Sanjeev BhaskarOBE (born 31 October 1963) is a British actor, comedian and television presenter. He is best known for his work in the BBC Radio 4 and BBC Two sketch comedy series Goodness Gracious Me and as the star of the sitcomThe Kumars at No. 42. He also presented and starred in a documentary series called India with Sanjeev Bhaskar, in which he travelled to India and visited his ancestral home in today's Pakistan. Bhaskar's more dramatic acting roles include the lead role of Dr Prem Sharma in The Indian Doctor and a main role as DI Sunny Khan in Unforgotten. Bhaskar became chancellor of the University of Sussex in 2009. In 2006, Bhaskar was appointed an OBE.
Early life and education
Sanjeev Bhaskar was born on 31 October 1963. His parents, Inderjit and Janak Bhaskar, came to the UK after the partition of India. His elder sister was born five years before him, and the family lived above their launderette[1] His parents worked hard, and Sanjeev started working part-time when he was 14.[2] in Heston, Hounslow, Middlesex.[3] He was raised in Hinduism.[4]
He earned a degree in marketing from Hatfield Polytechnic before landing a job as a marketing executive at IBM.[5]
Career
Bhaskar soon realised that he preferred comedy to marketing and joined forces with an old college friend, Nitin Sawhney, to start a musical comedy double act called The Secret Asians,[6] which they first performed in 1996 at the now-defunct Tom Allen Arts Centre in East London. This performance was featured on a BBC magazine show called Reportage.[citation needed] They also performed extensively at the Watermans Arts Centre with numerous other acts at a regular Asian comedy night called One Nation Under a Groove...Innit.[citation needed] Their real break came when they were performing a show at the Ovalhouse in South London where, after a strong review in Time Out magazine by journalist and playwright Bonnie Greer, they were approached by Anil Gupta, the producer of what was to become the BBC sketch series Goodness Gracious Me.[2]
In 1994 or 1995 Bhaskar had his first paid job as a performer with Tara Arts, a theatre company in south London.[2]
Bhaskar has starred in a number of British-produced films, including The Guru, Notting Hill (very briefly), and Anita and Me. He also had a cameo as a shop owner in Yash Raj Films' production Jhoom Barabar Jhoom. He had a major role in the 2019 film, Yesterday, in which he and his wife, Meera Syal, played a married couple.
As part of the BBC's series of programmes on the 60th anniversary of the independence of India and Pakistan, he filmed a BBC documentary series India with Sanjeev Bhaskar with director Deep Sehgal, which was broadcast in August 2007.[7] According to the BBC it included "an emotional journey" to his father's ancestral home, now in Pakistan. His first book, India with Sanjeev Bhaskar, based on the documentary series, became a Sunday Times bestseller in 2007. He also featured in a Channel 4 documentary series called The House That Made Me. This show, produced by Nutopia in 2010, recreated his childhood home and introduced him to the characters of his youth.
He wrote and starred in the ITV sitcom Mumbai Calling[8] and the UK tour of the hit American improv show Totally Looped.[9]
On 23 February 2009 he was appointed chancellor of the University of Sussex, and he was formally installed at the university's summer graduation ceremony on 22 July 2009.[15]
In April 2015 he was given the Outstanding Achievement in Television award at The Asian Awards.[16]
On 26 July 2019 Bhaskar was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Sussex in recognition of his ten years as chancellor.[citation needed]
In February 2009 Bhaskar and other entertainers wrote an open letter to The Times protesting against the trial of leaders of the Baháʼí Faith then being held in Iran.[19] He is a Liverpool Football Club supporter.[20]
