioui, features Nora's dynamic dance performed alongside groups of dancers and Moroccan musicians in various scenes. The song, sung in both English and Arabic, pays tribute to her heritage and culture.
Apart from her singing projects, Nora did several movies including Crakk, Madgaon Express and Matka last year. Nora played the role of Tasha, a drug dealer in Kunal Kemmu’s directorial debut Madgaon Express, also starring Avinash Tiwary, Pratik Gandhi, Divyenndu and Chhaya Kadam. Madgaon Express was a box office success with a collection of over Rs 45 crore globally.
Nora Fatehi made her acting debut in South Indian films in 2024 with the Telugu action thriller Matka, in which she starred alongside Varun Tej and Meenakshi Chaudhary. The movie is based on the life of Ratan Khetri, a gambler involved in the matka gambling scams of the 20th century. Fatehi trained hard to learn Telugu for her role.
Nora recently shared glimpses from her early days as a struggling artist. In one such post, the artist shared a picture of her in her younger days, standing with her classmates during a dance rehearsal session. “OMG GUYS! This is a MAJOR throwback! 17-year-old Me (on the left for the slow ones) with my schoolmates getting ready to hit the stage to perform our dance! We rehearsed for so many weeks, I taught them everything I knew at that time and we put these outfits together. We did a belly dance fusion act on a few songs and performed in front of our school.. some things never change. This is one of the songs we danced too,” she wrote alongside the photo on Instagram.
Apart from acting and dancing, Nora manages to steal the spotlight with her fashion game. During the promotional event for a luxury brand, the artist effortlessly exuded confidence in her all-white bodycon dress, trench coat and knee-high boots.
She even slays her ethnic game in a sequined holographic sari, proving that she’s a true style icon.
Released on January 16, Nora’s recently released music video Snake, which also features American singer-songwriter Jason Derulo, has amassed 84 million views and is currently trending at No. 4 on the video streaming platform. It has generated significant buzz, enchanting audiences with its mesmerising beats and energetic visuals while highlighting Nora's remarkable star presence. In 24 hours, the song emerged as the second most viewed song on YouTube globally, trailing behind Blackpink member Rose and singer Bruno Mars’s song APT.
