Meera Syal

Meera Syal

1961-06-27 Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England, UK 57 Credits

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Meera Syal MBE (born Feeroza Syal on 27 June 1961) is a British comedienne, writer, playwright, singer, journalist, producer and actress. She rose to prominence as one of the team that created Goodness Gracious Me and became one of the UK's best-known Indian personalities portraying Sanjeev's grandmother, Ummi, in The Kumars at No. 42. She was awarded the MBE in the New Year's Honours List of 1997 and in 2003 was listed in The Observer as one of the fifty...

Known For

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Complete Filmography

Tinsel Town

2025

Acting

Egotistical A-lister Bradley Mack is blindsided when his iconic action franchise is abruptly canceled. His career in freefall and worried his Hollywoo...

A Tupperware of Ashes

A Tupperware of Ashes

2025

as Queenie

Acting

An ambitious Michelin-Star chef, Queenie is used to having the last word. But when her children notice gaps in her memory and her grip on reality loos...

Absolutely Fabulous: Inside Out

Absolutely Fabulous: Inside Out

2024

as Self

Acting

A star-studded retrospective reunites the lead cast for the first time since 2016 to rampage down memory lane revealing how the show was made, pay tri...

The Canterville Ghost

The Canterville Ghost

2023

as Lucretia Otis (voice)

6.7
Acting

An American family moves in to the Canterville Chase, a London mansion that has been haunted by ghost Sir Simon De Canterville for 300 years.

The Smeds and the Smoos

The Smeds and the Smoos

2023

as Aunt Smed (voice)

6.8
Acting

In this animated intergalactic adventure, the red Smeds and the blue Smoos must learn to overcome their differences and work together to find young Ja...

The Almond and the Seahorse

The Almond and the Seahorse

2022

as Dr. Falmer

4.8
Acting

For Gwen, it's always 1999. The face in the mirror is unfamiliar and her partner isn't recognizable to her despite waking up together every day. Joe's...

Spin

Spin

2021

as Asha

6.9
Acting

Rhea lives with her tight-knit multigenerational family. After her mother’s death, she has been her father’s emotional rock, and her life revolves aro...

Dragon Rider

Dragon Rider

2020

as Subisha Gulab (voice)

7.1
Acting

An unlikely trio of heroes – a dragon, a boy and a forest brownie – embark on an epic adventure to find the “Rim of Heaven” - the mythological safe ha...

Yesterday

Yesterday

2019

as Sheila Malik

6.7
Acting

A struggling musician realizes he's the only person on Earth who can remember The Beatles after waking up in an alternate reality where the group was ...

Nativity Rocks!

Nativity Rocks!

2018

as Nina

3.6
Acting

The staff and students at St. Bernadette's Primary School audition for a coveted place in a spectacular rock musical competition.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

2018

as Cook

6.1
Acting

When Clara’s mother leaves her a mysterious gift, she embarks on a journey to four secret realms—where she discovers her greatest strength could chang...

Patrick

Patrick

2018

as Miss Phillips

6.7
Acting

A woman's chaotic life becomes more complicated when she inherits her grandmother's dog.

To Provide All People

2018

as District Nurse

6.0
Acting

To mark the 70th anniversary of the birth of the NHS, acclaimed poet Owen Sheers takes us on a journey that weaves the extraordinary story of the birt...

The Homestay

The Homestay

2018

as Meera

5.5
Acting

A sheltered Indian couple visits their son in the U.S. for the first time and bungles their apartment rental, ending up in close quarters with their h...

Paddington 2

Paddington 2

2017

as Prosecutor

7.5
Acting

Paddington, now happily settled with the Browns, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy, but it is stolen.

Brexit Shorts: Just a T-shirt

Brexit Shorts: Just a T-shirt

2017

as Priri

10.0
Acting

Priti, a British-born Indian woman in the West Midlands, reports a violent incident in the street.

Brexit Shorts: Just a T-shirt

Brexit Shorts: Just a T-shirt

2017

Writer

10.0
Writing

Priti, a British-born Indian woman in the West Midlands, reports a violent incident in the street.

Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange

2016

as Dr. Patel

7.4
Acting

After his career is destroyed, a brilliant but arrogant surgeon gets a new lease on life when a sorcerer takes him under her wing and trains him to de...

