CHENNAI: Actress Inde Navarrette has emerged as one of the breakout stars of 2026 following the success of the horror thriller Obsession. While audiences worldwide are praising her performance as Nikki, few may know that her screen debut came in an independent short film directed by Indian filmmaker Shubham Sanjay Shevade.
Navarrette, now 25, made an early appearance in the short film Cross Words Together, directed by Shevade in 2018. The film explored different phases of a young woman's understanding of love, with Navarrette portraying the teenage chapter of the protagonist's journey.
Speaking about casting Navarrette in the film, Shevade recalled that the role required innocence and emotional honesty, qualities he said came naturally to the actress even at a young age.
Following the global success of Obsession, the filmmaker shared behind-the-scenes photographs from the short film on social media and reflected on her growth over the years.
In a post, Shevade wrote that it was remarkable to see how far the actress had come since working with her on the romantic short film and expressed pride in having been part of her early journey.
Directed by Curry Barker, Obsession follows Bear, a young man whose wish to win over his longtime crush Nikki takes a dark and disturbing turn. Navarrette's portrayal of Nikki has received widespread praise and has become one of the film's most talked-about performances.
The actress recently said that portraying Nikki was important to her and that she wanted to approach the character with seriousness and emotional depth.
Apart from Obsession, Navarrette is also known for her performances in Superman & Lois and 13 Reasons Why, where she played Estela de la Cruz in the final season.
Obsession was written and directed by Curry Barker and stars Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless and Andy Richter.
The film was produced on a reported budget of about $750,000 to $1 million and has become one of the year's biggest surprise hits. Industry trackers report that it has earned well over $150 million worldwide, with some estimates placing its global gross above $200 million.
For Navarrette, whose journey began in a small independent short film directed by an Indian filmmaker, Obsession has marked a major breakthrough on the international stage.