Sunita Parekh Alahan to return

[sean slater]

Do you think that Sunita will get back with Dev eventually? i dont see how it would work with her living away from Weatherfield with another man. And I cant see him wanting to move nearer to Dev.

[Dazzle]

I think they're bound to get together eventually. I don't see any other reason for her coming back into it.

[PILKY]

Do you think that Sunita will get back with Dev eventually? i dont see how it would work with her living away from Weatherfield with another man. And I cant see him wanting to move nearer to Dev.

i can see them getting back togather

[Perdita]

Coronation Street star Shobna Gulati has admitted that she hates it when people tell her she looks thinner in real life.

The actress, who plays Sunita Alahan in the ITV1 soap, said that her 'pet hate' is when fans judge her appearance and compare it to her on-screen persona.

She told The Mirror: "I was eating lunch when somebody came up and said to me, 'You look really thin, you look really fat on television'. That's one of my pet hates. Every day if I step out of my front door somebody, somewhere, tells me if I'm looking thin or fat or tired or I look better in real life than on the telly.

"My favourite is I look fat on telly or I'm better looking in real life. You can now work out why I'm completely barmy! I don't think people realise there is so much pressure. I only ever wanted to be an actor. I did not want to be a celebrity."

The soap star added that she has tried a new dermal filler procedure to maintain youthful skin.

"I think it has made me look much fresher and in the days of other stuff I thought it would be more natural," she said.

Gulati has admitted in the past that she doesn't like her body.

She recently went on a charity trip to Africa, which she described as "tough".

DS

[layla]

Why have Corrie brought back Sunita. Then basically not used her character that much. I think Shobna is a good actress unlike Dev who over acts.
Its all seems to be about Becky, Tracy, and Kylie these days. got to be boring. Need to bring in some of the other people.

[Perdita]

Coronation Street's Sunita Alahan will soon make the shock decision to quit her job at the Corner Shop, a report has claimed.

Sunita, played by Shobna Gulati, decides to bow out from the business after she grows frustrated over husband Dev (Jimmi Harkishin) taking her for granted, according to the Daily Star.

It is thought that things soon look up for Sunita when she lands a new job pulling pints at the Rovers Return.

Sources say that the build-up to Sunita's big change begins when Dev starts dishing out special treatment to his rebellious daughter Amber (Nikki Patel), buying her a car for her birthday and letting her have the day off.

However, a furious Sunita apparently tells Dev: "I'm not taking any more of this. I'm fed up of being treated like a slave while Amber gets away with murder, so you can take this job and shove it because I'm out of here."

When the Rovers Return's bar manager Stella Price (Michelle Collins) learns of the developments, it is believed that she decides Sunita would be an asset to the team and snaps her up.

Coronation Street is expected to air Sunita's new storyline in the New Year.

[alan45]

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[alan45]

SHE'S one of Coronation Street’s most popular characters – but how similar is corner-shop queen Sunita Alahan to the actress who plays her, the gorgeous Shobna Gulati? ‘I love playing Sunita, because she’s quite a funny woman, but savvy with it – and a lot has happened to her over the years,’ says 45-year-old Shobna – and she’s not kidding! Sunita has run away from an arranged marriage, been falsely imprisoned, diagnosed with a brain tumour and held hostage!

Right now she’s dealing with her troublesome stepdaughter Amber’s unexpected romantic dalliances, and husband Dev’s determination to make their young son a golfing supremo! Away from the cameras, Shobna – who also starred in Victoria Wood’s BBC1 sitcom dinnerladies – insists she’s quite a shy girl and not one to step out in the limelight, unless accompanied by her very close friend, celebrity make-up artist Armand Beasley, whose singular magic makes her feel super-confident. ‘What is so great about working on Shobna’s face is that she is up for anything!’ says 39-year-old Armand.
So when we invited Shobna for a lunch date at one of her favourite Manchester restaurants, the acclaimed Australasia, Armand came too – and we think you’ll agree, with or without his help, the lady looks absolutely stunning! Over some amazing Antipodean-inspired dishes created by head chef Carl Ryder, we learnt about life on the cobbles, deciphering Dev-speak – and being ‘Corrie’d’ everywhere from Thailand to Trenchtown!
Shobna, you took a break from Coronation Street for four years – what was it like when you returned to the cobbles in 2009?
It was like slipping on a pair of comfortable slippers. I just think it’s a brilliant place to work, and I’d really missed everybody. I’m one of those kind of people who doesn’t look back. You know when you’ve left somewhere! I was in touch with some people and went for drinks and meals – food is the key with me! – but I didn’t return to visit them on the cobbles. It was a job that was finished, and it would have only made me nostalgic.

