Scotsman.com News - Features - 'I don't want to be a Jill of all trades'

Meera Syal... I don't want to be a Jill of all Trades

Excellent article from The Scotsman on Meera Syal, one of the women behind Bombay Dreams, the author of Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee, and one of the high-rising Asian women creating a inclusive multicultural Britain.

Excerpts from the article:

In the 1990s she [Syal] turned to screenplays (Bhaji on the Beach) and novels, although the sharp analysis of the immigrant experience in her books was arguably overshadowed by the runaway success of Goodness Gracious Me. Now, though, there is another novel germinating at the back of her mind, another series of the Kumars in the pipeline and meaty acting roles in Bad Girls and The Bill coming up.


She is a household name, thanks to the hit TV comedies Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars at No 42, but her best gags involve her disguising her undeniable good looks to appear absurd, even grotesque. "I have shied away from the more glamorous parts," she says. "If you are worrying about how good you look, you aren’t doing your job properly."

But there is still a glass ceiling. Where is our Bill Cosby, our Whoopi Goldberg, the person who can carry a series?" Has she personally made a difference? She shrugs. "If I have, it’s just by being around. The previous generations opened all the doors."

posted by sajit @ 11:21 AM