Riz Ahmed's Wife Is Famous in Her Own Right: All We Know about Fatima Farheen Mirza

Riz Ahmed and his wife, Fatima Farheen Mirza, had a chance encounter in New York City that led to their romance down the line. While her husband is an award-winning actor in the public eye, Mirza prefers to steer clear of the limelight but also has her fair share of literary accolades.

Ahmed has made a name for himself in Hollywood with several acting credits but became the first Muslim to be nominated for the best actor Oscar for his performance in "Sound of Metal."

While looking back at his experience filming for the movie and connecting with real-life members of the deaf community, Ahmed said there was one thing among others that made the experience truly special— meeting his future wife.

Riz Ahmed's Wife Is a Famous Writer and Sarah Jessica Parker's Friend

Mirza had dreams of writing her first novel from as young as eighteen but put her literary passions on hold to pursue her parents' dream for her to become a doctor.

During pre-med school, Mirza had a change of heart and joined the creative writing program instead. The award-winning novelist revealed that it was not smooth sailing trying to balance autonomy in her life's decisions with what her parents wanted for her.

From "suitable candidates" for marriage to her future career, Mirza shared that it took years of going back and forth with her mom and dad before they understood how she envisioned her life and her relationships. She said:

"It was not always easy, and the pressure you are feeling is real, and sometimes it is impossible to separate the two—do I want this because I genuinely want it, or because the people I love want it?"

After graduating from university, Mirza joined the Iowa Writer's Workshop, one of the most reputable MFA programs in America, as a writing-teaching fellow.

In 2018, with the help of "Sex and the City" legend Sarah Jessica Parker, Mirza published her first book under Parker's imprint, SJP for Hogarth.

Mirza was stepping off a train in New York when she received the call from Parker, sharing the news that her first book was headed for printing. For Mirza, it was such a surreal moment as the two bonded over a scene in the novel that meant so much to her.

She sang Parker's praises for her thoughtfulness and kindness, which made it a meaningful experience for the writer. Her novel, "A Place for Us," is a New York Times bestseller. It centers around a modern-day American-Indian Muslim family and opens at a wedding after the prodigal son's return.

Throughout the read, the parents in Mirza's novel come to terms with who their children are and accept their choices — something Mirza found relatable. She said:

"It's through the novel that I can understand that dynamic between the individual and their greater community with so much more complexity than when I was in it. It's helped me understand where I've come from and who I am and what is important to me."

Riz Ahmed Accidentally Met His Future Wife in a Café

Mirza and Ahmed's meet-cute occurred in a coffee shop in New York. He was preparing for his starring role in "Sound of Metal" when they both sat at the same table.

During his interview on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," the actor joked that he met his future wife in a truly modern way — a tussle over who would get one laptop plug point.

They remained friends during the production of his film, which received six Academy Award nominations, and took their relationship to the next level after he wrapped production.

They kept their romance out of the public eye. With over one hundred posts and fifty thousand followers on Instagram at the time of writing, Mirza's husband only appeared on

once.

With a handful of public appearances, the actor and the author sent the internet into a frenzy after their first public appearance when they shared a heartwarming moment while walking the 2021 Academy Award carpet.

Ahmed asked photographers to give him one second as he turned to smooth Mirza's hair back and over her shoulders. The exchange went viral, and Ahmed added "Best husband ever" to his impressive CV.

Riz Ahmed and Fatima Farheen Mirza Tried to Keep Their Marriage Secret

Mirza and Ahmed tied the knot in an intimate backyard wedding in 2020. He proposed during a picnic date, the most social activity the Covid-19 pandemic allowed, and joked that his proposal took Mirza by surprise. Ahmed

:

"We went to the park, we were having a picnic, and I popped the question. She looked up and was like, 'Are you joking?'"

Ahmed proposed by stealing all the letters he needed before a game of Scrabble to spell out "Will you marry me?" during their picnic date. And by January 2021, Amhed was calling Mirza his wife during interviews.

During his appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," the actor revealed that his relationship with Mirza was not so much a secret as an uncertainty about oversharing. The actor jokingly said, "I'm into matcha lattes, but that's just never come up. I'm not a secret matcha latte drinker."

Fatima Farheen Mirza Has an Unusual Hobby

Outside of her marriage to Riz Ahmed, and her successful career as an author, Mirza enjoyed boxing in her spare time. Her love for boxing stemmed from her childhood experiences, and in an essay, she wrote:

"Sometimes, when I'm boxing and locked in a flow, an old anger rises in me. It is the same anger I swallowed when I watched the boys lace up. When I watched men move through the world with such ease, with so little to stop them."

As a young girl, she desperately wanted a pair of pink boxing gloves that her mother did not allow her to have. Growing up, Mirza used boxing more to decompress that exercise and reconnect with a younger version of herself who longed for something she now had — freedom.