Last year, when you first heard that Sunita was going to be trapped under the tram in the 50th anniversary show, did you think that was the end of your time on the show?
I think every actor thinks about the lift shaft, the tram… the brain tumour! I didn’t think I was going, but what I wanted to do was make everybody think I was going. So that was quite good, because the way it was shot meant that you didn’t know if she was going to live or die. And I loved that!

What was it like filming the live episode?
It was momentous. The schedule was tough. Because we had to go live for a week, we basically lost 15 episodes that we’d normally shoot in the week. We had to work around the clock on shifts. So sometimes you’d start at three in the morning. The Green Room was like a soup kitchen! In fact, there were huge vats of soup there, and actors lying everywhere, some of them fast asleep, some of them covered in rubble!

Has Sunita changed over the years?
I think she has. I think she realised halfway down the line that her children were the most important thing in her life, and she went back to Dev because of that. Now that she’s with him, she’s certainly not going to marry him in a hurry. At the end of the day, I think the tables are turning in their relationship. She was the shop girl in love with him, and very much at his whim and fancy, but now he’s constantly running to
her tune.
Jimmi Harkishin, who plays Dev, must be such fun to work with – and we all love his unique line delivery!
Tell me about it! Yes, it tickles me. It stitches me up, and I corpse regularly. Just the other day he had to say the word ‘prodigy’ – a tricky word at the best of times – and it came out funny. I think they just left me laughing. We couldn’t re-take, because I couldn’t stop – and every time he said that word, I started off again, so they just kept it in!

How do you know Armand?
I met Armand in 2000. We met at a mutual friend’s wedding, and we got on immediately. He’s done my make-up for years. Ever since we met, Armand and I have been everywhere together – we’re inseparable.
What’s so special about Armand as a
make-up artist?
He’s great because he works with you – he doesn’t just see the palette, he sees the person, and I think that’s important. When I go out, Armand does my make-up so that I feel super-confident. And he’s my friend too – so what a bonus!

Armand, what’s special about Shobna when it comes to doing her make-up?
What is so great about working on Shobna’s face is that she is up for anything. She’ll try any kind of look, she’s really experimental, and she loves the art of transformation. Because of the characters that she’s known for on TV are not the most glamorous, it’s a chance for her to really play with and explore the look and make-up.
Have you ever fallen out with her over a look or a make-up detail?
White eyeliner – she hates it! I wanted to put a bit on. My principle for make-up is an extension of yourself, it’s about your character, how you’re feeling at the time, and a look we did, not so long ago, was more of a ’50s feel – so liquid liner, white on the inside of the eye, lots of mascara. She rocked it!

Shobna, is it easy for you to walk around Manchester without being recognised?
No, not anywhere! I have this thing called ‘being Corrie’d’ – often in the most obscure places. I’ve been Corrie’d on the Khao San Road in Thailand and in Trenchtown in Jamaica. I’ve been Corrie’d probably all over the world. I quite like it, actually because it shows how much Corrie is loved worldwide.

What’s been your stand-out Sunita storyline over the years?
I’ve liked everything that Sunita’s done – and a lot has happened to her. Flipping heck, the girl’s had a brain tumour, she married her boss who had millions of kids without telling her – and do you remember when she got tied to a cooker, gagged and bound? It was funny to film, because the director would call for notes, and I’d still have gaffer tape around my ankles, and I’d be jumping down the cobbles, and they’d have to wait for me!

What about the happier storylines?
I quite liked it when Sunita was a bit of a goer and she went out with all these boys, and she ended up kissing at least two at the same time, which was Dev and Ciaran, played by the lovely Keith Duffy. That was a bonus! There are marvellous perks to my job.

