Ayesha Dharker life and biography

Ayesha Dharker is the daughter of Imtiaz Dharker, a noted poet, artist and documentary film-maker, and Anil Dharker, a columnist and an ex-editor of Debonair. Her father is from India and her mother born in Lahore was brought up in Scotland.

Career

Dharker made her screen debut in the 1989 Francois Villier film, ‘Manika: Une vie plus tard. Dharker ‘subsequently went on to star in many American, French and Indian films. She has had many television roles in the UK, particularly in ‘Cutting It’ and ‘Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee’, in which she co-starred with Meera Syal.

Her most internationally recognized role was when she acted as Queen Jamillia, the Queen of Naboo, in ‘Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)’. Dharker starred in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Bombay Dreams, both in London's West End and on Broadway (2004). She also starred in The Mistress of Spices (2005).

In the international award-winning film ‘The Terrorist’ (1999), she played the lead character Malli, a role that earned her a nomination for the National Film Award for Best Actress in India and the Cairo Film Festival award for Best Artistic Contribution by an Actress.

She is currently a recurring cast member of the BBC Asian Network radio serial ‘Silver Street’, playing the role of "Ambika"; she has also appeared in the episode ‘Planet of the Ood’ of the long-running BBC sci-fi television series, Doctor Who as Solana Mercurio. In 2008 she played the role of Tara Mandal in the British soap opera Coronation Street.

Filmography:

Manika, une vie plus tard (1989)
City of Joy (1992)
Saaz (1997)
Split Wide Open (1999)
The Terrorist (Tamil: Theeviravaathi) (1999)
The Mystic Masseur (2000)
Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2001)
Anita and Me (2002)
The Mistress of Spices (2005)
Colour Me Kubrick: A True...ish Story (2005)
Outsourced (2006)
Loins of Punjab Presents (2007)
Red Alert (2010)

Television:

A Mouthful of Sky (1995)
Arabian Nights (2000)
Doctors (2001)
Cutting It (2002)
Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee (2003)
Doctors (2003)
Waking the Dead (2005)
Doctor Who (2004)
Coronation Street (2008-2009)
The Indian Doctor (2010)

Theater:

2009 'Arabian Nights' Shahrazad Dir: Dominic Cooke Royal Shakespeare Company
2010 'Disconnect' Vidya Dir: Indhu Rubasingham Royal Court
'Bombay Dreams' Rani (Original Cast) Dir: Stephen Pimlott Broadway Theatre (New York) Apollo Theatre (West End, London)
'The Ramayana' Sita Dir: Indhu Rubasingham Royal National Theatre Birmingham Rep
'Dr. Faustus' Mephastophilis Dir: David Fielding Bristol old Vic

Read more