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Pooja Ashwin Shah (born 8 August 1979 in London, England) is a British actress, filmmaker and
model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...
of Kenyan-Indian descent. She is known for her role as Kareena Ferreira in the popular UK
soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...
. Shah works with her husband directing and writing short films and has won three film awards for them.


Early life and career

Pooja Shah's grandparents migrated to
Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...
from
Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
in
Western India Western India is a loosely defined region of India consisting of its western part. The Ministry of Home Affairs in its Western Zonal Council Administrative division includes the states of Goa, Gujarat, and Maharashtra along with the Union te ...
. Shah trained as an Indian classical dancer. She attended the
University of Brighton The University of Brighton is a public university based on four campuses in Brighton and Eastbourne on the south coast of England. Its roots can be traced back to 1858 when the Brighton School of Art was opened in the Royal Pavilion. It achieve ...
, graduating in 2001 with a BA Hons
Degree Degree may refer to: As a unit of measurement * Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement ** Degree of geographical latitude ** Degree of geographical longitude * Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathematics ...
in Theatre with Visual Practice. Shah began her acting career in the theatre and went on to play the lead role of
Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cru ...
in a small budget film named ''Jesus the Curry King''. The film was produced by the Aylesbury Film Company and was one of the first digital films to be shown in
cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ...
s in the UK. In 2002 Shah played Meena in the film ''
Bend It Like Beckham ''Bend It Like Beckham'' (also known as ''Kick It Like Beckham'') is a 2002 sports comedy-drama film directed by Gurinder Chadha from a screenplay by Chadha, Paul Mayeda Berges, and Guljit Bindra. The film stars Parminder Nagra, Keira Knight ...
''. Later that year she played one of the lead roles, Sinjata Kapoor, in the
Sky One Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non-terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...
series ''
Is Harry On The Boat? ''Is Harry on the Boat?'' Is a 2001 British made-for-TV film, based on the lives of holiday reps in Ibiza. A television drama series then followed, airing on Sky One from 2002 to 2003. Background It is based on the book of the same name by Co ...
'' based on the best selling book by Colin Butts and the 2001 film. The story is about holiday reps in
Ibiza Ibiza (natively and officially in ca, Eivissa, ) is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, in Spain. Its l ...
and was filmed in Almunecar in
Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...
,
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
. The series was positively reviewed by The Guardian, which said that the "cast and crew threw every last drop of talent and energy into the production, making this one of the liveliest bits of youth-oriented drama this year … a sex-crazed hybrid of Baywatch and Boogie Nights." Other credits include roles in the BBC hospital drama ''
Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama ''Casualty'', and pr ...
'' (2002), and the American series '' Adventure Inc.'' (2003). In 2003 Shah was cast in her most notable role to date. She played
Kareena Ferreira The Ferreira family are a fictional family from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', that appeared on screen between 2003 and 2005. Created by Tony Jordan and introduced by Louise Berridge as a new Asian family, producers hoped they would become ...
in the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
''
EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...
''. The Ferreira family were not well received by critics or viewers and were dismissed as unrealistic by the Asian community in the UK. In 2004 the new executive producer,
Kathleen Hutchison Kathleen Hutchison is a British television producer, whose credits include ''Playing the Field'', ''Holby City'' (of which she was the Series Producer, then Executive Producer for many years) and ''Casualty @ Holby City''. ''EastEnders'' On 21 Se ...
, made the decision to axe the entire family in a bid to improve the show, which had suffered from a vast ratings decline. Shah subsequently left the show in 2005. After leaving ''EastEnders'' Shah has appeared in a short film entitled ''CryBaby'', was a celebrity sponsor on the show ''
Strictly Dance Fever ''Strictly Dance Fever'' is a British television programme, broadcast on BBC One on Saturday evenings. It was an amateur dance talent competition, hosted by Graham Norton, which ran during Spring 2005 and Spring 2006. It had 2 extra shows, The S ...
'' and in September 2005 she acted in a feature film called ''Weekend Lovers''. Shah played the lead role, Sona Virdi, in the play ''Deranged Marriage'', which toured the UK in 2005. In 2006, she took on a lead role in the Britflick ''
Cash and Curry "Cash and Curry" is the third episode of series 1 of the BBC sit-com ''Only Fools and Horses''. It was first screened on 22 September 1981. In the episode, Del Boy sees a chance to profit from a dispute between two Indian businessmen. Synopsis ...