Dev proposed to Sunita, unsuccessfully, in the Rovers – like many men do! What was that like to film?
It was so funny. What’s really hard about that is that everybody’s watching your scene. And really, I only had the word: ‘No!’ scripted. But it was a big ‘No!’ It just worried me all day, about how that scene would go. It’s a big pressure, that Rovers.

Who is your best mate on Corrie?
Kate Ford, who plays Tracy Barlow. When I joined Corrie, along with Kate, I asked if we could share my dressing room, and we became dressing room buddies, and we’ve remained close ever since. A lot gets shared in a dressing room!

How’s your son Akshay?
He’s lovely. He’s 17. He’s finished his GCSEs and he’s back in college. We made an agreement that I won’t speak for him unless he’s around – so I won’t!

What’s it like working with your screen children, Sunita’s twins?
They’re very sweet but as a mother, I’m happy that mine’s grown! And no, they do not make me broody! I love children – if they’re already made, that’s great, but I’m not going to make any more!
Armand, you’ve been a beauty
presenter on various shows for
some time now. Have you had any
on-screen disasters?
I did one TV show live, and it was just me to camera, doing a phone-in. I was doing some make-up on this model to answer the query. Then I felt this breeze behind me and the set started to wobble – and then a really strong breeze came and the set fell down all around us. You then saw raw brickwork, cameras and lights. You just have to think on your feet. I said something like: ‘This is a look that… will bring the house down!’
You’re also an actor – what might we have seen you in?
I was in Coronation Street once, funnily enough! I played Ravi, the maitre d’ of a restaurant.

What else are you up to?
I’m in BBC3’s new series Hot Like Us, which revolves around real-life couples and is a little bit of a cross between Britain’s Next Top Model and Big Brother. It’s about eight couples living together in a house, and one of them ends up being voted Britain’s hottest couple. I’m creating the various looks for the shoots with celebrity hairdresser Vincent Allenby, plus week by week giving them grooming tips so they sizzle!

(c) OK

[alan45]

Shobna Gulati, who plays Sunita Alahan on Coronation Street, was interviewed this morning on ITV's Daybreak about Sunita becoming the new Rovers Return barmaid in Corrie.

She says it's very daunting and Daybreak showed the VT of Sunita serving Dev in the pub, recommending he has a small brandy rather than a large one - very funny indeed! "You'll have drunks making passes," Dev warns his wife, jealous as anything. Shobna says Sunita loves winding up Dev by dressing up as a busty barmaid.

Shobna talks about the difference it makes working behind the Rovers Return bar, and it changes the way an actress behaves, she says it makes her feel very different as an actress. She's been taught how to pull pints by Michelle Keegan (Tina) and Michelle Collins (Stella).

She also talked about how great it is to have Michael Le Vell back on the set of Coronation Street, which was lovely to hear.

And... oooh!... she revealed that Sunita will be puckering up with another fella, someone who's not Dev. Wonder who it could be?

[alan45]

Coronation Street star Shobna Gulati has revealed that she is delighted over her character Sunita Alahan's new job at the Rovers Return.

The actress promised that Sunita's fresh start will pave the way for some interesting storylines in the year ahead - including a possible romance twist for the mum-of-two.

Coronation Street fans will see Sunita quit her job at the Corner Shop later this week as she is tired of being taken for granted by her partner Dev (Jimmi Harkishin). However, things look up when Stella Price (Michelle Collins) offers her a part-time job at the pub.

Gulati told Daybreak today: "It's very strange. Being behind the bar, you suddenly feel very, very empowered. I can't explain - there's something about that bar that changes the way you behave and I think it's happened to Sunita, or it's happened to Shobna! But something's gone on and I feel incredibly different."

Asked whether Sunita has a big year ahead thanks to her new job, she replied: "I think so, because she interacts with different people. And I think Sunita may be puckering up - maybe not with Dev!"

Gulati also confirmed that Sunita tries to look as glamorous as possible for her first shift behind the bar, choosing an outfit which shows off her cleavage.

She said: "It's how she imagines a barmaid looks like. And also to wind up Dev, she's dressed like that - absolutely. But then she kind of gets used to it and wears that all the time!"