Thought you'd seen her before? Bodyguard star Anjli Mohindra's pulse-racing past - from sexy underwe

Publish date: 2024-01-25

FLITTING between the wide-eyes of a trembling terror victim and a the warped smirk of a jihadi mastermind, Nadiya was one of the most memorable characters to be tied up in the plot of BBC's smash hit Bodyguard.

Over 10 million of us watched in horror at the weekend as the bomb-maker revealed her role at the heart of the drama - but British actress Anjli Mohindra almost turned down the role she so expertly brought to life.

Terrified of being pigeonholed because of her skin colour, 28-year-old Anjli, from Edgware in London, came close to saying no when she was asked to play evil Nadiya.

That's despite having played a hijab-wearing terrorist before, in a controversial comedy sketch called The Real Housewives of Isis.

Otherwise, British Indian Anjli has been desperate to avoid letting her background define her acting career - and she revealed this week that she even used to list her ethnicity as white when applying for roles.

But now the rising star has made it to the big time, she won't have any regrets about the varied, and sometimes pulse-racing, parts which got her here.

From Dr Who to The Inbetweeners

Anjli's acting skills were clear from an early age, and she was accepted into the Television Workshop acting academy in Nottingham when she was just 12.

Her first TV role came when she was just 15, playing Shareen in two episodes of Coronation street, before starring in Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures, where she played schoolgirl sidekick Rani Chandra.

She appeared in four series of the CBBC show until she was 21, also appearing in Law and Order, Holby City, and Casualty as she tried to make a name for herself.

Then, a decade before she appeared in over 10 million British living rooms as a deadly-serious Bodyguard star, Anjli even appeared briefly in smutty teen comedy The Inbetweeners.

In one 2008 episode, Anjli takes on the background role of "Charlotte's Friend" - a hot girl at a house party who Simon spends half an episode lusting after.

"She's amazing," Joe Thomas' character says, practically drooling on the carpet. "Her eyes are beautiful."

"She's fit and she's the year above," replies Jay, played by James Buckley. "She'll never go for you."

When Simon finally walks over to try it on with her, Anjli's character utters her only line of the episode: "Go away," and Simon slinks off home.

She also appeared in comedy Beaver Falls in 2011, including in one episode where her character, Saima, is seen posing in racy underwear as she tries to seduce an ex.

Other unusual roles in her back catalogue include a voice acting job for a character in the Japanese Dragon Quest videogame series - a gig which proves that her route to the top wasn't always straightforward.

She's appeared in a number of short films and miniseries as well, like Cucumber - Channel 4 drama about gay life in Manchester which aired in 2015.

It was here where she first starred alongside Vincent Franklin, who will now be best known for also appearing in Bodyguard, playing scheming politician Mike Travis.

Along the way, Anjli has also appeared in 2017 TV movie The Boy With The Topknot and the 2016 TV miniseries Paranoid, where she played a policewoman on the other side of the law to her hit Bodyguard character.

The lifelong fight not to be stereotyped

Anjli has been wary of being pigeonholed or stereotyped ever since she was a child.

She revealed this week in Stylist that she used to elbow her mum in Asda if she spoke Punjabi, just in case anyone she knew was listening.

And during a stint an Armed Forces School, on account of her father being a soldier, Anjli was the only ethnic minority child out of 2,000 kids.

"People recoiled at the smell of my Indian packed lunch," she writes. "I felt ugly. I started suffering from anxiety. And I wished I was white."

She started listing herself as white on acting databases, fearing that she'd only be typecast if she was honest about her background.

But now she says that her skin colour has become "a national talking point" because of her portrayal of Nadiya.

"This character felt real," she writes. "She wasn’t a plot device.

"The role wasn’t black or white (or even brown) - it was multi-layered and complex. Just like life."

Playing a 'Real Housewife of Isis'

However, Anjli almost declined the role in the year's biggest drama because she was concerned the character was a stereotype.

Anjli said she also had doubts about wearing a hijab for the character, which she said she "did not feel was completely necessary." Speaking to The Telegraph, she added: "The same message could have been made without it."

Thankfully, Anjli was won over by the depth of the role - and claimed that taking on the part of a bomb-making mastermind turned out to be "empowering".

But despite her protests, Anjli's memorable performance as twitching, terrified Nadiya - laden with explosives in a train toilet - isn't the first time she's played a terrorist... or worn a hijab for a part.

In 2017, the actress took a role in controversial comedy Revolting, where she appeared in a hijab and suicide vest for a sketch called "The Real Housewives of Isis".

And before that she played the role of Fahmida in My Jihad - donning a headdress in the 2014 BBC rom-com about a Muslim couple who fall in love after meeting at a speed dating night.

Switching sides in the war on crime

Anjli is no doubt pleased that she ultimately took on the role of Nadiya, as it has catapulted her into the mainstream in a way that her many previous appearances haven't quite managed.

Bodyguard had the highest launch figure for any new drama across all UK channels since 2006, and is widely thought of as being the BBC's best drama for years.

But as delighted as Anjli should be with her flawless performance, her next role - in ITV's crime drama Dark Heart - couldn't be much further from her latest character.

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She'll be playing Josie Chancellor, a head-strong detective closer to the part of Bodyguard hero David Budd.

And, from now on, it's hard to imagine that the gifted actress will spend much time away from the limelight.

As Anjli puts it: "It’s definitely time for the embarrassed lunchbox kid to stand up and embrace who she is - British and Indian, and proud."