Her parents moved to England from New Delhi before she was born; they
eloped in order to be together as one was Sikh and the other Hindu.
She was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2015 Queen's New Years Honours List for her services to Drama and Literature. She is an actress and author in London N6, England.
"Anita and Me", her debut novel which she adapted for the screen and had a role in was very much an autobiography of her own adolescence in the Midlands.
She was awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1997 Queen's New Years Honors List for her services to drama.
Was a guest at Prince Charles's wedding to Camilla Parker-Bowles in 2005.
Her novel "Anita and Me" is on the GCSE English syllabus of some secondary schools in the UK.
Grew up in a Punjabi family in the mining village of Essington in
England.
Attended Manchester University, where she read English and Drama. In
her final year there, she won the National Student Drama Award.
Daughter, Chameli, with journalist Chandra Shekhar Bhatia.