Shobu Kapoor

Last updated

Shobu Kapoor
Born
Shobu Kapoor

India
Other namesShoboo Kapoor
Alma mater
OccupationActress
Years active1991present
Spouse
Chinese Alan
(m. 2007;div. 2015)

Shobu Kapoor is an Indian British actress. She is most notable for playing the role of Gita Kapoor, the long-suffering wife of market trader Sanjay (Deepak Verma), in the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 1993 to 1998. [1]

Contents

Early life

Shobu Kapoor was born in India. She attended the University of Mumbai, where she earned her Master of Arts in Literature in 1986. She immigrated to the United Kingdom in 1988. Kapoor trained at Drama Studio London. [2]

Career

After leaving Eastenders, Kapoor appeared in the 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham [3] and the TV series The Bill (2004). She has also been in Chicken Tikka Masala (2005), Casualty (2005) and Doctors , where she appeared as five characters between 2000 and 2006.

In 2006, she appeared in the BBC drama Banglatown Banquet and the Irish RTÉ soap Fair City (as Talayeh Kirmani). In 2007, she played the minor role of Umi in the Channel 4 drama Shameless . In 2008, she appeared in "Journey's End", the series four finale of Doctor Who , where her character perished at the hands of the Daleks.

Other film roles include Taj's mother in Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj (2006) [4] and Mrs Khan in Mischief Night (2006). She portrayed the mother of Meredith Kercher in the TV film Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy (2011).

Kapoor played the roles of Shazia Malik in the BBC Asian Network radio soap Silver Street and Razia Khan in the BBC sitcom Citizen Khan . [5]

In 2013, she co-founded the independent film and television company, Roman Candle Productions, with Annetta Laufer. She worked there, producing short films until she left in 2016. [2]

In 2015, she made a guest appearance in the CBBC show Hank Zipzer . That year, Kapoor was announced as part of the cast of Anthony Horowitz's play Dinner with Saddam on the West End. [6]

In 2020, Kapoor appeared in The Other One as Mishti.

In 2021, she appeared in Casualty playing Mona Nadkarni, a 'friend' of Dr Rashid Masum's family, who was brought into the emergency department by Rash's father. [7] She made an appearance in Greg Davies' BBC comedy The Cleaner the same year. [8]

In 2022, she appeared as Lady Sheffield in the second season of Netflix's historical fiction-romance show Bridgerton . Kapoor joined the cast of the 2022 television film adaption of David Walliams' children's book Gangsta Granny Strikes Again! [9]

She appeared as Fatima Khan in Nida Manzoor's action comedy film Polite Society (2023). [10]

Filmography

Film

YearTItleRoleNotes
2000Room to RentHome Office Official
2002 Bend It Like Beckham Polly
2005Chicken Tikka MasalaMinaxi Patel
2006 Mischief Night Mrs Khan
Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj Taj's Mother
2008 Filth and Wisdom Sardeep's Wife
2010 The Infidel Kashmina
2012Acts of GodfreyGita
2014Some ThingsMiss StewartShort film
2015Shoot Me. Kiss Me. Cut!Mother
2018 Boogie Man Anandi
Lady PartsSeemaShort film
2020Home for Aged Time TravelersDr. Ritisha
2022The ReachShobuShort film
Two Minutes
The Warning SignsShobu
Mother Teresa & Me Aparna, Kavita's Mother
2023 Polite Society Fatima
Tall Dark and HandsomeRohiniShort film
Running on EmptySeema Khan
TBAHuman 2.0Laxshmi ParryShort film ; In Production

