Meera Syal FRSL is an English comedian, writer, playwright, singer, journalist and actress. She rose to prominence as one of the team that created Goodness Gracious Me and by portraying Sanjeev's grandmother, Ummi, in The Kumars at No. 42. She became one of the UK's best-known Asian personalities.
Shirley Valentine is a one-character play by Willy Russell. Taking the form of a monologue by a middle-aged, working class Liverpool housewife, it focuses on her life before and after a transforming holiday abroad.
Ayub Khan Din is a British writer and actor. He wrote the BAFTA, BIFA and London Film Critics Circle award-winning film East Is East (1999), adapted from his 1996 Olivier-nominated play of the same name. His 2008 comedy play Rafta, Rafta... won the Olivier Award. He went on to write the film sequel West Is West (2010). On television, he created the Channel 4 comedy-drama Ackley Bridge (2017–2022).
The New Group, is a New York City Off-Broadway theatrical troupe founded by Artistic Director Scott Elliott, that produced its first play, Mike Leigh's Ecstasy, in 1995. The New Group is run by founding Artistic Director, Scott Elliott, and Executive Director, Adam Bernstein.
The Family Way is a 1966 British comedy-drama film produced and directed by John and Roy Boulting, respectively, and starring father and daughter John Mills and Hayley Mills. Based on Bill Naughton's play All in Good Time (1963), with screenplay by Naughton, the film began life in 1961 as the television play Honeymoon Postponed. It is about the marital difficulties of a young newlywed couple living in a crowded house with the husband's family.
Mrityudand is an Indian Hindi drama film released in 1997. It was directed and produced by Prakash Jha and stars Madhuri Dixit, Shabana Azmi, Ayub Khan, Mohan Agashe and Om Puri.
Nick Hern Books is a London-based independent specialist publisher of plays, theatre books and screenplays. The company was founded by the former Methuen drama editor Nicholas Hern in 1988.
Geeta Citygirl is an actress, dancer, director, producer and the founder and artistic director of SALAAM, the first South Asian American theatre, arts and film company in the USA. Based in New York City, the theatre company was started in the year 2000. SALAAM Theatre and Geeta Citygirl received the SAMA Award for Excellence in Theater in June 2005.
Harish Patel is an Indian character actor. He has appeared in a variety of Hindi films, but in recent years has begun to appear in American projects like reimagination of Four Weddings and a Funeral on Hulu. His latest project is the MCU film Eternals. Although mainly associated with the stage, he has appeared in Indian and British films and television shows.
Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic is a 2008 Indian fantasy comedy-drama film with Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji in lead roles, and Rishi Kapoor and Ameesha Patel in supporting roles. The child artists include Akshat Chopra, Shriya Sharma, Rachit Sidana and Ayushi Burman. Directed, written and co-produced by Kunal Kohli, the film is produced and distributed by Yash Chopra and Aditya Chopra under their banner Yash Raj Films.
East Is East is a 1996 play by Ayub Khan-Din, first produced by Tamasha Theatre Company in co-production with the Royal Court and Birmingham Repertory Theatre. A semi-autobiographical story of growing up in a mixed-race, working-class family in 1970s Salford, East is East is often cited as one of the key works to bring South Asian culture to mainstream British audiences. The play was published by Nick Hern Books, and subsequently turned into the 1999 film East is East.
Pasand Apni Apni is a 1983 Indian Hindi-language film directed by Basu Chatterjee, starring Ashok Kumar, Mithun Chakraborty, Rati Agnihotri, Utpal Dutt. The concept of this movie is based on the 1951 British film Happy Go Lovely, which was earlier used in the 1969 movie Sajan and subsequently in Ghajini.
Zanjeer (transl. Shackles) is a 2013 Indian action crime film directed by Apoorva Lakhia. The film is shot simultaneously in Hindi and Telugu languages, the latter titled Thoofan (transl. Typhoon). A remake of the 1973 Hindi film of the same name, it stars Ram Charan and Priyanka Chopra with Sanjay Dutt in a pivotal role in the Hindi version who is replaced by Srihari in Telugu. Prakash Raj, Atul Kulkarni, and Mahie Gill play supporting roles.
Amar Akbar & Tony is a 2015 British comedy-drama film written and directed by Atul Malhotra and starring Rez Kempton, Sam Vincenti and Martin Delaney in the lead roles. Amar Akbar & Tony is an independent British feature film. The title is a play on the 1977 Indian film Amar Akbar Anthony.
All in Good Time is a British film directed by Nigel Cole and starring Reece Ritchie, Amara Karan, Harish Patel, and Meera Syal. It is based on Ayub Khan-Din's 2007 play Rafta, Rafta, which was based on Bill Naughton's 1963 play All in Good Time and the 1966 film adaptation The Family Way.
Chingari (transl. Embers) is a 1940 social Hindi film directed by Sarvottam Badami. Made under the banner of Sudama Productions, the film had music by Gyan Dutt. Prithviraj Kapoor shifted from New Theatres Ltd. Calcutta to Bombay, where he worked under Badami in two films, Sajani and Chingari both made in 1940. The cast included Prithviraj Kapoor, Sabita Devi, E. Billimoria, Meera, Khatoon and Keshavrao Date.
Iqbal Khan is a theatre director. He is associate director at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Associate Artist of Box Clever Theatre Company.
