List of Malaysians of Indian descent

This is a list of notable Malaysians of Indian origin, including original immigrants who obtained Malaysian citizenship and their Malaysian descendants. Entries on this list are demonstrably notable by having a linked current article or reliable sources as footnotes against the name to verify they are notable and define themselves either full or partial Indian origin, whose ethnic origin lie in India.

This list also includes emigrant Malaysians of Indian origin and could be taken as a list of famous Malaysians of Indian origin.

Academicians

Activists, social workers, environmentalist and lawyers

Ambiga Sreenevasan, ex-president of the Malaysian Bar Council and active activist
Bishan Singh Ram Singh, environmentalist
Cecil Rajendra, human rights activist
Chacko Vadaketh, Malaysian actor, writer, television personality and MC
Charles Hector, Malaysian human rights advocate and activist
D. R. Seenivasagam
G. Rama Iyer
Gengadharan Nair
Gurmit Singh, Singaporean actor of part Malaysian-Punjabi descent
Hans Isaac, Malaysian actor, producer, director and a former model
Irene Fernandez (1946–2014)
Irene Xavier, women's rights activist
Ivy Josiah
K. L. Devaser
Kamal Bamadhaj, political science student and human rights activist, who was killed in the Dili Massacre in East Timor on 12 November 1991
Karpal Singh (1940–2014), prominent Malaysian politician, lawyer and human rights activist
Latheefa Koya, fifth Chief Commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) from June 2019 to March 2020.
M. Manoharan, prominent lawyer, politician, HINDRAF (legal adviser)
Mahadev Shankar
Mary Shanthi Dairiam, Malaysian human rights and women's rights advocate; elected member from Malaysia to the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (2005–2008) and United Nations official.
Murugan Chillayah
Murugesan Sinnandavar
Nisha Ayub, Malaysian transgender rights activist.
Param Cumaraswamy, high-profile Malaysian lawyer from Kuala Lumpur; Chair of the Malaysian Bar Council from 1986 to 1988; United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers by the UN Commission on Human Rights from 1994 to 2003
R. Ramani, second president of Malaya Bar Council; first Asian president of Malaya Bar Council
Ramon Tikaram, British stage and screen actor
Rasammah Bhupalan, social activist
Ravichandran, Tamil film actor who played lead roles in Tamil movies of the 1960s and 1970
P. Uthayakumar, founder of HINDRAF
S. M. Mohamed Idris, consumer rights activist
Steven Thiru, current president of Malaysian Bar
Uma Sambanthan

Actresses and female models

Amelia Thripura Henderson, Malaysian teenage actress
Andrea Fonseka, Malaysian model, television presenter, actress and beauty pageant titleholder
Anaika Soti, Bollywood and Kollywood actress; attended high school in Malaysia
Deborah Priya Henry, winner of Miss Malaysia 2011, television personality, and actress
Haanii Shivraj (1991–2014), Malaysian actress
Kavita Sidhu, actress and former beauty queen
Kiran Jassal, Miss Universe Malaysia 2016
Melinder Bhullar, Miss Malaysia World 2013
Nadine Ann Thomas, winner of Miss Malaysia 2010
Neelofa
Nicole Arumugam, British actress
Nithya Shree, actress and makeup artist
Pushpa Narayan, Malaysia actress and model
Ramya Raj, Malaysia-born actress who acts in Tamil cinema
Rubini Sambanthan, former beauty queen and model. She stars in the sixth cycle of Asia's Next Top Model.
Sabrina Beneett, winner of Miss Malaysia 2014
Sangeeta Krishnasamy, actress and model; first Malaysian woman to act in a Tamil movie
Sharon Alaina Stephen, Malaysian actress
Shuba Jay, Malaysian actress; was killed, together with her husband and daughter, in the shootdown of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17
Shweta Sekhon, winner of Miss Universe Malaysia 2019 and Miss World Malaysia 2016
Tatiana Kumar, Miss World Malaysia 2016
Thanuja Ananthan, Miss World Malaysia 2009-2010^[1]
Vanessa Tevi, winner of Miss Malaysia 2015

Ancient rulers

Tun Ali of Malacca, fourth Bendahara of the Malaccan Sultanate
Tun Fatimah, daughter to the Malaccan Bendahara who lived during the 16th century; was married to Malacca's Sultan Mahmud Shah as one of his consorts after all her male siblings were executed
Tun Mutahir of Malacca, famous bendahara of the Malaccan Sultanate

