Nausheen Ali (born March 31, 2003) is an Indo-American actress, songwriter, model and GRAMMY© Award winning singer. She is known for her roles as Babushka on the fictional Clearstime series BABYSITTER and its sequel series, and Devi Vishwakumar in the Netflix original series Never Have I Ever. In addition to acting on the show, Nausheen has directed an episode.
Early Life[]
Nausheen Ali was born on March 31, 2003 in New Delhi, India. Both of her parents were born in India. Her family migrated to the United States of America when Nausheen was around four months old, because her older sister Nusrat wanted to pursue a career in acting and show business. Nausheen followed in her footsteps and began modelling in India as a young baby. She had her first Western acting gig in an episode of the 1990s-early 2000s sitcom Happier Times when she was around eight months old. She briefly went to Granada Hills Charter Elementary School and continued acting. She became schooled on-set when she booked her role on Babysitter.
Shortly after beginning elementary school she was diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). She's also legally deaf in her left ear.
Career[]
Ali first appeared onscreen in an episode of Happier Times which aired in 2004. She had minor acting roles here and there in mainly commercials. Shortly after in 2010, she appeared in an episode of the Clearstime sitcom Email as "Casey's Client". This was her first ever speaking role. In late 2010, Ali was cast as Babushka in the Clearstime series Babysitter, a role she played for four seasons. Due to the show's rise in popularity, this role shot Ali to fame. During and after Babysitter's run she had various television and movie roles, including starring in her older sister's Clearstime show BFFs (2011), Robin in E.G.G. Plant (2011-2012), co-hosting The Ali Games with her sister (2012), Bertha in Vampire's Tomb (2012) and Vampire's Tomb II (2013), and Harmony in 5:13 (2015), Megan in The Undead (2015-2016), N in Glory Days (2018-2020) and Devi Vishwakumar in Never Have I Ever (2020-present). She also reprised her role in Babysitter for the show's 10-year anniversary special.
Her music career began when she was put into the girl group Babysitter It Up Girlz (later Zendellaneyton, then WE5WOMEN) in early 2013, along with Bella Thorne, Zendaya and Peyton List. The group released 6 albums and had various number 1 singles. Ali left the group in February 2021 after 8 years with them, stating that she wants to move on with her career.
Ali released her debut single in 2015 called Fight Song for the 5:13 soundtrack. She was also featured on the charity single "What A Girl Is" earlier that year. Ali was later featured on Peyton List's single "Rainfall" in 2016. She released her debut album Sweetest Devotion in 2017. Ali released "She Loves Control" with Zendaya in 2018. In January 2021, Ali changed her stage name to "nausheen" and released "She" on January 9th.
Filmography[]
| Film Roles | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2006 | The Departed | Little girl at restaurant | Uncredited |
| 2009 | Bear Trap | Girl scout #4 | Minor role |
| 2010 | Without a Clause | Young Sasha | Minor role |
| 2012 | Vampire's Tomb | Bertha | Main role |
| 2013 | Vampire's Tomb II | Bertha | Main role |
| 2014 | Babysitter: The Movie | Babushka | Main role; TV movie |
| 2015 | 5:13 | Harmony Sanders | Main role |
| 2017 | Virus #357 | Sarah | Independent film; starring role |
| 2017 | 5:13: Race Against Time | Harmony Sanders | Direct-to-video/digital film; main role |
| 2018 | Uncovered: A Maira Patel Story | Maira Patel | Lead role |
| 2018 | Smallfoot | Brenda | Voice role |
| 2021 | A Star Is Also The Sun | Alisha Khan | Co-lead role |
| 2022 | Turning Red | Priya Mangal | Voice role |
| TBA | The Netherfield Girls | Lizzie Bennet | Currently in post-production |
| 2024 | She Roache | Leah Benson | Lead role |
| 2024 | Mean Girls the Musical | Karen Smith | Main role |
| Television Roles | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2004 | Happier Times | Paige | Minor role |
| 2007 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Sally | Episode: Season 8, Episode 13 |
| 2008 | Lost | Kindergartener #6 | Episode: Season 4, Episode 7 |
| 2008 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Lost little girl | Episode: Season 9, Episode 2 |
| 2009 | 911 Emergency | Bethany | Episode: Season 7, Episode 18 |
| 2010/2013 | Casey's Client | 3 episodes | |
| 2011-2015 | Babysitter | Babushka/Samuel/Gerry | Main role; 97 episodes |
| 2011 | BFFs | Nina | Recurring role; 4 episodes |
| 2012-2013 | E.G.G. Plant | Robin | Recurring role; 6 episodes |
| 2012/2014 | Spontaneous | Babushka/Liebowitz Fawn | Guest role; 2 episodes |
