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Shivaani Ghai (born 25 April 1975) is an English actress.


Early life

Ghai is of Indian origin and was born in Newcastle upon Tyne. She grew up in Gosforth and attended Gosforth High School. Later, she went to university, where she gained a BA in film and television studies.


Career

Ghai began her acting career in theatre in London, working for companies such as Man Mela, Rifco and Kali. She moved on to television with minor parts in shows such as '' Doctors'', '' Spooks'' and '' The Bill''. In 2003, she was cast as the guest lead in an American adventure series ''
Adventure Inc. ''Adventure Inc.'' is a dramatised adventure television series produced primarily in Canada which aired from 30 September 2002 to 12 May 2003. It was a co-production of Fireworks Entertainment (Canada), Tribune Entertainment (United States), M6 ...
'' alongside Michael Biehn. Later the same year Gurinder Chadha picked Ghai out at a script reading and cast her as the bride and best friend of
Ashwarya Rai Aishwarya Rai Bachchan ( Rai; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress who is primarily known for her work in Hindi and Tamil films. The winner of the Miss World 1994 pageant, she has established herself as one of the most popular celebrit ...
in '' Bride and Prejudice''. After this, Ghai appeared in BBC shows such as '' My Hero'' and '' Sinchronicity'', short films, theatre and commercials. In 2006, she was cast as Sarita Dhavi in Rai Uno's '' Un medico in famiglia'', the popular Italian television programme, when an Indian family was added to the show. She played Sarita Dahvi, which was originally to be cast to an Italian actress of Indian descent, but one could not be found. Ghai could not speak Italian but learnt some scenes for her audition. She became part of the first Indian family on Italian television. After this, Ghai travelled to Tunisia to work on the HBO/BBC co-production '' House of Saddam'', where she played Saddam Hussein's middle daughter
Rana Rana may refer to: Astronomy * Rana (crater), a crater on Mars * Delta Eridani or Rana, a star People, groups and titles * Rana (name), a given name and surname (including a list of people and characters with the name) * Rana (title), a histor ...
. The miniseries aired in September 2008. In 2009, Ghai filmed a guest lead as Jamilla Sagar, in a series called ''Identity'', starring Aidan Gillen and Keeley Hawes. She filmed a five-part drama called '' Five Days II'' (sequel to Bafta and Golden globe nominated ''Five Days''). She played Nusrat Preston, a character described as being "at the heart of the serial". She was also noted in the press for standing out amongst an ensemble cast that included Suranne Jones, Anne Reid, David Morrissey, Bernard Hill, and
Steve Evets Steve Evets (born Steven Murphy; 26 July 1959) is an English actor and musician, who found fame in the leading role in the 2009 film ''Looking for Eric''. Personal life Born in Salford, Lancashire, Evets joined the Merchant Navy after leaving ...
. She played the part of Rena in the film '' Cleanskin'', which starred Sean Bean and
Charlotte Rampling Tessa Charlotte Rampling (born 5 February 1946) is an English actress, known for her work in European arthouse films in English, French, and Italian. An icon of the Swinging Sixties, she began her career as a model. She was cast in the role ...
. The film was released in 2012. In 2012, Ghai appeared in ''
EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...
'' playing Ayesha Rana, a friend of Zainab Masood. She first appeared on 17 December 2012. She departed from the show on 1 March 2013. In 2013, she appeared in '' Ambassadors'' as Natalia, the head of public relations. She also played the role of Batya in the History Channel's '' The Bible''. She was part of the main cast of the apocalyptic series '' Dominion''. In 2016, Shivani Ghai appeared in ABC's '' The Catch'' as Felicity. In 2019, she appeared in Strike Back: Revolution as a very wealthy Hindu entrepreneur and one of the main villains of the series. In 2021, she landed a recurring role on
Batwoman Batwoman is a name used by several characters of DC Comics, both in mainstream continuity and Elseworlds. The best known Batwomen are Batwoman (Kathy Kane), Kathy Kane and Kate Kane. History * The first Batwoman (Kathy Kane), Batwoman, Kathy Ka ...
as the villain Safiyah Sohail in Season Two.


Personal life

She was married to the late British Asian playwright
Parv Bancil Parv Bancil (7 February 1967 – 1 April 2017) was a British-Asian playwright and actor. Life and career Parveen Singh Bancil was born in Moshi, Tanzania, in 1967 into an Indian Sikh family, the son of Sohan Singh Bancil and Amrit (Arjan) Kaur ...
. In 2014, she met the South African actor Ty Keogh on the set of '' Dominion''. They married two years later.


Filmography


Film


Television


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ghai, Shivaani Living people 1975 births Actresses from Newcastle upon Tyne British actresses of Indian descent English expatriates in South Africa English people of Indian descent English soap opera actresses English television actresses People educated at Gosforth Academy