Arts and entertainment

Adam Jagnawi
'Punnagai Poo' Gheetha, the first female producer of Tamil films
Hans Isaac, Malaysian actor, producer, director, and former model
K. Haran, film director and screenwriter,
Huzir Sulaiman, Malaysian actor, director, and writer
V. Nagaraj, prominent Malaysian director
B. S. Rajhans, Malaysia's first filmmaker
Praboo Ariva, Malaysia youngest director
Prem Nath, Malaysia director
Pria Viswalingam, Malaysian-born Australian documentary and filmmaker
Redza Piyadasa
Rani Moorthy, Malaysian-born playwright, actress, and artistic director of Rasa Productions
Sharad Sharan,^[2] journalist and film director
Solamalay Namasivayam, artist
Syed Thajudeen, artist
Zabrina Fernandez, television producer
Geraldine Viswanathan, Australian actress
Zulkiflee Anwar Haque, cartoonist

Business people and entrepreneurs

Ananda Krishnan, 3rd richest man in Malaysia, has a son who is a Theravada Buddhist monk known as Ajahn Siripanyo.
Arul Kanda Kandasamy, Ex-President and CEO of 1Malaysia Development Berhad
Bastianpillai Paul Nicholas, first Asian banker in British Malaya
Doraisingam Pillai, CEO of Lotus chain of restaurants and companies
G. Gnanalingam, current executivei chairman of Westports Malaysia Sdn Bhd
Maha Sinnathamby, founder of Greater Springfield
Naraina Pillai, social entrepreneur and businessman, who spent most of his life in Singapore during the colonial period; of Tamil origins, he greatly contributed to the Tamil community in Singapore
Ninian Mogan Lourdenadin
K. L. Palaniappan, architect, businessman, and executive director of MK Land
Shoba Purushothaman, co-founder of The NewsMarket
K. R. Somasundram, Head of National Land Finance Co-Operative
K. Thamboosamy Pillay, a significant figure of Kuala Lumpur and Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Kuala Lumpur
Tony Fernandes, Malaysian entrepreneur and founder of Tune Air Sendirian Berhad; introduced the first budget, no-frills, and low-cost airline, AirAsia, to Malaysia and Asia with the tagline "Now Everyone Can Fly"
Vinod Balachandra Sekhar, businessman, president and Group Chief Executive of Putra Group
Weeratunge Edward Perera, Malaysian Sinhalese educator, businessman and social entrepreneur
A.K. Nathan
Vijay Eswaran

Comedians

Indi Nadarajah, actor, comedian, and singer based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kavin Jayaram, stand-up comedian

Criminals

Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam, drug trafficker executed in Singapore
Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, drug trafficker sentenced to death in Singapore
Datchinamurthy Kataiah, drug trafficker sentenced to death in Singapore
Gobi Avedian, drug trafficker sentenced to 15 years' jail and ten strokes of the cane for drug trafficking in Singapore
Kalwant Singh Jogindar Singh, drug trafficker executed in Singapore
Vignes Mourthi, drug trafficker executed in Singapore

Dancers

January Low Wye San (born 1985), classical dancer of Orissi and Bharathanatyam forms

Deejays and television personalities

Jonathan Putra, television host and actor, Channel V VJ, model, and musician
Rueben Thevandran (Burn), Malaysian radio personality, television host, singer, and voice-over artist

Doctors

Fashion designer

Bernard Chandran, Malaysia's "King of Fashion"

Freedom fighters and nationalists

S. A. Ganapathy, veteran of the communist underground resistance to Japanese occupation and postwar trade unionist in then Malaya; first president of the 300,000-strong Pan Malayan Federation of Trade Unions (PMFTU); was hanged by the colonial authorities in 1949 after being convicted for allegedly being in possession of firearms
Janaky Athi Nahappan, one of the earliest women involved in the fight for Malaysian (then Malaya) independence
John Thivy, founding president of the Malayan Indian Congress
Rasammah Bhupalan, Malaysian freedom fighter and social activist
V. T. Sambanthan, a Founding Father of Independent Malaysia and the fifth president of the Malaysian Indian Congress
V. Manickavasagam, Malaysian freedom fighter and the sixth president of the Malaysian Indian Congress
R. G. Balan

Journalists

M. G. G. Pillai, political activist and journalist
Rehman Rashid, journalist

Legal authorities

Augustine Paul
Balasubramaniam Perumal
Baltej Singh Dhillon, first Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer allowed to wear a turban
Gengadharan Nair, high courts of Malaysia
K. S. Rajah, Senior Counsel and former Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court of Singapore
G. Rama Iyer
K. Thanabalasingam
Steven Thiru, prominent Malaysian lawyer and former President of Malaysian Bar.
Tommy Thomas, barrister and former Attorney General of Malaysia

Literary figures

John Davies, archivist, writer, and received the prestigious Ahli Mangku Negara award
K. S. Maniam, novelist and academician
Munshi Abdullah, early Malayan historian and the father of modern Malay literature
Preeta Samarasan, finalist for the Commonwealth Writers Prize 2009
Rani Manicka, author and novelist
Selvakkumar Thirunavukarasu, author, columnist, radio and television personality on Vastu Shastra and ancient secrets
Shamini Flint
Malachi Edwin Vethamani, Malaysian-born Indian poet, writer, editor, bibliographer, academic and critic
Uthaya Sankar SB, Malaysian writer

