Shobna Gulati

Shobna Gulati

Birthdate
August 7, 1966 (58 years old)
Place of Birth
Oldham, Lancashire, England, UK
Known For
Acting

Details

Birthdate
August 7, 1966 (58 years old)
Place of Birth
Oldham, Lancashire, England, UK
Known For
Acting

Biography

Shobna Gulati (born 7 August 1966) is a British actress, writer, and dancer. Gulati is a soap star best known for playing Anita in Victoria Wood's dinnerladies, Sunita Alahan in the long-running soap opera Coronation Street from 2001 to 2006, a role to which she returned at the end of 2009 and departed again in 2013, and Farah Khurana in River City from 2017 to 2018. From 13 March 2013 to 30 May 2014, Gulati appeared as a panellist on the lunchtime chatshow Loose Women.

Gulati is also one of very few actors to have appeared on both Coronation Street and its rival series EastEnders in 2000.

Gulati was born in Oldham, Lancashire to parents of Hindu Indian descent. She has a degree in Arabic and Middle Eastern politics from the University of Manchester.

One of Gulati's earliest appearances was as a dancer in the video for Boy George's 1991 single "Bow Down Mister." In the late 1990s, she appeared in both series' of Victoria Wood's BBC sitcom Dinnerladies. She appeared as Ameena Badawi from October to December 2000, in EastEnders. She is one of few to have appeared in both EastEnders and Coronation Street. Gulati appeared as her main character, Sunita, in East Street, the crossover between both soaps in 2010, as part of Children in Need's telethon. 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, Russian Roulette and as Diana Ross in Celebrity Stars in Their Eyes. In early 2006, Gulati took part in the Reality TV series Soapstar Superstar.

After Gulati left Coronation Street initially in 2006, she played Nisha Clayton, 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 BBC's Comedy Playhouse series.

In October 2006, Gulati appeared at the Royal Albert Hall as part of a short skit 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.

Shobna Gulati's LGBTQ+ Titles

Everybody's Talking About Jamie
Everybody's Talking About Jamie
Ray
Everybody's Talking About Jamie
Everybody's Talking About Jamie
Ray

Acting (40)

2023
The Serial Killer's Wife as Kiran (4 episodes)
2023
Scandalous: Phone Hacking on Trial as Self
2022
My Name Is Leon as Salma
2022
Incompatible as Dr Banerjee
2021
Murder, They Hope as Vicky (4 episodes)
2021
Celebrity Best Home Cook as Self - Contestant (8 episodes)
2020
This Fortress Built By Nature
2019
Brassic as Gina (1 episode)
2018
On the Edge as Andi (1 episode)
2017
Richard Osman's House of Games as Self - Contestant (5 episodes)
2017
Finding Fatimah as Saba
2014
In the Club as Fiona (1 episode)
2014
Inside No. 9 as Posy (1 episode)
2011
Junkhearts as Beth
2008
Celebrity Juice as Self (1 episode)
2007
The Alan Titchmarsh Show as Self (1 episode)
2007
Saving Planet Earth UK as Herself - Presenter (1 episode)
2006
The Secret Policeman's Ball: The Ball in the Hall as Self
2006
Magnolia as Janice
2006
Celebrity Masterchef (1 episode)
2006
New Street Law (1 episode)
2006
Soapstar Superstar (19 episodes)
2005
Doctor Who as Najia Khan (4 episodes)
2004
Love on a Saturday Night (1 episode)
2003
Comedy Connections (1 episode)
2000
Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings as Herself
2000
Shadowscan as Satinda
1999
Loose Women as Self (1 episode)
1998
Dinnerladies as Anita (16 episodes)
1997
Midsomer Murders as Shaila Handsworth (1 episode)
1996
Hetty Wainthropp Investigates as Café Assistant (1 episode)
1994
What Do You Call an Indian Woman Who's Funny? as Self
1994
Ready Steady Cook as Self - Guest (1 episode)
1993
GMTV as Self (1 episode)
1990
Have I Got News for You as Self (1 episode)
1988
This Morning as Self (3 episodes)
1986
Casualty as Preethi Chhabra (1 episode)
1960
Coronation Street as Sunita Alahan / Sunita Parekh (947 episodes)