The Parminder Nagra File
THE PARMINDER NAGRA FILE
PARMINDER BY THE NUMBERS
2 Number of appearances on ABC's The View.
18 Age when she landed her first London theatrical role.
30 Her current age. (She was born on 5 October, 1975 in Leicester, England.)
62 Her height in inches. (She's barely 5'2".)
65 Number of ER episodes she has appeared in.
193,000 Number of Google hits for "Parminder Nagra."
500,000 Number of times she's been asked if she really plays soccer.
PARMINDER QUOTES
"I knew the Asian community would like (Bend it like Beckham), but I never expected it to go worldwide. It shows audiences like stories about people fulfilling dreams. It didn't offer any huge revelations about Indian families, but I identified with Jess [her character] because my dream was acting, so there was a parallel – football and films are both professions about making dreams come true." (The Guardian)
"She's (her character on ER) somebody who seems astute, very hardworking and keen to learn. I'd also say that I am somebody who is hardworking and keen to learn – although I do have my lazy days!" (TheTVJungle.com)
I don't think Hollywood has changed me at all. The first thing I did when I arrived was buy chapati flour and lentils." (Wikipedia.org)
PARMINDER FACTS
Described by The Guardian as Britain's best-loved Asian actress, she honed her acting skills in the theatre, beginning when she was in her teens. She landed her first London theatrical role in 1994, acting as the princess in Sleeping Beauty, a Christmas production at the Theatre Royal Stratford East.
She caught the eye of Gurinder Chadha, director of Bend it like Beckham, in 1988, when she appeared in a Bollywood musical called Fourteen Songs, Two Weddings, and a Funeral. She had appeared in various television shows, but Beckham was her first motion picture, thrusting her into stardom.
She made her first appearance on ER as County General Hospital medical intern Neela Rasgotra on September 25, 2003, the premiere episode of Season 10.
PARMINDER TRIVIA
Her nickname is "Mindi," derived from the "minder" in her first name.
A portrait of her, painted by Stuart Pearson Wright, hangs in London's National Portrait Gallery.
While her character Jess in Beckham plastered her walls with posters of David Beckham, a young Parminder covered her walls with pictures of Bruce Willis, star of the then-hit show Moonlighting.
PARMINDER ON THE WEB
http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/Parminder-Nagra/
A fan email group that calls itself "a home for Parmaniacs."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4nreAqfynM
A 5-minute video of her appearance on Craig Ferguson.
http://www.ParminderNagraOnline.com/index.htm
An unofficial fan site with her bio and photos.
Enjoyed reading Khabar magazine? Subscribe to Khabar and get a full digital copy of this Indian-American community magazine.
