Preeya Kalidas

Born: 1980
Where: Nairobi, Kenya

The African-born but English-educated actress landed her first starring role in Jeremy Wooding's comedy drama Bollywood Queen.

She grew up in Twickenham, west London, and studied at the Sylvia Young Theatre School, alma mater of Emma Bunton and Denise Van Outen.

At 17 she was cast in the short Sari and Trainers (which was expanded into the full-length Bollywood Queen) and went on to play the bride in East is East.

Kalidas appeared in The Fiancee and Z and also landed the role of Monica in Gurinder Chadha's stateside hit Bend It Like Beckham with Keira Knightley.

TV work includes Armstrong & Miller, Casualty and My Family and she also landed the lead role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Bombay Dreams.

In 2003, she played the lead romantic role of Geena opposite James McAvoy in Bollywood Queen.