Jai Sharma is a fictional character

Fictional character

A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...

 from the British ITV1

ITV1

ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...

 soap opera

Soap opera

A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...

 Emmerdale

Emmerdale

Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...

, played by Chris Bisson

Chris Bisson

Christopher Paul "Chris" Bisson is a British actor.-Career:Born in Wythenshawe, Manchester, Chris Bisson first appeared on television as J.J. in Children's Ward in 1990...

. He made his first on-screen appearance on 11 September 2009.

Character creation and casting

On 21 July 2009, entertainment website Digital Spy

Digital Spy

Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....

reported that Emmerdale would be introducing "a new trio of entrepreneurial siblings", Jai, Nikhil and Priya Sharma as part of the soap's ongoing reinvention. Former Coronation Street

Coronation Street

Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...

actor Chris Bisson

Chris Bisson

Christopher Paul "Chris" Bisson is a British actor.-Career:Born in Wythenshawe, Manchester, Chris Bisson first appeared on television as J.J. in Children's Ward in 1990...

 was cast as Jai Sharma, along with Rik Makarem

Rik Makarem

-Career:Born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, Makarem is currently known for playing cast regular Nikhil Sharma in Emmerdale. He has also starred in BBC's Torchwood- Children of Earth alongside John Barrowman and has featured in ITV period drama Foyle's War...

 and Effie Woods who were cast in the roles of Nikhil

Nikhil Sharma

Nikhil Sharma is a fictional character, from the British ITV1 soap opera Emmerdale, played by Rik Makarem. He made his first on-screen appearance on 11 September 2009.-Character creation and casting:...

 and Priya Sharma respectively. Of his casting Bisson commented: "Jai is a bit of a charmer and has an eye for the ladies but he's also a hard worker with a good business mind. I'm delighted to be joining Emmerdale at a time when the show is going from strength to strength. I can't wait to get started." The show's series producer Gavin Blyth said of the family: "The Sharmas are a young, contemporary family independent of their parents and will bring the factory into the heart of the village community. They will add real vitality to life in Emmerdale." Bisson began filming his scenes on 21 July.

Character Development

On July 21, 2009, it was announced that three new cast members had been added to make up the new Sharma family. Bisson said of his new role, "Jai is a bit of a charmer and has an eye for the ladies but he's also a hard worker with a good business mind." Emmerdale producer Gavin Blyth described the family as "a young, contemporary family independent of their parents and will bring the factory into the heart of the village community." In an interview on September 1, 2009, Bisson explained the Sharma backstory, that "Jai had left the family business and set up a chain of mobile phone shops, sold them at the top of the market, and now has a load of money... Jai will take chances, he's a bit of a maverick, he can talk people round, he can get the best out of people and that's irritating for Nikhil because he's not at all like his big brother."

Reception

Holy Soap describe Jai's most memorable moment as: "Informing brother Nikhil that he now owned the factory, rather than their father."