Moshi, Tanzania
Moshi is a municipality and the capital of Kilimanjaro region in the north eastern Tanzania. As of 2017, the municipality has an estimated population of 201,150 and a population density of 3,409 persons per km2 . is a British film, television and stage actress and
playwright
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
of Indian descent, based in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
.
Career
Film and television
Khan is best known for her role as Mrs Bhamra in the 2002 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 ...
''. Other films in which she has performed include ''
Bhaji on the Beach
''Bhaji on the Beach'' is a 1993 British comedy-drama film directed by Gurinder Chadha (in her feature film directorial debut) and written by Meera Syal.
Plot
A community group of British women (mostly Punjabis of various faiths) of differe ...
'' (1993) and ''
It's a Wonderful Afterlife
''It's a Wonderful Afterlife'' is a 2010 British comedy film directed by Gurinder Chadha. The screenplay centres on an Indian mother whose obsession with marrying off her daughter leads her into the realm of serial murder. It was filmed primarily ...
'' (2010). On television, she has had a recurring role in ''
Casualty
Casualty may refer to:
*Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster
**Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare
* The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...
'' and a guest role in the ''
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 ...
'' episode ''
Demons of the Punjab
"Demons of the Punjab" is the sixth episode of the eleventh series of the British science fiction television programme '' Doctor Who''. It was written by Vinay Patel, directed by Jamie Childs, and first broadcast on BBC One on 11 November 2018.
...
''.
Theatre
As a playwright, Khan has written several performances for
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
with Sudha Bhuchar, the most successful of which was ''Girlies'' (1997). Also with Bhuchar, she wrote the stage play ''Balti Kings'', which debuted in 1999 and was produced by
Tamasha Theatre Company
Tamasha Theatre Company is a British theatre company founded in 1989 by director Kristine Landon-Smith and actor-writer Sudha Bhuchar. ''Tamasha'' ( mr, तमाशा) is an Indian word meaning "spectacle". The company has brought contemporary ...
. ''Balti Kings'' was also rewritten by both for its appearance in
Sydney, Australia
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and List of cities in Oceania by population, Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metro ...
, where it was renamed to ''The Curry Kings of Parrammatta''. Another production involving Tamasha and Bhuchar was ''A Tainted Dawn'', which covered sketches relaying real accounts of the 1947
Partition of India
The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...
and its impact on communities, which Khan starred in for two separate sketches. A co-written screenplay with Bhuchar, ''The House across the Street'', was created as a part of a new writer's initiative at the BBC and aired on
BBC4
BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002
. In 2015 she played Lady Macbeth in a contemporary Asian production of
Macbeth
''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...
produced by multicultural theatre production company
Tara Arts
Tara may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Tara'' (1992 film), an Indian film directed by Bijaya Jena
* ''Tara'' (2001 film), an American film, also known as ''Hood Rat'', directed by Leslie Small
* ''Tara'' (2010 film), a ...
.
Awards and honours
For her role in ''Bend It Like Beckham'', Khan earned a 2003 nomination for a Satellite Award for best Supporting Actress. As a British Indian, she has been recognized for her contributions to the arts with an Asian Women of Achievement Award.