Meera Syal is a writer, novelist and performer best known for her screenplay for the film Bhaji on the Beach (BAFTA nomination Alex Korda award Best British film, winner Jury award and Youth Jury award, Locarno) the Olivier nominated musical Bombay Dreams and as co creator/performer/writer in iconic comedy Goodness Gracious Me (BAFTA nomination, winner 2 British Comedy Awards, RTS Best Comedy)
Her first ever screenplay was for the BBC’s Screen 2 strand, My Sister Wife (Winner RIMA award Best Screenplay – directed by Lesley Manning) Her first novel Anita and Me, (Winner Betty Trask award) is now on the school curriculum; she co produced and wrote the screenplay for 2002 the BBC/ICON funded feature film of the book, (cinema release 2002) She also adapted her second novel, Life Isn’t All Ha Ha Hee Hee for a 3 part BBC1 series, (Winner RIMA award Best TV Drama 2006). In 2018 Meera was commissioned by the Old Vic to write and perfom Rivers, an extraordinary monologue for the 70th anniversary of the NHS. Her third novel, The House of Hidden Mothers was optioned by Drama Republic and developed for ITV.
Presently in development, comedy drama (co created with Smita Bhide) Mrs Roy (with Two Brothers) and an historical drama series, Ayahs (for BBC Studios),(co created/written with Tanika Gupta). A film funded by the BFI is also in development and a TV project set in India for Film Nation. Anu Menon attached as director to the BFI feature and the Film Nation project.
Meera’s six-part chat show Gossip and Goddesses with Granny Kumar started on BBC Radio 4 in February 2021.
Other awards include, the Women In Film and Television Award for Creative Innovation (2013) and in 2015, a CBE for her contribution to Literature And Drama.
Meera Syal is represented by Rochelle Stevens