'', which was released in 2008. The film also stars
Ameet Chana Ameet Chana (born 12 September 1975 in Epsom, Surrey, England) is a British-Indian actor. His most notable role is Adi Ferreira in '' EastEnders''. In May 2006 he took over presenting the Breakdown Show (Bhangra Music) on BBC Asian Network ( ...
, the actor who played her on-screen brother
Adi Ferreira The Ferreira family are a fictional family from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', that appeared on screen between 2003 and 2005. Created by Tony Jordan and introduced by Louise Berridge as a new Asian family, producers hoped they would become ...
in ''EastEnders''. In 2007 she played the role of Reshna Dewan in the
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
police drama ''
The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...
''. Shah was a supporting actress in the 2009 and 2010 BBC drama ''
Missing Missing or The Missing may refer to: Film * ''Missing'' (1918 film), an American silent drama directed by James Young * ''Missing'' (1982 film), an American historical drama directed by Costa-Gavras * ''Missing'' (2007 film) (''Vermist''), a Bel ...
'' with lead,
Pauline Quirke Pauline Perpetua Sheen ( Quirke; born 8 July 1959) is an English actress who has played Sharon Theodopolopodous in the long-running comedy series '' Birds of a Feather'' (1988–1999, 2014–2017). For this role, she won the 1990 British Comed ...
, and starred alongside Brendan Carr in the Modern Life? feature film ''
Ten Dead Men ''Ten Dead Men'' is a 2008 thriller film directed by Ross Boyask, produced by Phil Hobden, and starring Brendan Carr, Terry Stone, Doug Bradley, Pooja Shah, Ben Shockley, Lee Latchford-Evans, JC Mac, and Tom Gerald. It is the follow-up to the c ...
'' produced by
Phil Hobden Phil Hobden (born 14 August 1976 in Lewes, England) is a filmmaker and writer based in the South of England. He is also notable as a screenwriter, film producer, journalist and media campaigner. Hobden is the co-founder of Independent production com ...
and directed by Ross Boyask. In 2010, Shah filmed eight episodes of ''
Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Origi ...
'', playing DC Moore, a police officer investigating an attack on
Tracy Barlow Tracy Lynette McDonald (also Barlow, Preston, Cropper and Langton) is a fictional character and a main antagonist from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. She was born on-screen during the episode broadcast on 24 January 1977. ...
. The first episode aired on 3 January 2011. Shah won a Best Actress award in 2010 at the
Rob Knox Robert Arthur Knox (21 August 1989 – 24 May 2008) was an English actor who portrayed the character of Marcus Belby in the film ''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'', and had signed to appear in the film '' Harry Potter and the Deathly Ha ...
Film Festival, for her role as Rajinda, a lesbian Indian girl about to tell her parents she is gay, just as they tell her of her arranged marriage to a man who is on his way to meet her. In 2015, Shah appeared in Challenge idents for
Wink Bingo Wink Bingo is an online bingo website launched in 2008. It is part of 888 Holdings, and is based and licensed in Gibraltar. History Wink Bingo launched in 2008 and under chief executive Eitan Boyd it grew to 60,000 active players within two ye ...
and more recently has featured in
Class Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...
(a ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'' spin-off) in 2016 and made another appearance in ''Doctors'' in 2017. She filmed In The Long Run (produced and starring Iris Elba) in 2019. Clients that she has undertaken corporate work for include
Deloitte Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (), commonly referred to as Deloitte, is an international professional services network headquartered in London, England. Deloitte is the largest professional services network by revenue and number of profession ...
,
Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
,
Network Rail Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's leng ...
,
Asda Asda Stores Ltd. () (often styled as ASDA) is a British supermarket chain. It is headquartered in Leeds, England. The company was founded in 1949 when the Asquith family merged their retail business with the Associated Dairies company of York ...
, Transport for London,
Lloyds Bank Lloyds Bank plc is a British retail and commercial bank with branches across England and Wales. It has traditionally been considered one of the " Big Four" clearing banks. Lloyds Bank is the largest retail bank in Britain, and has an exte ...
and
Royal Mail , kw, Postya Riel, ga, An Post Ríoga , logo = Royal Mail.svg , logo_size = 250px , type = Public limited company , traded_as = , foundation = , founder = Henry VIII , location = London, England, UK , key_people = * Keith Williams ...
.


Personal life

She married Will Middleton in 2014. He is a director of photography.Will Middleton
www.willcam.co.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2019. They have two children.


References


External links

*
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shah, Pooja Living people 1979 births English soap opera actresses Alumni of the University of Brighton English Hindus English people of Gujarati descent English people of Kenyan descent British actresses of Indian descent