Bhavna Limbachia

Bhavna Jayanty Limbachia (born 21 April 1984) is a British actress. She is known for her roles as Alia Khan in Citizen Khan[4] and Rana Habeeb in Coronation Street.[5]

Bhavna Limbachia
Limbachia in 2015
Born
Bhavna Jayanty Limbachia[1]

(1984-04-21) 21 April 1984[2]
Preston, Lancashire, England[3]
OccupationActress
Years active2012–present
Notable work
Citizen Khan (2012–2016)
Coronation Street (2016–2019)
Spouse(s)
Darren Kuppan
​
(m. 2018)​

Career

Limbachia studied photography, fashion and textiles at college, then moved onto a degree course in Costume Design at Bretton Hall, an affiliate college of the University of Leeds.[6][7]

Before her acting roles, she worked in the costume departments on several film sets including Chicken Tikka Masala in (2005), Bradford Riots in 2006 (costume trainee) and All Day Breakfast in 2008. In 2010 she set up her own business designing and selling vintage clothing and accessories.[8]

She took an office with Trading Standards and saved up money to do an acting course at the Manchester School of Acting, landing her first role in theatre in the play Rafta Rafta, written by Ayub Khan Din who also wrote East Is East.[9]

Her first television role was in 2012 playing the character Alia Khan in the BBC comedy series Citizen Khan.[10] The character wears a hijab, tight jeans and tops, and a lot of make-up.[11]

Coronation Street

In February 2016, Limbachia joined the long-running ITV soap opera, Coronation Street, playing Rana Habeeb as a love interest for character Zeedan Nazir. In January 2019, Limbachia announced her departure from the show, with Rana being killed off later in the year. She departed in the episode broadcast on 20 March 2019.[12]

Rana was the show's first muslim LGBTQ+ character and her partnership with Faye Brookes, who plays her lover Kate Connor has been highlighted amongst fans and the community. The storyline in which Rana discovers her sexuality and her parents’ subsequent disappointment was praised and the two characters gained the supercouple name ‘Kana’.[13][14] The Rana and Kate storyline was named as one of the Top 10 LGBT+ Media Moments in the British LGBT Awards 2019.[15] Bhavna made an appearance as an extra on an episode of Emmerdale (26.02.2020), playing the role of a nurse.

Charitable work

Bhavna is a patron of the charity Naz and Matt Foundation.[16] The Foundation was set up in 2014 by Matt Ogston after his fiancé, Nazim Mahmood, took his own life when his family confronted him about his sexuality[17] and states that its mission is "to never let religion, any religion, come in the way of the unconditional love between parents and their children."[18]

Personal life

She is of Gujarati origin, her mother was born in India and her father was born in Kenya. She is a Hindu.[19]

She married actor Darren Kuppan in July 2018 at Thornton Manor in a British and Asian ceremony.[20]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
2012–2016 Citizen Khan Alia Khan
2013 Doctors Anita Achari
2014 Casualty Suraya Afzal
2014 Pramface Nicola
2014 Mount Pleasant Hostess
2015 Cuffs[21] PC Misha Baig
2015 Horrible Histories[22] Various
2015 Tez Ilyas's Christmas[23] Sofia Christmas special
2016–2019 Coronation Street Rana Habeeb Regular role
Fourth—2016 Digital Spy Reader Award for Best Newcomer[24]
Shortlisted—2018 British Soap Award for Best On-Screen Partnership (shared with Faye Brookes)[25]
Longlisted—2016 TV Choice Award for Best Soap Newcomer
Longlisted—2018 British Soap Award for Best Actress[26]
Longlisted—2018 TV Choice Award for Best Soap Actress[27]
Longlisted—2018 Inside Soap Award for Best Partnership (shared with Faye Brookes)[28]
Longlisted—2019 British Soap Award for Best Actress[29]

References
  1. "So who is Bhavna?". Bhavnalimbachia.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  2. Bourne, Dianne (23 April 2018). "Who is Rana Nazir actress Bhavna Limbachia in Coronation Street?". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  3. Brown, David (1 August 2016). "Citizen Khan actress Bhavna Limbachia joins Coronation Street to play Rana – a new love interest for Zeedan". Radio Times. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  4. "A new sitcom for BBC One created by and starring Adil Ray". BBC. 17 August 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  5. "Portfolio - Coronation Street". Bhavnalimbachia.com. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  6. "Interview with Bhavna Limbachia". Amagazine. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  7. Baig, Anila (28 November 2018). "Researching Rana: Coronation Street Star Bhavna Limbachia on THAT Plot Twist". Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  8. Allcock, Beth (6 February 2018). "Coronation Street's Bhavna Limbachia: Everything you need to know from her acting career to her secret business". OK Magazine. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  9. Baig, Anila (28 November 2018). "Researching Rana: Coronation Street Star Bhavna Limbachia on THAT Plot Twist". Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  10. Baig, Anila (28 November 2018). "Researching Rana: Coronation Street Star Bhavna Limbachia on THAT Plot Twist". Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  11. Alia Khan bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 5 July 2019
  12. Tutton, Charlotte (29 March 2019). "How did Rana die in Coronation Street, and what happened to the factory?". The Mirror. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  13. Bourne, Dianne (7 November 2018). "Who is Rana Nazir actress Bhavna Limbachia in Coronation Street?". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  14. Hughes, Johnathon (3 June 2019). "Faye Brookes speaks out on Coronation Street exit: "I was ready to say goodbye to Kana"". Radio Times. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  15. Signature Living - Top 10 LGBT+ Media Moments www.britishlgbtawards.com. Retrieved 5 July 2019
  16. "Patrons of Naz and Matt Foundation". Naz and Matt Foundation. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  17. Baig, Anila (28 November 2018). "Researching Rana: Coronation Street Star Bhavna Limbachia on THAT Plot Twist". Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  18. Naz and Matt Foundation nazandmattfoundation.org. Retrieved 5 July 2019
  19. "Coronation Street to introduce Rana's brother Imran, reveals Bhavna Limbachia". Radio Times. 15 November 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  20. "Corrie's Bhavna Limbachia shares snaps from stunning wedding". 28 July 2018.
  21. "Cuffs – meet the cast". radiotimes.com. Radio Times. 28 October 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  22. "Waring and Mckenna Clients". Waring and Mckenna.
  23. "Sky Arts to broadcast 12 Christmas specials". British Comedy Guide. 25 November 2015.
  24. Eames, Tom (24 December 2016). "Your Digital Spy Reader Awards soap winners of 2016: Emmerdale wins six awards". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  25. Kilkelly, Daniel (1 May 2018). "Coronation Street tops the British Soap Awards 2018 shortlist as the full nominations are revealed". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  26. Kilkelly, Daniel (10 April 2018). "British Soap Awards 2018 nominations revealed: Which Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks and Doctors stars are up?". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  27. "TV Choice Awards 2018". ITV. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  28. Davies, Megan (23 July 2018). "Inside Soap Awards 2018 full longlist revealed: Which Corrie, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks stars are up?". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  29. Dainty, Sophie (9 April 2019). "British Soap Awards 2019 nominations revealed: Which Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks and Doctors stars are up?". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.