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1991 Family Pride Nasreen
1993 Doctor Who: Dimensions in Time Gita Kapoor Miniseries; 2 episodes
1993-1998 EastEnders Main role; 346 episodes
2000-2016 Doctors Dr. Shareen Sing / Anita Shah / Mrs Khan / Tasneem Malik5 episodes
2004Nevermind NirvanaDr. Sarita MehtaTV movie
The Bill Mrs. MiahEpisode: "The Cautious Approach"
2005-2023 Casualty Namjeev Singh / Hasina Hussein / Chanda Perry / Mona Nadkarni6 episodes
2006 Banglatown Banquet JoolieTV movie
Fair City Talayeh Kirmani3 episodes
2007 Shameless UmiEpisode: "Revelations"
2008 Doctor Who Scared WomanEpisode: "Journey's End"
2010 Holby City Mrs. ChiddyEpisode: "Snow Queens"
2011 Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy Arlene KercherTV movie
The Jury Rashid's Mother5 episodes
2012 Silent Witness Raani AmarEpisode: "Death Has No Dominion: Part 2"
2012-2016 Citizen Khan Mrs KhanMain role; 33 episodes
2015 Hank Zipzer Mrs. Chopra2 episodes
2016Children in Need: Fantastic Beasts SpecialMrs KhanTV short
2017LoadedHarvinder JindalEpisode: "Watto's Mum"
Comedy PlayhouseRitaEpisode: "Mister Winner"
The Boy with the Topknot Aunt JugiTV movie
2018Joe All AloneSocial WorkerEpisode: "Escape"
The Split Annie Butler2 episodes
Unforgotten Usha3 episodes
2018-2019 Krypton Mama Zed2 episodes
2019 Cleaning Up Barsha2 episodes
Four Weddings and a Funeral NaniMiniseries; 4 episodes
2020 The Other One MishtiEpisode: "#1.6"
I Hate Suzie Dr. WackEpisode: "Bargaining"
The Dark TowerRhea of the CoosTV movie
2021 We Are Lady Parts Seema5 episodes
The Cleaner NeetaEpisode: "The Widow"
2022 A Discovery of Witches Linda Crosby3 episodes
Bridgerton Lady SheffieldEpisode: "An Unthinkable Fate"
DI Ray Debo Ray2 episodes
Whitstable Pearl HiralEpisode: "To Those We Love"
Gangsta Granny Strikes Again!EshaTV movie
2023 Three Little Birds Miss Biswas4 episodes

On stage

YearTitleRoleDirectorVenueRef.
2015Dinner with SaddamSamira Anthony Horowitz Menier Chocolate Factory [11]

Audio dramas

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
2017 Doctor Who: The Monthly Adventures Sai ChopraEpisode: "Vortex Ice / Cortex Fire" [12]
2022Torchwood: Monthly RangePriyaEpisode: "Sonny" [13]

Radio dramas

YearTitleRoleStationNotesRef.
Silver Street Shazia Malik BBC Asian Network [14]
2014KarmaSanjana BBC Radio 4 [15]
2017No SmokeParmindar BBC Radio 4 [16]

Filmmaking

As producer

YearTitleNotesRef.
2016Scarlet [17]
2016Afro Punk Girl [18]
2021The Markfield MonsterExecutive producer [19]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef.
2016Asian Women of Achievement AwardsArts & CultureNominated [20]

References

  1. "Ex-EastEnders Star Slams Asian Portrayal". RTÉ. 21 July 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Shobu Kapoor". Migration Museum. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  3. "Shobu Kapoor – Acting Coach".
  4. "Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj". San Francisco Chronicle. 28 November 2006. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  5. Devi, Sharmila (31 August 2012). "Citizen Khan sitcom stokes controversy among British Muslims". The National. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  6. "Steven Berkoff & Shobu Kapoor Set for DINNER WITH SADDAM at Menier Chocolate Factory". Broadway World. 7 August 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  7. Haasler, Sue (7 January 2023). "Rash devastated in Casualty as his dad shows signs of dementia". Metro. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  8. Richards, Will (19 February 2021). "Helena Bonham Carter and David Mitchell to star in Greg Davies' new comedy 'The Cleaner'". NME. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  9. "Gangsta Granny Strikes Again!". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  10. "'Polite Society' review: Film on British-Pakistani lives marries Jane Austen with kung-fu flare". The New Indian Express. Associated Press. 28 April 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  11. Billington, Michael (22 September 2015). "Dinner With Saddam review – can dictators be funny?". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  12. "225. Doctor Who: Vortex Ice / Cortex Fire - Doctor Who - The Monthly Adventures - Big Finish". www.bigfinish.com. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  13. "59. Torchwood: Sonny - Torchwood - Monthly Range - Big Finish". www.bigfinish.com. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  14. BBC. "BBC - Asian Network - Silver Street The Residents". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  15. "BBC Radio 4 - Drama on 4, Karma". BBC. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  16. "BBC Radio 4 - No Smoke". BBC. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  17. Scarlet, Awards, Roman Candle Productions, 30 January 2016, retrieved 7 March 2024
  18. "British Council Film: Afro Punk Girl". film-directory.britishcouncil.org. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  19. "The Markfield Monster". Festival Formula. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  20. "2016". Asian Women of Achievement Awards. Retrieved 7 March 2024.