Corrie: Sunita's returns to the street

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Sunita Alahan's 'Coronation Street' return
14 May 2009

Sunita Alahan is returning to 'Coronation Street' The character, played by Shobna Gulati, originally left the show three years ago after finding out her husband Dev Alahan had fathered a string of children with different women before the couple had twins together.

A source at the soap said: "Talks have been going on for some time to finalise a deal acceptable to all those who are involved. Sunita was a great character, so to have her back is exciting."

Sunita will return to the show with a dramatic new look - including dying her hair from brunette to blonde - and is reportedly set to make life miserable for Dev (Jimmi Harkishin), who is already not having much luck with the ladies at present.

[pirtybirdy]

Great! I'm glad to have her back! Hope to see some kewl storylines! I have to say, I felt bad for Dev. I don't think he was in the wrong. I think he's better off without Tara anyway, I think she was too young for him. I doubt it would have worked out in the long run anyway.

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Shobna Gulati looks forward to returning to Coronation Street - except for one snag
Sep 20 2009
by Roz Laws,
Sunday Mercury

SOAP star Shobna Gulati is thrilled to be treading the cobbles of Coronation Street again – apart from one drawback. She admits she’s not looking forward to being the screen mother of five-year-old twins. She has single-handedly raised her own son to the age of 14, so it’s rather a case of ‘been there, done that’ – and she’d rather not go through it all again.

Shobna confesses: “I’m not thrilled at the prospect of having to be mum to those kids! I think that’s because mine is nearly grown-up now. The twins are five, so they’re at THAT age. You know what they say about not acting with children and animals! I’m not sure if they’ll appear with me straight away, or who they will get to play them. A set of triplets played them when they were babies, so maybe we’ll get them back.”

Shobna is returning to the Corrie role of Sunita Alahan, last seen walking out on husband Dev with their baby twins after finding out he had fathered several children with different women. She starts filming on the Street on October 5, just two days after finishing a tour of Dinnerladies in the Midlands.

“Corrie has the fastest turnaround in soap so I’ll be on screen only about three weeks later, certainly by the end of October. I haven’t seen the scripts yet, but I’m confident they will be great. The Corrie writers are fantastic. The whole company works in a very special way and I’m very excited to be part of that family again. Of course there are lots of new characters I don’t know, but most of the legends are still there.”

Shobna needs to decide whether or not to dye her hair, as she left the Street with dark hair but could return as a blonde. She explains: “I’m what I call a blonette now! My hair is naturally brown, but I used to dye it darker to fit as a British Asian on screen. Casting directors think all Asians have dark brown hair. At one stage I was a real Swedish blonde, with a short crop. But I’ve let it grow to my shoulders and more of my base colour has come through, so I’m a blonette.”

But first, before Corrie, comes Dinnerladies. The sitcom, written by Birmingham University graduate Victoria Wood, was Shobna’s big TV break back in 1998. It followed a group of workers in a factory canteen and starred Victoria as Bren and Andrew Dunn as Tony, alongside the fabulous cast of Celia Imrie, Thelma Barlow, Anne Reid, Duncan Preston, Maxine Peake and Julie Walters.

Now Shobna, along with Andrew Dunn, is reprising her role as dippy Anita in a stage version coming to Wolverhampton Grand Theatre. “Loony Anita is full-on, you either love her or you hate her. She’s ditsy and very good to play. I can be my alter ego on stage, as normally I’m so organised. I have to be as a single parent. I did my first panto at the Wolverhampton Grand in 2000. We were there from the middle of October for absolutely months, we were still saying Happy New Year at the end of February. It is the most beautiful theatre, though, what I call a proper theatre. It’s a great place to finish the tour. It’s been gruelling, with 21 weeks on the road. Performing in the show gives me a lift but you can’t exist properly living out of a suitcase. Spending that much time apart from my son Akshay has been really hard for both of us. Fortunately I have a really supportive family – it’s all down to my mum. Wherever I am in the country, as soon as the show finishes in the evening, I will get home to Oldham if I can, even if it means driving for five hours.”

