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Ayesha Dharker
Photo of Ms. Dharker by
L. Mangue (Palm Springs International Film Festival Gala Opening - Premiere of
Outsourced)
Ayesha Dharker was born in 1977
in Bombay, India to author/columnist Anil (Hindu Muslim) and Imtiaz (Pakistani). Her
mother, raised in Scotland since she was one, and father, engineering lecturer,
met in Scotland in the 70's. Dharker was raised in Scotland and is
considered a Scot.
Dharker participated in a
number of plays throughout her school years and never showed a hint of stage
fright. Dharker's parents were quite supportive from the time she was much
younger. Dharker was just nine when she started to act and had a natural
affinity for the craft.
It is said that Samuel L.
Jackson, after seeing Ayesha in The Terrorist, recommended her to George Lucas
for a part in Ep II (Robin Gurland, stopped by to visit Jackson in New York
after trying to see Ayesha in a show and missed her. Jackson happened to
have a tape of her in The Terrorist and Gurland borrowed it for viewing)
Dharker says that she loves to
eat everything, much easier for the show Bombay Dreams because she danced about
six hours a day during the run of the musical. Dharker says that she is
not the best dieter but manages to exercise enough to strike a balance between
the love of food and a fit physique.
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- Film
- Lions of Punjab.~2007 -
- The Contest~2006 -
- Outsourced~2006 - Asha
- Mistress of Spices~2006 - Hameeda
- Colour Me Kubrick~2005 - Dr. Stukeley (see Actor
Connections - Film)
- Hideous Man~2002 -
- Anita and Me~2002 - Mrs. Kumar
- Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones~2002 -
Queen Jamillia
- Mystic Masseur, The~2001 - Leela
- Split Wide Open~1999 - Leela
- Terrorist, The~1999 - Malli
- Saaz~1997 - Kuhu Vrundavan
- City of Joy~1992 - Amrita Pal
- Manika, une vie plus tard~1989 - Manika Kallatil
- India Belongs to Me~ -
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- TV
- Waking the Dead~2005 - Mary Sharman in Subterraneans (#5.3) 10/2/05
- Life Isn't all Ha Ha Hee Hee~2005 - Chila
- Spotlights & Saris: Making Bombay Dreams~2002 (uncredited) -
Herself
- Doctors~2000 playing Mina Patel in Assumptions (# 9.53) 11/12/03
- Cutting It~2002 - Sunni Khadir (# 2.7) 6/17/03
- Cutting It~2002 - Sunni Khadir (# 2.6) 6/10/03
- Doctors~2000 - Meena Chauhan in Rock-a-Bye-Baby (#4.9) 9/13/01
- Omnibus~1967 - Herself in Spotlights & Saris: Making
Bombay Dreams 6/18/02
- Arabian Nights~2000 - Coral Lips
- Mouthful of Sky, A~1995 - Shivani (series regular)
- House Across the Street~ - Mala
- Mysteries of the Dark Jungle~1990
- Manika, une vie plus tard<Manika, The Girl Who Lived
Twice>~1989 - Manika Kallatil
- Mumbai Mail~ - Anchor
- Zameen Asman~ - lead
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- Theatre
- Doctor Faustus~2006 - Mephistophilis (Old Vic, London,
UK)
- Goddess~2006 - reader (Rubin Museum of Art, New York, NY)
- Bombay Dreams~2004 - Rani (New York)
- Bombay Dreams~2002 - Rani (Apollo Victoria Theatre,
London, UK)
- Ramayana, The~ - Sita (Birmingham Repertory Theatre, RNT)
- Final Solutions~1994/95? -
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- Audio Books
- Brick Lane~2004 - Narrator
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- Radio
- Tiaan~2007 - Amerjit (BBC 4)
- A Suitable Boy~2002 - Lata (BBC 4)
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- Awards, Honors, and Nominations
- Cairo Film Festival award
- Rec'd 2000 Best Artistic Contribution by an Actress for
The Terrorist
- Indian National Film awards:
- Nom 2000 Best Actress for The Terrorist
- Outer Critics Circle Awards
- Nom 2004 Best Actress in a Musical
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- Miscellany
- In 2002 - #173 On the Sunday Express's list of most
beautiful women ahead of Madonna and Natalie Portman.
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