Arfaz Ayub

Arfaz Ayub
Born
Occupations
  • Film director
  • screenwriter
  • actor
  • assistant director
FatherAdam Ayub

Arfaz Ayub is an Indian film director, screenwriter, actor, and former assistant director who works in Malayalam films.[2] He made his directorial debut in 2024 with the psychological thriller Level Cross, which received critical acclaim from critics and audiences.[3]

Personal life

Arfaz Ayub was born and raised in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Arfaz's father Adam Ayub is an actor and screenwriter who works in the Malayalam film and television industry. He is an alumnus of Mar Ivanios College, Thiruvananthapuram.

Career

Arfaz Ayub assisted director Jeethu Joseph for several of his films including The Body (2019), Drishyam 2 (2021), Drushyam 2 (2021), 12th Man (2022), and Kooman (2022).[4] In 2024, he made his directorial debut with the film Level Cross, presented by Joseph.[5] The film was selected to be screened at the 55th International Film Festival of India in the Indian Panorama section.[6] Whilst attending the 1st Guwahati Asian Film Festival in February 2025, Ayub announced that he was working on a Hindi feature film that would portray how a section of Northeast Indians migrate to Kerala and integrate into the workforce, often in the labour sector.[2][7]

Filmography

As director

Year Title Notes Ref.
2013-2014 Bhoot Aaya Television series
2024 Level Cross Also screenwriter; Directorial debut [3]

Assistant Director

Year Title Notes
2013 Horror Story Associate Director
2019 Cabaret Associate Director
The Body Associate Director
2020 Undekhi Web Series; Associate Director
Torbaaz Associate Director
2021 Drishyam 2 Chief Associate Director
Drushyam 2 Co-Director
2022 12th Man Co-Director
Kooman Co-Director
2024 Aliya Basu Gayab Hai Co-Director
2026 Valathu Vashathe Kallan Chief Associate Director
Drishyam 3 Chief Associate Director

Acting Credits

Year Title Role
2021 Drishyam 2 Forensic Assistant
Drushyam 2
2022 12th Man Cashier Suresh
Kooman Joyce
2023 Neru James
2024 Aliya Basu Gayab Hai Delivery Boy
2026 Valathu Vashathe Kallan Emmanuel

References

  1. ^ "Director Arfaz Ayub: Level Cross is not the so-called experimental film". Cinema Express. 25 July 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
  2. ^ a b "NE's migrant workers issue to be Malayalam filmmaker Arfaz Ayub's next Hindi film topic". The Times of India. February 13, 2025. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Ramachandran, Arjun (July 26, 2024). "Level Cross review: A gripping thriller with an intense plot and unusual treatment". The South First. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  4. ^ "ബാലതാരമായി അരങ്ങേറ്റം, സംവിധായകനാക്കിയത് ജീത്തു ജോസഫ്; അർഫാസ് അയൂബ് അഭിമുഖം". ബാലതാരമായി അരങ്ങേറ്റം, സംവിധായകനാക്കിയത് ജീത്തു ജോസഫ്; അർഫാസ് അയൂബ് അഭിമുഖം (in Malayalam). Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  5. ^ Santhosh, Vivek (2024-07-26). "'Level Cross' is not the so-called experimental film: Director Arfaz Ayub". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2025-07-19.
  6. ^ "MYIFFI | Detail". filmguide.iffigoa.org. Retrieved 2025-07-19.
  7. ^ "Ayub's lens on migrant workers: Up next, a film on Northeastern labourers in Kerala". Archived from the original on 2025-03-15. Retrieved 2025-07-19.