And there’ll be no rest for Shobna when she finishes Dinnerladies in Wolverhampton on the Saturday, as she starts filming Corrie on Monday. “Oh well, work is work,” she says. “In our current times, it’s important to take it when you can. And I wouldn’t dream of ever saying no to Corrie. It’s hard work doing a soap, but at least I can take to my own bed every night.”

So what does Akshay make of it all? “He doesn’t say much, just grunts!” laughs Shobna. “They stop talking at 13, don’t they? I don’t think he’ll speak again until he’s 19.”

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Shobna Gulati aims to enjoy life on Coronation Street second time round
Dec 6 2009
Billy Sloan,
Sunday Mail

SOAP star Shobna Gulati didn't look back when she took her final stroll along the famous cobbles of Coronation Street in 2005. The actress, who played Sunita Alahan, stunned viewers when she quit the show. But there was method in Shobna's apparent madness. The single mum has revealed she walked away from Corrie to devote more time to her son, Akshay.

Shobna claims she was too busy being a mum to even watch the soap after she left. She has no regrets, however. "In 2005, Ashkay was nine years old and just about to move up to secondary school," said Shobna. "I'm a lone parent so I had to get used to home life a little more. It was time to do other things and be more anonymous. It was a tough decision. I lost sleep over it. But I think I made the choice well. I never thought 'What have I done?'"

Now, Shobna is set for a dramatic return to Coronation Street. As Sunita goes back to Weatherfield, sparks fly with her ex-husband, Dev, (Jimmi Harkishin) with whom she had twins, Asha and Aadi. He discovers she's become engaged to Matt and goes ballistic. After a series of rows, Sunita threatens to withdraw access to his kids. Shobna is determined to enjoy being part of the Corrie cast second time around. The actress, who shot to fame playing Anita in Victoria Wood's BBC sitcom dinnerladies in 2001, admits she wasn't prepared for TV stardom.

Shobna told me: "I hated being a TV star. I just wasn't ready for that level of attention. No matter how old you are - or how prepared you are in your career - you don't know what to expect when joining such a big show. It can take over your life. People began to treat me as Sunita. My son is now 15 but when I was in dinnerladies he was only three. All he's ever known is people coming up to me in the street and talking to me as my screen character. I'm not stupid ... I knew that could always happen. But there's got to be a time when it's not ever present."

In one encounter with a viewer Shobna was literally "shopped" by son Ashkay. "When I first appeared in dinnerladies I went shopping in Tesco and was wheeling Ashkay around in my trolley," recalled Shobna. "This lady started saying in a huge stage whisper, 'That's that girl on telly'. I was mortified. So I tried to hide in the freezer. I thought: 'If I can just move these frozen peas she won't see me'. But my son started shouting: 'Yes, yes, it's her'. He gave the game away."

In Coronation Street, Dev and Sunita's romance blossomed when he saved her from an arranged marriage in India. The couple wed and had twins but their relationship hit the rocks when he took in youngster Amber Kalira, daughter of an employee who was ill in hospital. When Sunita found out Dev had fathered the girl and also had several other children with different women she walked out. She went to live with her parents in nearby Swinton before later moving into a house Dev bought for her and the twins.

"On screen, whenever Dev said he was off to see Sunita, that's where she was, said Shobna, laughing. "They split because she stopped trusting him when he failed to tell her he'd impregnated virtually every shop girl in Weatherfield, Manchester and beyond. There's no doubt Sunita was the love of his life. When they got married he said: 'This is my first everything'. It took Dev a long time to fall in love but he fell for her."

In Shobna's latest Corrie storyline, Sunita and Dev clash when he's jealous of her engagement to Matt. He even asks girlfriend Bernie to move in with him just to get back at her. "What freaks Dev out is that there's a tall, good-looking man who has his kids in the back of his car," said Shobna. "He is very annoyed she hasn't said she's got this fiance - it all comes a bit too fast for him. He's very territorial." Shobna added: "It's double standards, isn't it? Who's Dev been out with since Sunita has not been there? He's even slept with a mother and her daughter. Now, Sunita is a lot tougher that she's had to stand up for herself. Even so, Dev has a certain way where he presses the button and knows it will make her jump."