| 2012 | The Ali Games | Herself | Game show co-host |
| 2013 | Get Prank'd | Herself | Guest role; Episode 4 |
| 2013-2014 | Figure It Out | Herself | Guest panelist; 3 episodes |
| 2014 | Max & Shred | Quinn | Guest role; "The Lien Love Triangle" |
| 2015 | Rich Wars | Spooky-Woo #3 | Guest role; "Rich Spooky-Woos" |
| 2015-2016 | The Undead | Zee | Main role; 10 episodes |
| 2017 | Now, That Is What I Call Babysitting! | Babushka | Guest role; "Home Sick To My Stomach" |
| 2018-2020 | Glory Days | N | Co-lead role; also credited as executive producer |
| 2020-2023 | Never Have I Ever | Devi Vishwakumar | Lead role |
| 2022-present | My Little Pony: Make Your Mark | Zipp Storm | Voice role |
| 2023 | BABY2ITTER | Babushka | Co-lead role; also credited as executive producer |
| 2023 | The Mindful Adventures of Unicorn Island | Velvet | Voice role; YouTube web series |
Personal life[]
Relationships[]
Peyton List (August 2022-present)[]
Nausheen Ali and Peyton List were heavily rumoured to be in a romantic relationship with each other as early as 2013. The relationship got so popular over the years that it actually gained its own sub-fanbase within the girls' main fanbases. (See Neyton) A majority of fans speculate that the pair originally got together in 2013 and broke up around November 2018. Fans believed that any and all relationships the girls have had over the years with anyone else were "beards" and cover ups, believing that their management and record label forbid them from being together.
In December 2021 both Ali and List split from their relationships at the time, and it was the first time Ali had been single since 2016. The pairing suddenly got popular again after this.
Fans noticed particularly in mid-late 2022 that the pair have been spending a large amount of time together, spawning from a spontaneous trip to Paris in August 2022. According to Page Six, this is when the relationship actually started.
The rumours properly began in early October 2022 when List's ex Ivy Lam released a song about List, mentioning her falling in love with someone new. In mid-October, an insider leaked a snippet of a teaser of List's new single "Bad Idea" featuring their pair cuddling up to each other and kissing in an intimate manner. A few days after, Page Six reported that the pair have been dating since August 2022.
Ali confirmed the relationship the following day on Instagram by posting a photo with her and Peyton and captioning it "I guess the secret's out. Stay safe y'all."
Ali proposed to List on a beach on Valentine's Day 2023. As of current, they are engaged.
Zahid Muralidharan (June 24, 2016-January 2, 2022)[]
Nausheen was in a long-term relationship with Indian model, actor and singer Zahid Maralidharan. The two of them have known each other since Nausheen was a toddler, since their mothers were family friends and often celebrated religious occasions together. The pair finally got together during Eid celebrations in the summer of 2016. The pair were first speculated to be together when Nausheen posted a picture of a silhouette of her leaning on Zahid's shoulder, with the caption 'Z'. They became brand ambassadors for a Punjabi-Western clothing brand that same year and partook in many photoshoots together. Zahid also posted a picture of Nausheen behind-the-scenes of the 'Rainfall' music video with the caption, 'The apple to my eye' in August 2016 which further showed that they were together. The pair was spotted kissing at a Halloween party in early October 2016, and this practically confirmed their relationship. The relationship was officially confirmed accidentally when Ali posted a picture of the two of them on National Boyfriend Day with the caption, 'I wish it was National Boyfriend Day every day of the year...'. Since then, it's has become an annual tradition that Nausheen posts a picture of the two of them with this exact caption.
Zahid helped Nausheen write her debut album in 2017, and was featured on the song "Stars", as well as a majority of the album's visuals, including "Bad Things", "Quit", "Stars" and "OMG" to name a few. He has also starred in the WE5WOMEN's music videos "Touch", "Woman Like Me" and "Bounce Back", and is a close friend of the group. Nausheen and Zahid also collaborated on a song from the 2019 live action Aladdin remake soundtrack "A Whole New World".
On January 4th 2022, it was confirmed in a YouTube video titled "We broke up" that the pair have since split up. They allegedly split up on January 2nd. According to them, the sudden death of one of Zahid's relatives caused a downward spiral, and Zahid wanted to move back to India to live with his extended family during this time.
