celebforum - Shobna Gulati

Shobna Gulati (born 7 September 1966) is an English actress, writer and dancer of Indian origin, best known for playing Anita in Victoria Wood's dinnerladies, and Sunita Alahan in the long-running soap opera Coronation Street from 2001 to 2006, a role she returned to at end of 2009. She is also known for being one of very few actors to have appeared in both Coronation Street and its rival series EastEnders for the BBC (in 2000).

Early life and career
Gulati was born in Oldham, Lancashire. In the late 1990s, Gulati received rave reviews for her work in Victoria Wood's BBC sitcom dinnerladies; in 2001, she appeared in the short film Shadowscan, directed by Tinge Krishnan, which won a BAFTA Award; and in 2004 Gulati was nominated for a Manchester Evening News Theatre Award for her work in the play Dancing within walls, which was staged at the Contact Theatre in Manchester.

Gulati has also appeared on the TV quiz shows Call My Bluff, Have I Got News for You, The Weakest Link and as Diana Ross in Celebrity Stars in Their Eyes. In early 2006, Gulati took part in the Reality TV series Soapstar Superstar.

After she left Coronation Street in 2006, Gulati played a recurring role in the final series of Where the Heart Is and made appearances in New Street Law and the one-off comedy drama Magnolia which was written by Dave Spikey for the BBC's Comedy Playhouse series.

In October 2006, Gulati appeared at the Royal Albert Hall as part of a short comedy sketch featured in The Secret Policeman's Ball. In the sketch, Gulati and co-star Nitin Ganatra play a holidaying couple who are under the mistaken belief Guantanamo Bay is a holiday resort. The sketch also starred American actors Chevy Chase and Seth Green.

Gulati has recently been seen as one of many storytellers in the CBBC revival of Jackanory and in the UK tour of the hit play Girls Night by Louise Roche. She also appeared on the special Empire's Children.

In summer 2007, she appeared in Pretend You Have Big Buildings at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.

In 2008 Gulati made her debut as a film maker, producing the short film Akshay for the motiroti's 60x60 Secs.

On June 11 2009 she appeared in the BBC1 programme Celebrity MasterChef. In 2010 she will take the leading role in Sanny C: The Movie.

Personal life
Gulati was married to architect Anshu Srivastava in a Hindu ceremony on November 10, 1990 but divorced him in May 1994. She was four months pregnant with her son Akshay at the time. At the time she did not reveal the identity of her son's father, but subsequently it was revealed that he was a man of Barbadian heritage. From 1999 to 2003 she was going out with ex-Emmerdale actor Gary Turner. She has a degree in Arabic and Middle-Eastern politics, speaks six languages and is a vocal supporter of Asian women's rights and various anti-racism campaigns. She is also doing work on female body image issues.