| Siya Malasi | |
| Nationality: | Indian |
Siya Malasi is an Indian actress and model. She was a contestant in the second season of MTV Supermodel of the Year in 2021. In 2023, she portrayed the character Chandi in the Hindi-language action crime drama Rana Naidu. Later that year, she starred in the debut commercial for Tata Starbucks's #ItStartsWithYourName campaign, which went viral on Facebook and Twitter, receiving over 12 million views and leading some people to call for a boycott of Starbucks.
In 2021, Malasi was a contestant on the second season of the Indian reality television competition show MTV Supermodel of the Year, where she placed tenth.[1] [2] While competing on the series, she talked openly about coming out as a transgender woman.[3] Malasi continues to work as model, and appeared in a haircare campaign for Tweak India.[4]
As an actress, Malasi has appeared in television series and commercials. In 2023, she played Chandi in the Indian Hindi action crime drama Rana Naidu.[5] In March 2023, Malasi portrayed Arpita, a transgender woman meeting with her parents in a coffee shop, in a Pride Month commercial for Starbucks, which launched the company's campaign titled #ItStartsWithYourName.[6] The commercial went viral and was received over twelve million views on Facebook and Twitter.[6] The campaign caused debate on social media platforms, with some calling for a boycott of Starbucks and other's celebrating the company's LGBTQ inclusivity.[6]