Shobna visited Glasgow and Edinburgh with the touring production of dinnerladies. She also guested in The Secret Policeman's Ball, in a comedy sketch opposite US actor Chevy Chase, at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Shobna would like to do more theatre if she can fit it into her hectic Corrie schedule. "I like stage acting a lot. It's a very different satisfaction. It's much more immediate," she said. "Within a split second of delivering your lines you know if an audience is behind you or hate you. That's a real adrenalin rush."

In 2006, Shobna also surprised fans - and herself - when she appeared in Celebrity Stars In Their Eyes as Diana Ross. "It was quite scary. Why did I choose Diana? She was easier to take off than Barbra Streisand," said Shobna. "I sang Upside Down and it was a big thrill. But it was daunting walking through those smoke-filled doors. I couldn't see a thing. I was terrified I'd go tumbling into the front row. I hadn't even washed my hair, so I was proper minging before I went on. Singing is just something I normally do in the shower."

Shobna has also filmed an as yet untitled movie due to be screened at the Berlin Film Festival in 2010. "I play a married woman who has an affair with a gigolo, so I had to take my kit off," she said. "I've never done anything with my clothes off before and it was my first ever love scenes. I had to shake hands with the male actor on the day and just go for it. I was praying he didn't squeeze my boobs too tightly."

[SpursFan1902]

I look forward to this....I am not too fond of Dev and I hope she gives him what for!

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Shobna Gulati talks about her shocking insecurities
10/12/2009
mirror.co.uk

From her sultry pose in the skimpiest of shorts and a plunging top, you would never suspect that Shobna Gulati is worried about her looks. But the actress, who returns to Coronation Street tonight as Sunita Alahan after a four-year break, is so insecure that it leads her to shocking extremes - including depriving herself of water.

In an exclusive interview with the Mirror, Shobna, 43, confesses: "I hide it. I come across as confident or a bit silly or a bit giggly, but nobody knows how I am inside. Sometimes I won't drink anything. Last week I only drank two litres of water during the whole week because I was in a mood with myself. I know it's not good for me because that's how much you're supposed to drink in a day. But all it takes is for me to make a mistake, to do something badly or make the wrong choice and I want to punish myself. It can be anything - just everyday stresses, work and family."

In the past when she's been upset, Shobna hasn't eaten properly. She says: "Now sometimes I find I stop drinking. I suppose it's a form of control. If my life feels out of control, I can control what I drink. It's like a vicious circle. I do it because I'm not feeling good about myself but then not drinking makes me feel worse... miserable. Basically I do it because I know it's bad for me. It's a form of self-harm, I suppose."

Over summer, Shobna appeared at the Edinburgh Festival in Body Gossip. A frank examination of weight and women's relationships with their bodies, it prompted her to examine her own issues. She admits: "I'm completely insecure about my body and always have been. I'll often wear big baggy clothes to hide myself. I think a lot of women have issues with their bodies. Is it to do with weight? I'm not sure eating disorders are to do with wanting to be lighter. I think in my case it is to do with not wanting to be who I am. So I control my eating or what I wear or drink. If your life is coming at you in all directions, and you can't grasp it, then there are only certain areas you can grasp for yourself - and that's what food or liquid you put into your body."

Two years ago Shobna's weight plummeted by two stone (down to a worrying 6st 7lbs on her 5ft7in frame) following a painful split from a boyfriend. "I was really upset and I couldn't eat," she says. "It felt like all the break-ups I'd ever had were happening at the same time. I went for counselling and I loved it - it made me examine myself. I would go back again if I needed it. Did I have anorexia? I don't know; I don't like that label. But my eating was all over the place. And still I have to make myself eat sometimes if I get upset. Sometimes I have to make a conscious effort to make myself have a cup of tea or a glass of water."

She adds with a shrug: "You make your choices. I'm completely body insecure, but nobody made me like this. I have lots of stuff in boxes from my past, which I've never opened and that kind of sums up my life. So this year I decided to get some of it out and examine it."

At least Shobna appears to be winning her inner battles. She didn't seem to be lacking in confidence when she joined Corrie co-stars Helen Flanagan and Michelle Keegan on a karaoke night in Manchester on Tuesday. And she looks amazing in photoshoots. She says: "I did a similar photo shoot last year and it was uncomfortable, but I felt free afterwards so it was really liberating. So I am getting a bit more confident."

