person

Shobna Gulati

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Gender

Female

Birthday

1966-08-07

Place of Birth

Oldham, Lancashire, England, UK

Shobna Gulati

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. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Also Known For

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53

The Secret Policeman's Ball: The Ball in the Hall

Oct 31, 2006

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NA

Shadowscan

Jan 01, 2000

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43

Finding Fatimah

Apr 21, 2017

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25

My Name Is Leon

Jun 10, 2022

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NA

This Fortress Built By Nature

Oct 01, 2020

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NA

What Do You Call an Indian Woman Who's Funny?

Dec 31, 1994

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NA

Incompatible

Apr 25, 2022

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NA

Scandalous: Phone Hacking on Trial

Jan 15, 2023

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65

Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings

Dec 25, 2000

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85

Everybody's Talking About Jamie

Jul 05, 2018

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46

Junkhearts

Nov 04, 2011

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62

Everybody's Talking About Jamie

Sep 10, 2021

poster

NA

Magnolia

Sep 22, 2006

poster

NA

A Tupperware of Ashes

Jul 08, 2025

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52

This Morning

Oct 03, 1988

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74

dinnerladies

Nov 12, 1998

poster

NA

Love on a Saturday Night

Feb 07, 2004

poster

20

Comedy Connections

Jun 09, 2003

poster

NA

Celebrity Best Home Cook

Jan 26, 2021

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NA

Soapstar Superstar

Jan 06, 2006

poster

65

Celebrity Juice

Sep 24, 2008

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73

Murder, They Hope

May 08, 2021

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66

New Street Law

May 04, 2006

poster

37

The Alan Titchmarsh Show

Sep 03, 2007

poster

58

Celebrity Masterchef

Sep 11, 2006

poster

56

GMTV

Jan 01, 1993

poster

63

In the Club

Aug 05, 2014

poster

61

Casualty

Sep 06, 1986

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85

Brassic

Aug 22, 2019

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61

The Serial Killer's Wife

Dec 15, 2023

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60

Richard Osman's House of Games

Sep 04, 2017

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75

Doctor Who

Mar 26, 2005

poster

50

On the Edge

Aug 14, 2018

poster

80

Inside No. 9

Feb 05, 2014

poster

NA

Saving Planet Earth UK

Jul 04, 2007

poster

75

Midsomer Murders

Mar 23, 1997

poster

NA

Ready Steady Cook

Oct 24, 1994

poster

32

Loose Women

Sep 06, 1999

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54

Coronation Street

Dec 09, 1960

poster

71

Have I Got News for You

Sep 28, 1990

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60

The Weakest Link

Dec 18, 2021

poster

74

Vera

May 01, 2011