Sneh Gupta

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sneh Gupta
Born
Sneh Lata Gupta

(1957-05-12) 12 May 1957 (age 64)
Nairobi, Kenya
Occupation
  • School executive director
  • Actress
  • producer
Years active1977–present

Sneh Gupta (born May 12, 1957) is the Executive Director of Sucheta Kriplani Shiksha Niketan (SKSN), a residential school for students with physical challenges. She is known for her work on the television shows Sale of the Century and Angels, as well as her role as Princess Sushila in the film The Far Pavilions.[1] She also founded a production company.[1]

Early life[]

Gupta was born in Kenya on 12 May 1957,[2] as one of five children to Indian parents. Her father was a teacher and she would attend whichever school he taught at.[3]

She initially travelled as a child in order to follow her father's teaching career.[1] However, not wishing to get engaged and wanting her own independence, she left home aged 17 and spent a year studying in Germany before coming to England.[3]

Acting and modelling[]

Whilst living in Bedford after moving to the United Kingdom in 1974, Gupta initially studied to become a nurse.[4] Saying that she did so "for a laugh", she decided to audition for Miss Anglia TV, only to end up winning, gaining public notice in 1977.[5][4] This in turn led to her becoming a hostess on ITV gameshow Sale of the Century alongside Nicholas Parsons for a year until 1978, after which she opened a fashion boutique called "Plumage" in Bedford[4] Gupta then tried a modelling career but dropped it, realising she couldn't keep it in parallel with an acting career. Debuting in Angels,[6] Gupta proceeded to make appearances in Turtle's Progress,[7] Lingalongamax,[7] Crossroads,[8] Doctor Who (1984's Resurrection of the Daleks),[9] Kim,[2] Tandoori Nights.[10] and Octopussy.[11]

In 1981 she starred in An Arranged Marriage, an ITV drama about a Sikh who moves to the Midlands in the 1950s, and the arranged marriages for himself and for his daughter. The storyline was based on information from interviews with more than 250 Sikhs.[12] Her character in The Far Pavillions engages in suttee, a scene described by Roy West in The Liverpool Echo as "one of the dramatic highlights of this spectacular series."[2][13] She was a guest on Blankety Blank in 1987.[14] Gupta presented the series Switch On To English, a quiz show for people who spoke English as a second language, in 1986,[15] and Bol Chaal, a Hindi and Urdu language-learning programme, in 1989.[11] In 1991, she co-hosted the magazine programme One World with Mike Shaft.[11]

In 1987, Gupta cut her hair short as part of an attempt to avoid typecasting as a young, reserved woman, but was not offered the wider range of roles that she hoped for.[16] She also formed her own production company. [17]

Production work[]

Gupta moved to India in 1996 after living in England. In India, she has worked on documentaries as a researcher, location manager, assistant producer, and director for a variety of broadcasters.[18]

Executive Director of SKSN[]

Gupta is the executive director of Sucheta Kriplani Shiksha Niketan (SKSN), a school for students with physical challenges[18] and went on to start the Indian Mixed Ability Group Events (IMAGE) programme in 2004,[19] leading to the founding of the Indiability Foundation in 2011.

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Donnell, Alison (2002). Companion to Contemporary Black British Culture. Routledge. p. 132. ISBN 9780415262002.
  2. ^ a b c "Sneh Gupta". British Film Institute. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  3. ^ a b Gifford, Zerbanoo (2002). The Golden Thread: Asian Experiences of Post-Raj Britain. Pandora Press. p. 201. ISBN 9780044406051.
  4. ^ a b c "Feathers will fly". Daily Mirror. 23 September 1978. p. 13.
  5. ^ One World – MikeSHAFT.com
  6. ^ Pratt, Mike (10 December 1979). "Swinger for the Angels". Daily Mirror. p. 19.
  7. ^ a b Smyllie, Patricia (14 May 1979). "Double Vision". Daily Mirror. p. 19.
  8. ^ Pratt, Mike (16 May 1982). "By public demand". Sunday Mirror. p. 19.
  9. ^ Cook, Benjamin (February 2021). "Starship Troopers". Doctor Who Magazine (560): 20–22.
  10. ^ "Channel 4". Sandwell Evening Mail. 16 October 1987. p. 18.
  11. ^ a b c "Change of direction". Reading Evening Post. 7 October 1989. p. 13.
  12. ^ "Wedded to tradition?". Daily Mirror. 1 December 1981. p. 19.
  13. ^ West, Roy (3 January 1984). "The Raj and the motel princess". Liverpool Echo. pp. 6–7.
  14. ^ "Television". Liverpool Echo. 30 January 1987. p. 28.
  15. ^ "Sunday: BBC1". Sandwell Evening Mail. 31 May 1986. p. 18.
  16. ^ Roy, Amit (7 May 1989). "Eastern promise wasted - Asian actresses". The Sunday Times.
  17. ^ Wavell, Stewart (24 September 1989). "Turning up the voice of Asia - People". The Sunday Times.
  18. ^ a b Executive Director - SKSN
  19. ^ Sneh Gupta | sportanddev.org

External links[]

Retrieved from ""