Amita Dhiri
British actress
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Personal life
Career
Dhiri has said that she was very shy when she was little and that this led her into acting.[3] Her first experience of acting came about when a friend of hers who was at film school had a friend who was doing a film for their degree, and asked Dhiri to be in it.[5]
Before going to drama school, Dhiri sang in a touring cabaret group for about 18 months, doing Tina Turner and Janet Jackson impressions[6][7]
Television
In 1996, she played the role of Djamila "Milly" Nassim in the acclaimed BBC Two drama series This Life, three years after leaving drama college.[4] Milly was a sensible legal high-flyer who had been in a relationship with Egg (played by Andrew Lincoln), since university.[8] One of her notable scenes was in the last episode, when her character punched her colleague Rachel in the jaw.[4]
She has subsequently had many other appearances on British television, including roles in Absolute Power, The Last Train, Dalziel and Pascoe, Holby City wherein she undertook the role of the raging former partner of General Surgical Consultant Daniel Clifford (played by Peter Wingfield), Silent Witness, Being April[9] and McCallum. In 2003, she had a recurring role as Rachel Crawchek in Judge John Deed.
In early 2007, she reunited with original cast members of This Life in a reunion special called This Life +10.[10] Then on 14 June 2007, Dhiri joined the long-running British police drama The Bill as DC Grace Dasari. In preparation for the role, she spent time with Kennington police in South London, and had a lesson in driving a police patrol car.[3] She remained in the show until its final episode, broadcast on 31 August 2010. In 2013, she played Mrs Rattigan in Sky TV's Talking to the Dead.[11]
She played Deputy Commissioner Vanita in Ragdoll in 2021, and Mrs Khanna in season 3 of Bridgerton in 2024.
Film
She appeared in the film 24 Hours in London, released in 2000.[12]
Credits
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Production company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Casualty | Julia Kaash | Episode: "Vital Signs" | BBC Television |
| 1996–97 | This Life | Milly Naseem | 32 episodes | BBC Television |
| 1998 | McCallum | Delia Vine | 2 episodes[7] | STV Productions |
| 1998 | The Last Train[4] | Jandra Nixon | 6 episodes | Granada Television |
| 1998 | Macbeth - Shakespeare Shorts | First Witch | BBC Television | |
| 1999 | Dalziel And Pascoe | Shaz Kendall | Episode: "A Sweeter Lazarus" | BBC Television |
| 2000 | The Law[6] | Helen Galloway | ITV | |
| 2002 | The Inspector Lynley Mysteries | Yumna Malik | Episode: "Deception on His Mind" | BBC Television |
| 2002 | Holby City | Jenny Stephens | Episode: "Time to Kill" | BBC Television |
| 2002 | Happiness | Neela | BBC Television | |
| 2002 | Grease Monkeys | Mina | BBC Television | |
| 2002 | Being April | Nikshita[13] | 6 episodes | BBC Television |
| 2002 | 2nd Generation | Rina | Channel 4 | |
| 2003–05 | Judge John Deed | Rachel Crawcheck | Episodes: "Judicial Review", "Conspiracy", "Economic Imperative" and "In Defence of Others" | BBC Television |
| 2004 | Silent Witness | Diana Baker | Episode: "Body 21" | BBC Television |
| 2006 | Holby City | Camilla | Two episodes: "The Bitterest Pill"; "It's Been a Long Day" | BBC Television |
| 2007 | This Life + 10 | Milly Naseem | BBC Television | |
| 2007–10 | The Bill | Grace Dasari | 95 episodes[14] | Talkback Thames |
| 2013 | Talking to the Dead | Mrs Rattigan | Sky TV | |
| 2021 | Ragdoll | Deputy Commissioner Vanita | AMC Networks | |
| 2024 | Bridgerton | Mrs Khanna | 2 episodes | Shondaland |
Stage
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | The Crucible | Elizabeth | Leicester Haymarket Theatre[5] |
| 2001 | Feelgood | Aasha | Hampstead/Garrick Theatre[15] |
| 2002 | After the Gods | Sandi | Hampstead Theatre[16] |
| 2005 | Whose Life Is It Anyway | Helen Hill | Comedy Theatre |
| 2012 | Pack | Nasreen | Finborough Theatre - Papatango Festival[17] |
Radio
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Indian Tales | Lead | Student film written and directed by Asif Kapadia, Oscar winning director of Amy (2015)[22] |
| 1998 | 24 Hours in London | Helen Lucas | |
| 2006 | Acts of God | DI Mansfield |
Voiceover
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | The Canterbury Tales/The Squire’s Tale | Canacee | Animated film |
| 2001 | Dream | Sarah | |
| 2002 | John Adams: A Portrait and a Concert of American Music | Narrator[23] |