Balinder Johal is an

Indo-Canadian Indian Canadians are Canadians who have ancestry from India. The terms ''Indo-Canadian'' or ''East Indian'' are sometimes used to avoid confusion with the Indigenous peoples in Canada, Indigenous Peoples of Canada. Categorically, Indian Cana ...

actress."Monster-in-law, India style; Vancouver's Balinder Johal finds a well of astonishing villainy as a controlling matriarch in Deepa Mehta's Heaven on Earth". ''

Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published s ...

'', October 31, 2008. She is best known for her roles in the films of

Deepa Mehta Deepa Mehta, (; born 1 January 1950) is an Indian-born Canadian film director and screenwriter, best known for her Elements Trilogy, Fire (1996 film), ''Fire'' (1996), ''Earth (1998 film), Earth'' (1998), and ''Water (2005 film), Water'' (2005 ...

, including '' Heaven on Earth'', for which she was a

Leo Award The Leo Awards are the awards program for the British Columbia film and television industry. Held each May or June in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the Leo Awards were founded by the Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Foundation of British C ...

nominee for Best Supporting Actress in 2009, and ''

Beeba Boys ''Beeba Boys'' is a 2015 Canadian crime thriller film written and directed by Deepa Mehta. It stars Randeep Hooda as Jeet Johar, a loving single father, a dutiful son, a proud, observant Sikh and a ruthless gangster managing a team of stylish, ...

'', for which she garnered a

Canadian Screen Award The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media (web series) p ...

nomination as Best Supporting Actress at the

4th Canadian Screen Awards Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

in 2016. Originally from

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

, Johal was educated in India before moving to Canada to pursue a master's degree in education at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

. As a stage actress, her most noted performances included ''Here and Now'', a

forum theatre Forum theatre is a type of theatre created by Brazilian theatre director Augusto Boal. It is one of the techniques under the umbrella term of Theatre of the Oppressed (TO). This relates to the engagement of spectators influencing and engaging with ...

play about urban gang violence in Vancouver, and

Anosh Irani Anosh Irani (born 1974) is an Indo-Canadian novelist and playwright, born and raised in Mumbai. Education From 1998, Irani attended the University of British Columbia and received his bachelor's degree in creative writing in 2002. He has ...

's play ''My Granny the Goldfish''."Gaggle of giggles keeps new comedy afloat". ''

'', April 23, 2010. She has also performed in guest appearances in the television series ''

The Chris Isaak Show ''The Chris Isaak Show'' is an American television sitcom that follows a fictionalized version of the life of American rock musician Chris Isaak. The show portrays Isaak and his band members as everyday people with everyday problems. The series wa ...

'', ''

Da Vinci's Inquest ''Da Vinci's Inquest'' is a Canadian dramatic television series which originally aired on CBC Television from 1998 to 2005. While never a ratings blockbuster, the critically acclaimed show did attract a loyal following, and ultimately seven seaso ...

'', '' 49th & Main'', ''

Aliens in America ''Aliens in America'' is an American teen sitcom created by David Guarascio and Moses Port that aired on The CW for one season from October 1, 2007, to May 18, 2008. Guarascio and Port also served as executive producers of the show alongside Tim ...

'', ''

Psych ''Psych'' is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks for USA Network. The series stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observ ...

'', ''

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar Gough ...

'' and ''

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...

'', and minor roles in the films ''

Freddy Got Fingered ''Freddy Got Fingered'' is a 2001 American surreal absurdist screwball black comedy film directed by Tom Green in his feature film directorial debut and written by Green and Derek Harvie. Green stars in the film as a childish slacker who wishes ...

'', ''

Josie and the Pussycats Josie and the Pussycats (sometimes simply known as The Pussycats) are a fictional girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense i ...

'', ''

No Men Beyond This Point ''No Men Beyond This Point'' is a 2015 Canadian comedy film directed by Mark Sawers. It was shown in the Vanguard section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival and acquired for distribution by Samuel Goldwyn Films (worldwide rights ex ...

'' and ''

Donkeyhead ''Donkeyhead'' is a 2021 Canadian comedy-drama film written and directed by Agam Darshi in her directorial debut. The plot follows Mona, a woman tasked with taking care of her father with the help of her three siblings after he is diagnosed wi ...

''.

References

External links

* Canadian film actresses Canadian television actresses Canadian stage actresses Indian film actresses Indian television actresses Indian stage actresses Indian emigrants to Canada Actresses from Punjab, India Actresses from Vancouver University of British Columbia alumni Living people 20th-century Canadian actresses 21st-century Canadian actresses Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) {{Canada-actor-stub