Martial artists

Joe Thambu

Astronauts

S. Vanajah, one of the finalists for Malaysia's Angkasawan programme

Mountaineers

M. Moorthy, member of the first group of Malaysians to successfully climb Mount Everest
M. Magendran, the first Malaysian Man who climbed the Mount Everest on 1997

Musicians

Alvin Anthons, entertainer, professional emcee, event manager, radio DJ and singer
Ash Nair, Malaysian alternative musician and former contestant of season two of Malaysian Idol
C Loco, now known as Sashi C Loco, co-founder of Poetic Ammo
Chakra Sonic, Malaysian hip hop musician
Dave Gahan, English singer-songwriter, member of Depeche Mode; father is Malaysian-Indian
David Arumugam, Malaysian singer and founder of Alleycats
Dhilip Varman, singer, lyricist, and composer
Gerald Sellan, songwriter, composer and drum player for Malaysian/American rock band, Beat the system
Guy Sebastian, Australian pop, R&B, and soul singer-songwriter who was the first winner of Australian Idol in 2003; currently a judge on the Australian version of The X Factor
Harikrish Menon, singer and songwriter
Jaclyn Victor, winner of the first Malaysian Idol and current number-one pop singer of Malaysia; acted in many Malaysian and Tamil movies
Kamahl, cabaret or easy listening singer and recording artist
Loganathan Arumugam, Malaysian singer
Moots, frontman and rapper for the famous rap rock band Pop Shuvit
Manjit Singh Gill
Prema Lucas
Prema Yin, Malaysian musician and singer
Prashanthini, playback singer in Tamil cinema
Reshmonu, singer-songwriter from Malaysia who does mostly English songs
Ronnie Pereira, lead guitarist and singer of the 1970s band Revolvers
Shanmugam Arumugam, guitarist
Shree Chandran, rapper and music producer
Stewart Sellan, electric and acoustic guitar player for Malaysian/American rock band, Beat the System
Sukhjit Singh Gill, member of Goldkartz
Tanita Tikaram, British pop-folk singer-songwriter
Malaysia Vasudevan, Tamil playback singer and actor in the Tamil film industry
Yogi B, often referred to as Kavidhai Kundargal; known as the godfather of Tamil rap; currently famous rapper in Kollywood; co-founder of Poetic Ammo
Yugendran, playback singer in Tamil cinema

Politicians

Religious

Ven. Dr. Kirinde Sri Dhammananda Nāyaka Thero, Sri Lankan Buddhist monk and scholar, often regarded as Chief High Priest of Malaysia and Singapore
Ven. Datuk K. Sri Dhammaratana, Sri Lankan Buddhist monk and instrumental in setting up Ti-Ratana Welfare Society
Antony Selvanayagam, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Penang
Anthony Soter Fernandez, Archbishop Emeritus of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur
Murphy Pakiam, metropolitan archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese
Reverend Dr. P.N. Samy Davis, Founder of Jesus Loves Ministries, and pioneer of Tamil speaking churches in Malaysia.

Scientists

Alastair Robinson
Mahaletchumy Arujunan, listed as one of the 100 most influential people in the field of biotechnology by the 7th edition of The Scientist American Worldwide View: A Global Biotechnology Perspective Journal
Satwant Singh Dhaliwal, Malaysian geneticist, academic and author
B. C. Shekhar

Surveyors

⬝ Dato Sr K Sri Kandan, Chairman of AECOM (M).

Sportspeople

References

^ "Thanuja Ananthan". Retrieved 27 September 2019 – via Facebook.
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[1] "Thanuja Ananthan". Retrieved 27 September 2019 – via Facebook.

[2] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

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[2]

v t e Malaysian Indians
Malaysians Person of India Origin
Ethnolinguistic groups	Chindian Chitty Kristang people Malaysian Gujarati Malaysian Malayali Malaysian Punjabi Malaysian Telugu Tamil Malaysians
By states	Malaysian Indians in Penang Malaysian Indians in Sabah Indians in Sarawak
Notable peoples	List of Malaysian Indians List of Malaysian politicians of Indian origin List of Malaysian sportspeople of Indian origin
Culture	Cathedrals Hindu temples in Malaysia Malaysian Indian cuisine Malaysian Tamil cinema Tamil schools (List)
Ethnic enclave	Buntong, Ipoh Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur Dhoby Ghaut, Penang Little India, Ipoh Little India, Malacca Little India, Penang Paya Besar, Kedah Sentul, Kuala Lumpur
Related ethnic groups	Bruneian Indians Indian Indonesians Indian Filipino Indian Singaporeans Indians in Thailand