A Midsummer Night's Dream - Live at Shakespeare's Globe

A Midsummer Night's Dream - Live at Shakespeare's Globe

2016

as Presenter

10.0
Acting

A recording of the final night of Emma Rice's transgressive and flamboyant production of Shakespeare's comedy at the Globe in London. Four runaway lov...

Branagh Theatre Live: Romeo and Juliet

Branagh Theatre Live: Romeo and Juliet

2016

as Nurse

8.0
Acting

Live theatre presentation of Shakespeare's classic play about two teenagers from warring families whose love affair ends in tragedy.

Alice Through the Looking Glass

Alice Through the Looking Glass

2016

as Nobody (voice)

6.6
Acting

Alice Kingsleigh returns to Underland and faces a new adventure in saving the Mad Hatter.

Better Than the Original: The Joy of the Cover Version

Better Than the Original: The Joy of the Cover Version

2015

as Narrator

Acting

Through ten carefully chosen cover versions that whisk us from the British Invasion to a noughties X Factor final, this film journeys over five decade...

Amar Akbar & Tony

Amar Akbar & Tony

2015

as Honey

6.0
Acting

Amar, Akbar & Tony follows the lives and loves of three childhood friends through twists and turns as the characters face sudden and unforeseen ch...

Absolutely Anything

Absolutely Anything

2015

as Fiona

5.9
Acting

Eccentric aliens give a man the power to do anything he wants to determine if Earth is worth saving.

National Theatre Live: Behind the Beautiful Forevers

National Theatre Live: Behind the Beautiful Forevers

2015

as Zehrunisa Husain

Acting

India is surging with global ambition. But beyond the luxury hotels surrounding Mumbai airport lies a makeshift slum, full of people with plans of the...

The Boy in the Dress

The Boy in the Dress

2014

as Jaspreet

6.4
Acting

Dennis feels different - an ordinary boy in an ordinary house in an ordinary street, playing football with his mates and living with his dad and broth...

Much Ado About Nothing

Much Ado About Nothing

2012

as Beatrice

Acting

Iqbal Khan's vibrant and colourful production transposed Shakespeare's vivacious and sometimes unsettling comedy of love and deceit to an Indian setti...

All in Good Time

All in Good Time

2012

as Lopa

6.6
Acting

East Is East writer Ayub Khan-Din returns with another funny, tender-hearted portrait of family strife. Based on his popular play Rafta, Rafta (itself...

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger

2010

as Dia's Mother

5.9
Acting

Two married couples find only trouble and heartache as their complicated lives unfold. After 40 years of marriage, Alfie leaves his wife to pursue wha...

Desert Flower

Desert Flower

2009

as Pushpa Patel

7.5
Acting

The autobiography of a Somalian nomad who was sold in marriage at 13, fled from Africa a while later to become finally an American supermodel and is n...

Mad Sad & Bad

Mad Sad & Bad

2009

as Rashmi

4.9
Acting

HARDEEP, RASHMI and ATUL are brothers and sisters. Which means they can say anything they like to each other, no matter how honest. Mad, Sad and Bad i...

Jhoom Barabar Jhoom

Jhoom Barabar Jhoom

2007

as Satvinder’s mother

3.9
Acting

London, an overcrowded cafe, one table to share. Two strangers tell each other “how I met my fiancé” stories to kill time. Rikki met his fiance Anaida...

Scoop

Scoop

2006

as Joe's Co-Passenger

6.6
Acting

An American journalism student in London scoops a big story, and begins an affair with an aristocrat as the incident unfurls.

The Children's Party at the Palace

The Children's Party at the Palace

2006

as Mary (The BFG)

1.8
Acting

To celebrate her 80th birthday, the Queen is holding a children's party in the grounds of Buckingham Palace. She has invited many classic characters f...

The Secretary Who Stole £4 Million

2005

as Joyti De-Laurey

Acting

The true story of Joyti De-Laurey, a wife and mother whose job as a secretary at investment bankers Goldman Sachs eventually led her to spend millions...

Anita and Me

Anita and Me

2002

as Auntie Shaila

5.9
Acting

Meena, a 12-year-old living in a mining village in the English Midlands in 1972, is the daughter of Indian parents who've come to England to give her ...