Jake Goodman (August 2014-February 2016)[]
Nausheen had an on-and-off relationship with her Babysitter co-star Jake Goodman through-out 2014 into 2016.
Music Videos[]
| Year | Main Artist | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Babysitter Cast ft. Dorothy Pat | Jumpstart | Babysitter Sound Track |
| 2011 | Peyton List | Life In Chicago | Babysitter Sound Track |
| 2012 | Peyton List ft. Babysitter Cast | I Thought You Were The One | Babysitter Sound Track II |
| 2013 | Peyton List | Leave It All To Me | Hello...My Name Is |
| 2013 | WE5WOMEN | Wings | Babysitter It Up Girlz |
| 2013 | WE5WOMEN | Change Your Life | Babysitter It Up Girlz |
| 2013 | WE5WOMEN ft. Karin Konoval | How Ya Doin'? | Babysitter It Up Girlz |
| 2013 | WE5WOMEN | Going Nowhere | Babysitter It Up Girlz |
| 2013 | WE5WOMEN | DNA | Babysitter It Up Girlz |
| 2013 | WE5WOMEN | Madhouse | Babysitter It Up Girlz |
| 2013 | Peyton List ft. Babysitter Cast | We Are Family (8 minute version) | Babysitter: The Movie Soundtrack (EP) |
| 2013 | Pharrell Williams | Happy | Single release/G I R L |
| 2014 | WE5WOMEN | Move | Salute |
| 2014 | WE5WOMEN | Little Me | Salute |
| 2014 | Peyton List ft. Babysitter Cast | Thinking of You | Single release |
| 2014 | WE5WOMEN | Salute | Salute |
| 2015 | 5:13 Cast | What A Girl Is | Charity single |
| 2015 | Peyton List | Count Me In | Me Being Me |
| 2015 | WE5WOMEN | Black Magic | Get Weird |
| 2015 | WE5WOMEN | Hair | Get Weird |
| 2016 | WE5WOMEN | Love Me Like You | Get Weird |
| 2016 | WE5WOMEN ft. Kyle Massey | Secret Love Song | Get Weird |
| 2016 | WE5WOMEN ft. RAGHI. | Hair* | Get Weird |
| 2016 | WE5WOMEN | Shout Out To My Ex | Glory Days |
| 2016 | Peyton List ft. Nausheen Ali | Rainfall | Tightened Love |
| 2017 | WE5WOMEN | Touch | Glory Days |
| 2017 | WE5WOMEN ft. Charlie Puth | Oops | Glory Days |
| 2017 | Nausheen Ali featuring RAGHI. and Zahid Muralidharan | Sweetest Devotion VISUAL ALBUM | Sweetest Devotion |
| 2017 | WE5WOMEN | Power | Glory Days |
| 2017 | CNCO ft. WE5WOMEN | Reggaeton Lento (Remix) | Single release |
| 2018 | WE5WOMEN | Is Your Love Enough? | Glory Days: The Platinum Edition |
| 2018 | Nausheen Ali ft. Zendaya | She Loves Control | Single release |
| 2019 | WE5WOMEN ft. Nicki Minaj | Woman Like Me | Z5 |
| 2019 | WE5WOMEN ft. Sharaya J | Strip | Z5 |
| 2019 | Zahid Muralidharan, Nausheen Ali | A Whole New World | Aladdin soundtrack |
| 2019 | WE5WOMEN ft. Ty Dolla $ign | Think About Us | Z5 |
| 2019 | WE5WOMEN | Bounce Back | Single release |
| 2020 | WE5WOMEN | Break Up Song | Confetti |
| 2020 | WE5WOMEN | Holiday | Confetti |
| 2020 | WE5WOMEN | Sweet Melody | Confetti |
| 2021 | nausheen | She | Single release |
| 2021 | Peyton List & nausheen | Easy | Where I Was Then Vs. Where I'm At Now |
| 2022 | nausheen | Living Proof | Through My Eyes |
| 2022 | nausheen ft. WILLOW | Psychofreak | LITTLE GIRL GONE |
| 2023 | nausheen | Little Girl Gone | LITTLE GIRL GONE |
| 2023 | nausheen | Middle of the Night | LITTLE GIRL GONE |
* The music video is for a remixed version of the song featuring the rapper and singer RAGHI.. The music features elements from the original Hair music video released in November 2015, however RAGHI.'s parts were filmed separate and edited into the original music video.