Though Sophie’s most well-known role on the BBC One soap opera is as Priya Nandra-Hart, it seems that acting runs in her family because her mother, Shaheen Khan, is also an actor.
Fans of EastEnders were shocked to learn that Sophie’s mother Shaheen starred in a significant part in the popular 2002 movie Bend It Like Beckham.
Shaheen played Mrs. Bhamra at first in the film.
In the film, Mrs. Bhamra placed a strong focus on custom, encouraging her younger daughter Jess (Parminder Nagra) to follow in her footsteps while also assisting her oldest daughter Pinky (Archie Panjabi) in organizing her Indian wedding.
Her greater passion was playing football and rising to fame, akin to her hero David Beckham, who makes a brief appearance in the film.
The movie also stars Hollywood legend Keira Knightley, Shaznay Lewis of All Saints, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and Anupam Kher of New Amsterdam.
Shaheen has additionally had a number of noteworthy small-screen roles. In the late 1980s, she portrayed Kiran Joghill in the BBC medical soap opera Casualty. She has since appeared in numerous BBC programs, including Doctors and Doctor Who.
Although Sophie doesn’t share many details about her relationship with her mother, it’s evident from her Instagram that she values her family very much.
When fans learned that Shaheen is Sophie’s mother in real life, they were shocked. One TikTok user said, “Omg didn’t know the Bend It Like Beckham mum was her mum.”
One person exclaimed, “I didn’t know this, I love the film Bend It Like Beckham and [Sophie’s] so good as Priya.”
“The way I went and told everyone in my household they’re mother and daughter in real life, so surprised,” yelled a third admirer.
Sophie has obviously gone on to inherit the acting gene from her mum.
She has a long history of acting; in 2023, she played Gabrielle Ade in the spooky BBC thriller The Sixth Commandment.
She released a statement saying, “I can’t wait to see what trouble Priya gets herself into, and I’m super excited to be joining the show.”
“I grew up watching EastEnders, so seeing so many familiar faces and being able to visit the set is an incredible experience,” Sophie continued.
The Panesar family was taken aback when Priya showed up on the Square last year, bringing Avani (Aaliyah James), the daughter of Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara), with her.
Both Ravi and the Panesar family were shocked to learn that they had an unidentified daughter in addition to their shared son.
Priya and Avani swiftly rose to prominence in numerous dramatic plots. Their stay in the square hasn’t been peaceful at all, with Priya’s troubled love life, the Panesar family’s internal strife, and her reunion with her son Davinder (Juhaim Rasul Choudhury).
Who could forget Priya making a horrible, money-grabbing attempt to propose to her ex-boyfriend’s father, Nish (Navin Chowdhry)?
Since her grandfather Nish was given a terminal disease diagnosis, Priya has been providing Avani with assistance since his health has been deteriorating in recent episodes.
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