Meet M'luru’s Fatima Abdulla, Dubai-based award-winning influencer with 2000+ brands collaboration
Ever since its release over a decade ago, Instagram has become a major part of the social media networks that almost all youngsters use every day. It’s a social media platform where people have either become overnight celebrities or outright brands thanks to their ever-growing following. Being an influencer on social networking sites has gone on to become a trend and one of the most desired leagues among the newer generations and has its own set of significance.
Fatima Abdulla is one such influencer and digital creator who has carved a name for herself while writing and vlogging about Lifestyles, Beauty, and Travel.
Based in UAE, Fatima hails from Mangaluru and was brought up in Qatar for a major part of her younger years. She is the daughter of Abdulla Moidin, (fondly known as Abdulla Monu) a businessman from Mangaluru and a community activist who has been residing in Doha, Qatar for over four decades now.
Before turning into an influencer, Fatima worked as an HR Supervisor for Qatar Airways for 10 years and quit working after she moved to Dubai with her husband Abdul Farveez, an IT Engineer in Dubai.
Fatima, who has over 70,000 followers on Instagram was awarded Hospitality Blogger of the Year 2021 UAE and was listed among the Top 100 Influencers in 2022 at the World live Streamers Conference. She was also nominated for the Hospitality Blogger of the Year Award for four consecutive years in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Although Fatima says she has not undertaken any professional course or has never considered Influencing as a career, her collaboration with over 2000 restaurants and brands for lifestyle home, and beauty products speak for the influence she has over her followers.
“I never took any professional course or took influencing or blogging as my career, but I always shared about the places I eat locally or when I travel to other countries and whenever I shared my experience My audience loved and adored and valued my content and they highly engaged and I believed that my content always resonated well with my followers,” Fatima says.
“Eventually, I started enjoying sharing about the places that I visit with my kids, especially the experiences that are available like kid’s activities and other places and landmarks that I visit in the UAE. Then there was no looking back. I have collaborated with about 2000+ restaurants and 2000+ brands for lifestyle home, and beauty products.” She adds.
“I always loved food, exploring, and different, cuisines. I have traveled to 27 countries in Europe & Asia In every country, we make sure to try the local food and explore more about their cuisine, the taste & the ingredients. I also love traveling to places of history, the countryside. I love snow, so I make sure that every December I travel to a place where it snows.” She further adds.
Among the major brands she has collaborated includes Pond’s, Pears, Garnier, The Body Shop, Huda Beauty, Bioderma, Nivea, Johnson’s Baby, Maybelline, Vatika, Swiss Arabian, Emaar, Dubai Economy and Tourism, The Dubai Mall, Air Arabia, Ferrari World, IKEA, Panasonic, and others.
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'Homebound' makes it to Oscar shortlist for best international feature
Mumbai (PTI): Neeraj Ghaywan's much acclaimed "Homebound" is among the 15 films shortlisted in the best international feature category at the Oscars, moving a step close to the final five nominations and maybe a win.
The movie, inspired by a true story that became the basis of a news article during the pandemic, has been creating a global buzz since its debut in the Un Certain Regard category at the Cannes Film Festival this May.
Hollywood legend Martin Scorsese is a fan and has come onboard as an executive producer ahead of the award season.
Produced by Karan Johar and Adar Poonawalla, and starring Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa and Janhvi Kapoor, "Homebound" is Ghaywan's second movie after "Masaan".
"Homebound" will compete for an Oscar nomination alongside Argentina's “Belén”, Brazil's “The Secret Agent”, French drama "It Was Just an Accident”, Germany's "Sound of Falling” and Iraq's "The President's Cake".
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The other movies in the shortlist include Japan's “Kokuho”, Jordan's “All That’s Left of You”, Norway's “Sentimental Value”, Palestine's “Palestine 36”, South Korean hit “No Other Choice”, Spain's “Sirat”, "Late Shift" from Switzerland, “Left-Handed Girl”from Taiwan and Tunisian drama “The Voice of Hind Rajab”, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced in a release on Tuesday.
The award for best foreign film, now re-categorised as best international feature, has so far eluded India.
Only three Indian films have received nominations in the category -- Mehmood Khan’s “Mother India”, Mira Nair’s “Salaam Bombay” and Ashutosh Gowarikar’s “Lagaan”. Deepa Mehta’s “Water”, starring John Abraham and Lisa Ray, also received a nomination but it was submitted from Canada.
Gujarati film "Chhello Show" in 2023 was the last film to get shortlisted.
Costume designer Bhanu Athaiya was the first Indian to get an Oscar, bagging the coveted prize in 1983 for the film "Gandhi". Other than her, A R Rahman, Resul Pukootty and M M Keeravani have also won individual Oscars.
Team "Homebound" celebrated the shortlist news with posts on social media.
"We made the shortlist... Way to go team Homebound'!" Johar shared in Instagram Stories.
In a post, the producer said it was difficult for him to articulate how "proud and elated" he was with the news.
"All of us @dharmamovies are privileged to have this proud and important film in our filmography... thank you @neeraj.ghaywan for making so many dreams of ours come true... from Cannes to being on the Oscar shortlist this has been such an overwhelming journey! Love to the entire cast and crew and teams of this special special film! Upwards and onwards...."
Ghaywan also shared the news on X.
"#Homebound has been shortlisted for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards! We are deeply grateful for the extraordinary love and support we've received from around the world," he wrote on X with a special poster of the film.
Jethwa, who plays one of the two friends in the story opposite Ishaan Khatter, said the moment feels "surreal and incredibly humbling".
"To see 'Homebound' being shortlisted and progressing towards the Oscars is something I could have only dreamed of. I am deeply grateful for the love and support the film has received from audiences around the world," he said as he acknowledged Johar, Ghaywan and co-star Khatter and the rest of the team.
Khatter also shared the news on his Instagram stories and wrote, "Oscar ab dur nahi".
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"Homebound" is inspired by journalist Basharat Peer's The New York Times article “Taking Amrit Home”, also titled "A Friendship, a Pandemic and a Death Beside the Highway".
The film portrays the childhood friendship between a Muslim and Dalit who chase a police job that promises them the dignity they have long been denied due to their surnames.
The Academy on Tuesday also announced shortlists in 11 other categories, including the newly added casting Oscars, animated shorts, cinematography, documentary feature, documentary short, original score and song, sound and visual effects categories.
Nominations for the 98th Academy Awards will be announced on Thursday, January 22, 2026.
Twenty-four categories will be awarded at the 98th Oscars. Each category has five nominees, except for best picture, which has 10.
The 98th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