Anita and Me

Anita and Me

2002

Writer, Producer

5.9
Writing Producing

Meena, a 12-year-old living in a mining village in the English Midlands in 1972, is the daughter of Indian parents who've come to England to give her ...

Bitches & Beauty Queens: The Making of Miss India

2002

as Narrator

Acting

A British-made documentary about the highly competitive world of beauty pageants in India, culminating with the top prize: Miss India. Following the e...

Aladdin: The ITV Pantomime

Aladdin: The ITV Pantomime

2000

as High Priestess

9.0
Acting

A televised pantomime of Aladdin with characters played by well-known celebrities.

Forgive and Forget

Forgive and Forget

2000

as Judith Adams

5.5
Acting

David O'Neil, a plasterer and mature student Theo have been best mates for fourteen years and are practically inseparable. However, their friendship h...

Girls' Night

1998

as Carmen

6.8
Acting

Two British best friends and in-laws Dawn and Jackie work together at a factory. When Dawn is diagnosed with a brain tumor Jackie shares $100,000 she'...

A Night in with the Girls

A Night in with the Girls

1997

Acting

Traces the role of women in British television, from 1946 to 1997.

Crossing the Floor

Crossing the Floor

1996

as Reporter

6.7
Acting

Political satire closely mirroring real-life British politics of the time - a self-serving Conservative minister "crosses the floor" to join the oppos...

Beautiful Thing

Beautiful Thing

1996

as Miss Chauhan

7.3
Acting

Set during a long, hot summer on the Thamesmead Estate in Southeast London, where three teenagers edge towards adulthood.

It's Not Unusual

It's Not Unusual

1995

as Shushila

6.0
Acting

A taxi driver is driven to distraction by her love of Tom Jones.

A Nice Arrangement

A Nice Arrangement

1994

as Sita

6.0
Acting

Documents an Indian-English family's attempt to give their Briticized daughter a traditional Indian arranged marriage, with as much photography as pos...

O Mary This London

O Mary This London

1994

as Ranting woman

Acting

Three young Dubliners go to London in search of fun, fortune and, in the case of 17-year-old Mary Kelly, an abortion. Homeless and jobless, their adve...

Memsahib Rita

Memsahib Rita

1994

as Unumma

Acting

Using a blend of magic realism and realist drama, Memsahib Rita looks at the physical and emotional violence of racism. Shanti is haunted by both the ...

Bhaji on the Beach

Bhaji on the Beach

1993

Writer

5.4
Writing

A group of South Asian women try but cannot escape their problems on a day trip to a British beach resort.

Gummed Labels

1992

Acting

Comedy thriller deals with an arranged marriage.

My Sister-Wife

My Sister-Wife

1992

as Farah Khan

Acting

Farah is an independent young British woman who manages to reconcile her modern lifestyle with her Pakistani heritage. As a Muslim in love with a marr...

My Sister-Wife

My Sister-Wife

1992

Writer

Writing

Farah is an independent young British woman who manages to reconcile her modern lifestyle with her Pakistani heritage. As a Muslim in love with a marr...

Sammy and Rosie Get Laid

Sammy and Rosie Get Laid

1987

as Rani

5.8
Acting

Sammy and Rosie are an unconventional middle-class London married couple. They live in the midst of inner-city chaos, surround themselves with intelle...

Handsworth Songs

Handsworth Songs

1986

as Voice Over

5.5
Acting

The Black Audio Film Collective’s acclaimed essay film, 'Handsworth Songs', examines the 1985 race riots in Handsworth and London. Interweaving archiv...

Majdhar

Majdhar

1984

Acting

Cultural identity, women’s independence and the pressure to conform to British norms are the subjects of this bold and acute feature, which explores b...

Flavia de Luce

N/A

Acting

The adventures of 11-year-old Flavia de Luce, who is both an amateur detective and a master poisoner. When she discovers a dead body in her family’s d...

All About TWO

N/A

as Self - Panellist

Acting

Quiz and celebration of 50 years of the BBC's second channel, hosted by Dara O Briain. With Richard Osman supplying extra facts and figures, celebrity...