Seeta Indrani
Encyclopedia
Seeta Indrani is an English
dancer and actress.
production of Cats
by Andrew Lloyd Webber
. She then undertook various pieces of stage work, including seasons at the Royal National Theatre
, , and the Royal Shakespeare Company
.
She then took the role for which she is presently most known, playing the role of WPC Norika Datta in the long running ITV
drama The Bill
, from 1989 to 1998. Indrani was voted Best Supporting Actress by the Asian Film Academy in 1995, and best actress in 1996. She will portray Afia Khan's maternal aunt Shameem in award-winning soap Eastenders
After leaving The Bill, she returned to the stage with roles in Cruel Garden with the Rambert Dance Company
, played Ariel to Alec McCowen
's Prospero in The Tempest
, and at the London Palladium
with her childhood heroine Cyd Charisse
. She was then invited on the first national tour in 40 years of Britain's oldest opera company, Carl Rosa Opera, playing Prince Orlovsky in Die Fledermaus
.
From October 2008 she has appeared in the role of Dr. Lily Hassan
in the BBC One
day time soap, Doctors.
She is currently starring in Alignment Project, a film directed by Ilana Rein.
, and short film Snapshots and full production The Good time Girls which both debuted at the Cannes Film Festival
.
Indrani also has her own dance company, Fuego Flamenco, which indulges her passion for the Spanish
dance, which she also teaches.
. Indrani's hobbies include ballet
, step dance
and yoga
, while she continues to study singing with Mary Hammond
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
dancer and actress.
Performance
After graduation as a dancer from the London Contemporary Dance School, she took the role of Cassandra in the original 1981 West EndWest End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
production of Cats
Cats (musical)
Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot...
by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
. She then undertook various pieces of stage work, including seasons at the Royal National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
, , and the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
.
She then took the role for which she is presently most known, playing the role of WPC Norika Datta in the long running ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
drama The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
, from 1989 to 1998. Indrani was voted Best Supporting Actress by the Asian Film Academy in 1995, and best actress in 1996. She will portray Afia Khan's maternal aunt Shameem in award-winning soap Eastenders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
After leaving The Bill, she returned to the stage with roles in Cruel Garden with the Rambert Dance Company
Rambert Dance Company
Rambert Dance Company, is a leading British dance company. Formed at the start of the 20th century as a classical ballet company, it would exert a great deal of influence on the development of dance in the United Kingdom, and today, as a contemporary dance company, it continues to be one of the...
, played Ariel to Alec McCowen
Alec McCowen
Alexander Duncan "Alec" McCowen CBE is an English actor. He is known for his work in numerous film and stage productions. He was awarded the CBE in the 1985 New Year's Honours List.-Personal:...
's Prospero in The Tempest
The Tempest
The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
, and at the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
with her childhood heroine Cyd Charisse
Cyd Charisse
Cyd Charisse was an American actress and dancer.After recovering from polio as a child, and studying ballet, Charisse entered films in the 1940s...
. She was then invited on the first national tour in 40 years of Britain's oldest opera company, Carl Rosa Opera, playing Prince Orlovsky in Die Fledermaus
Die Fledermaus
Die Fledermaus is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée.- Literary sources :...
.
From October 2008 she has appeared in the role of Dr. Lily Hassan
Dr. Lily Hassan
Dr. Lily Hassan is a fictional character in the soap opera Doctors. She is played by Seeta Indrani and made her first appearance on 28 October 2008. She made her final appearance on March 31, 2010.-Character:...
in the BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
day time soap, Doctors.
She is currently starring in Alignment Project, a film directed by Ilana Rein.
Production
Indrani is co-founder and co-owner of MashMosh Films with editor Chris Bishop. Created in 2004, its productions include Asians in Europe, a promo film for Asian Music Award winner DJ Swami funded by Sony Entertainment Television AsiaSony Entertainment Television Asia
For the version in India, see Sony Entertainment Television .Not to be confused with Sony Entertainment Television , the SET version in Indonesia, Hong Kong and Fiji....
, and short film Snapshots and full production The Good time Girls which both debuted at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
.
Indrani also has her own dance company, Fuego Flamenco, which indulges her passion for the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
dance, which she also teaches.
Personal life
She was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Indrani's hobbies include ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
, step dance
Step dance
Step dance is the generic term for dance styles where the footwork is the most important part of the dance. Body and arm movements and styling are either restricted or considered irrelevant.Step dance is one end of a spectrum of dance styles...
and yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
, while she continues to study singing with Mary Hammond
Mary Hammond
Mary Hammond is an English singer, actress, voice coach and Head of Musical Theatre at the Royal Academy of Music.Having trained in both voice and piano at the Royal Academy of Music, Hammond has been teaching and performing in the field of musical theatre for over twenty five years.In 1994,...
.