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Meera Syal

Meera Syal MBE (born Feroza Syal 27 June 1961 in Essington, near Wolverhampton) is a British Indian comedian, writer, playwright, singer, journalist and actress. She was born in Wolverhampton and grew up in Essington, a mining village a few miles to the north, where her father ran a corner shop. She attended Queen Mary's High School in nearby Walsall, and is perhaps the school's most famous alumna. Her Punjabi-born parents came to Britain from New Delhi, and she has risen to prominence as one of the most UK's best-known Indian personalities.

Career

Syal won the National Student Drama Award for writing One of Us while studying English and Drama at Manchester University. She spent seven years working for the Royal Court Theatre and won the Betty Trask Award for her first book Anita and Me and the Media Personality of the Year award at the Commission for Racial Equality's annual Race in the Media awards in 2000. She was awarded the MBE in 1997. She wrote the screenplay for the 1993 film Bhaji on the Beach. In 2003, she was listed in The Observer as one of the fifty funniest acts in British comedy.

As a journalist she writes occasionally for The Guardian. She scored a number one record with Gareth Gates and her co-stars from The Kumars at No. 42 with "Spirit In The Sky", the Comic Relief single.

In June 2003 she appeared as a guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs programme with a selection of music by Nitin Sawhney, Madan Bala Sindhu, Joni Mitchell, Pizzicato Five, Sukhwinder Singh, Louis Armstrong and others. The luxury which she chose to ease her life as a castaway was a piano. [1]

In 2007 she will feature in the BBC One drama serial Jekyll, a modern version of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.^[1]

Personal life

Syal was appointed an MBE in the 1997 New Year's Honours List.

In 2004 she took part in the BBC series Who Do You Think You Are? which looked into the family histories of various well-known personalities. Syal was surprised to discover both her grandfathers had actively campaigned against British rule in India: one was a communist journalist and the other named a Punjab Martyr in the Golden Temple having been imprisoned and tortured after protesting.

In January 2005, Syal married her frequent collaborator, Sanjeev Bhaskar, who plays her grandson in The Kumars At No. 42; the marriage took place in Lichfield, Staffordshire. Their baby, a boy, was born at the Portland Hospital on 2 December 2005. She has a daughter, Chameli, from her first marriage to journalist Shekhar Bhatia, which ended in 2002.

Her next film which will be released in 2007, is called 'Hello London', which will star her husband and the New Zealand All Blacks.

Books

Films

Actor

Screenplays

Anita and Me
Bhaji on the Beach

Plays

One of Us
Bombay Dreams

Radio

Television

Appearances

Writing credits

Academic reception

The book Anita and Me has found its way onto school and university English syllabuses both in Britain and abroad. Scholarly literature includes:

Rocío G. Davis, "India in Britain: Myths of Childhood in Meera Syal's Anita and Me", in Fernando Galván & Mercedes Bengoechea (ed.), On Writing (and) Race in Contemporary Britain, Universidad de Alcalá 1999, 139-46.
Graeme Dunphy, "Meena's Mockingbird: From Harper Lee to Meera Syal", in Neophilologus 88, 2004, 637-59.

References

^ "An all-star cast to appear in BBC ONE's Jekyll". BBC Press Office. 2006-08-29. Retrieved 2006-08-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

Alison Donnell (editor), Companion to Contemporary Black British Culture, ISBN 0-415-16989-5

External links

Meera Syal at IMDb
British Council: Meera Syal hiya how you doing?

[1] "An all-star cast to appear in BBC ONE's Jekyll". BBC Press Office. 2006-08-29. Retrieved 2006-08-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

[1]

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 [[image:MeeraSyal.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Meera Syal]]
-'''Meera Syal''' [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]] (born Feroza Syal [[27 June]] [[1961]] in [[Essington]], near [[Wolverhampton]]) is a [[British Asian|British Indian]] [[comedian]], [[writer]], [[playwright]], [[singer]], [[journalist]] and [[actor|actress]]. She was born in [[Wolverhampton]] and grew up in [[Essington]], a mining village a few miles to the north, where her father ran a corner shop. She attended [[Queen Mary's High School]] in nearby [[Walsall]], and is perhaps the school's most famous alumna. Her [[Punjab region|Punjab]]i-born parents came to Britain from [[New Delhi]], and she has risen to prominence as one of the most UK's best-known Indian personalities.HELLO TANISHA,KIRAN N JYOTI KIDDAH TEEK TAAK?!????????
+'''Meera Syal''' [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]] (born Feroza Syal [[27 June]] [[1961]] in [[Essington]], near [[Wolverhampton]]) is a [[British Asian|British Indian]] [[comedian]], [[writer]], [[playwright]], [[singer]], [[journalist]] and [[actor|actress]]. She was born in [[Wolverhampton]] and grew up in [[Essington]], a mining village a few miles to the north, where her father ran a corner shop. She attended [[Queen Mary's High School]] in nearby [[Walsall]], and is perhaps the school's most famous alumna. Her [[Punjab region|Punjab]]i-born parents came to Britain from [[New Delhi]], and she has risen to prominence as one of the most UK's best-known Indian personalities.
 == Career ==
 Syal won the [[National Student Drama Award]] for writing ''[[One of Us (play)|One of Us]]'' while studying English and Drama at [[Manchester University]]. She spent seven years working for the [[Royal Court Theatre]] and won the [[Betty Trask Award]] for her first [[book]] ''[[Anita and Me]]'' and the ''Media Personality of the Year'' award at the [[Commission for Racial Equality]]'s annual ''Race in the Media'' awards in [[2000]].  She was awarded the [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]] in [[1997]]. She wrote the screenplay for the 1993 film ''[[Bhaji on the Beach]]''. In [[2003]], she was listed in ''[[The Observer]]'' as one of the fifty funniest acts in British comedy.