Inside Bend It Like Beckham star Parminder Nagra’s transformation on DI Ray
Parminder Nagra made a welcome return to TV screens recently, with the actress taking centre stage in new ITV drama DI Ray.
The 46 year old stars as DI Rachita Ray in the four-part series which focuses on Birmingham’s criminal underworld, with the first episode airing on Monday 2 May.
Parminder shot to fame as Jess Bhamra in the 2002 hit film Bend It Like Beckham, starring alongside Keira Knightley.
She portrayed football-loving Jess, who stood up to her conservative parents who were against her dreams to play football.
The actress’ role in the immensely popular film saw her acting career take off, and she also went on to become the first woman to win the FIFA Presidential Award.
(Image: ITV)
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Parminder landed the role of Dr. Neela Rasgotra in US medical drama ER in 2003, and was a regular on the show up until 2009.
She’s also starred in shows such as Alcatraz, Psych and The Blacklist, as well as Sky Atlantic thriller Fortitude, and Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why.
Viewers were pleased to see Parminder back on their screens, with many taking to social media to celebrate the actress’ new role in DI Ray.
One person tweeted: “I watched this just for the legendary Parminder Nagra #DIRay,” while another said: “Feeling really old seeing Jess from Bend it Like Beckham as Detective Inspector in #DIRay Parminder Nagra is a great actress!”
(Image: Getty)
The new ITV show follows DI Rachita Ray as she takes on a case that forces her to confront a lifelong personal conflict between her British identity and her South Asian heritage.
Speaking ahead of the release of the series, Parminder praised her new role, saying: “To me it’s all about finding this woman’s place in the world.
“You don’t often have an Asian female lead on TV – it’s starting to happen more, but having been in the business for so long, I feel like I’ve been saying the same thing for a long time.
“I can see the change with the likes of Bridgerton, but in DI Ray this is my generation of women, we’re in Birmingham and it’s so relatable – it’s nice to play.
(Image: Getty)
(Image: ITV)
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“That was the main appeal for me that I’m not playing the best friend of somebody or a secondary character, it’s all about Rachita,” according to The Mirror.
The actress continued, adding: “One day I’d love to play a character who isn’t thinking about her identity – Bend It Like Beckham was about her identity, too. But those parts are really hard to come by or don’t get made very often.
“DI Ray is just so well-written, Rachita’s interactions with people are really great and I loved playing a strong 40-something woman on the show, helmed by these people and telling this story.”
DI Ray airs on ITV from Monday 2 May – Thursday 5 May at 9pm.
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