Shobna grew up in Oldham, Lancs, where she still lives. She worked hard at school, is fluent in six languages and has a degree in Arabic and Middle Eastern politics. But after university her life began to unravel. She got married at 23, but it ended after a year - Shobna found herself homeless, sleeping in her car in London. Five years later she became a mum and has raised son Akshay, now 15, single-handedly ever since while working to support them both. That work involved her 1997 TV debut in Dinnerladies and more recently she has starred in Where The Heart Is, taken part in BBC1's Celebrity Masterchef and made her debut as a film maker with Akshay.

But it is as Corrie's shopgirl Sunita that she is best known. Shobna joined the soap in 2001 but quit after five years to spend more time with her son. Her character was seen fleeing Weatherfield with her and Dev's twin babies after discovering her husband had several love children. She returns tonight when Dev sees a business acquaintance at the golf club playing with his twins. He storms round to confront Sunita, only to discover that the man is actually her fiance.

Street fans can expect plenty of fireworks ahead as Dev can't help but interfere in Sunita's new relationship. "I'm glad to be back, it's good and it's exciting," smiles Shobna. "But this time I'm determined to make different choices and not take on too much outside the show." And she's determined to look after herself. "I've been like this all my life, but it's only now that I've decided to talk about it - because it's part of the process of getting better," she says. I suppose I am a bit weird, but lots of people are - most just don't admit it!"

Coronation Street is on ITV1 tonight at 8.30pm.

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She has six languages and a degree in Middle East politics? That's impressive! Hopefully she'll be able to put those aspects to better use in future.

[pirtybirdy]

Wow, that is impressive! I also love the way she has her hair colored and styled. I wonder what languages she speaks? It's interesting that she ended up in this line of work. I'm glad she's back.

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Shobna Gulati poses as a topless Katy Perry in steamy photo shoot
By Jody Thompson
31st October 2010

She's known for playing the long-suffering wife of corner shop owner Dev on Coronation Street - but Shobna Gulati has left her tabard behind for her latest sizzling photo shoot. Shobna - known to millions of viewers as Sunita Alahan - was given a make-over to look like Katy Perry when she posed topless for men's magazine Esquire. And the 44-year-old actress more than gives the 26-year-old singer a run for her money when it comes to fab figures.

Shobna poses like the I Kissed A Girl singer in little more than a black satin girdle and strappy patent sandals in the new issue of Now magazine. However, despite her stunning looks, Shobna says she still lacks Katy's body confidence. She tells Now: 'I think we've got a lot to learn from American women. They're just happy in their skin. Maybe if I looked all glammed up like Katy Perry, I'd be happy.'

Shobna added that an ex-boyfriend had made her feel uncomfortable with baring her flesh. She revealed: 'I have to say, some men are very unkind to women. I had an ex-partner who said that my body was damaged because I'd had a baby. Or he'd point at my tummy and go: "I can see your gut."' and I said: 'Oh can you? I think you should leave my house.' 'If 10 is the happiest I've ever been about my body, then I think that would've been when I was a baby. Now it's less than five.'

Shobna first appeared as Sunita in Corrie in 2001. She left in 2006 after her character discovered her husband Dev had carried out multiple affairs behind her back. However, her character returned to the soap and got back together with Dev ealier this year.

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wowowewa!

[Colston]

Lucky old Dev....

[SpursFan1902]

Wow...she is brave!

[SpursFan1902]

Sunita the stalker! What a great corner she has painted herself into. Why do chicks do that? She started the whole affair saying it was only for fun, nothing serious, just want to have a good time, ect., and now here she is leaving her family for a guy who was just in it for fun. She changed all of the rules, didn't say anything and now can't figure out why he is mad and doesn't want her. I will never understand my own gender....never!

[pirtybirdy]

Well said Spurs. It's like she has gone crazy. She always seemed reasonable to me. I'm actually feeling sorry for Dev, and I hate that!!! LOL! LOL!!

[Twirley]

I can't believe she's actually risking her kids for it...and betraying her friendship with Stella, but I guess it makes good TV.

[SpursFan1902]

Nothing good will come of this. She is going to lose her family, friends and her job.....silly cow.

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