Meera Syal says sexual assault in her 20s ‘completely changed my life’
By Lauren Del Fabbro, Press Association Entertainment Reporter
Actress Meera Syal has said she was she was sexually assaulted when she was in her 20s, and it “completely changed my life”.
The 65-year-old rose to fame after co-creating and starring in the hit sketch comedy series Goodness Gracious Me, and later appearing on its indirect spin-off The Kumars At No 42.
The actress has now opened up about being attacked by an older man she thought she could trust until he tried to rape her.
The sexual assault, which happened in the 1980s, was never reported as Syal could not bear the thought of putting her parents through a criminal trial – and instead told no-one.
Speaking to The Times, she said: “This is the first time I’ve spoken about this publicly.
“It completely changed my life and the direction of my career. I could have given up, but instead I sought out a group of south Asian writers.
“They encouraged me to write more, they found me a place to live, they healed me and awakened me politically.”
Years later, she opened up to a group of friends and learned that many of them had endured something similar.
Syal said the assault led her to write the strong female characters that have featured on the acclaimed BBC sketch show and comedy shows that changed her life.
Speaking about the sitcom Goodness Gracious Me, which was also starred her husband, Sanjeev Bhaskar, she said: “It was a golden age of sketch comedy, alternative comedy and Cool Britannia.
“There was a real embracing of multicultural Britain. How times have changed.”
Syal described the current political climate is giving her a “horrible sense of deja vu” specifically around immigration, recounting how growing up she would have the initials of the far-right National Front party painted on her house.
She said: “It feels like we are back in the Seventies.
“Back then we had NF (National Front) painted on our house. And that feeling of being on high alert is back after so much progress. My parents would say history is cyclical, and we are currently in the bad bit.
“We all have to get on somehow. We needed to have an honest conversation about immigration and we swerved that. And then it went underground.
“The stuff people were afraid to say out loud is now sanctioned. We used to be civil, now everything is allowed and celebrated.
“Some people who feel hard done by need to be listened to, but their frustration is being weaponised and exploited by certain public figures against immigrants.”
Despite her decades-long career, Syal said she does not “glide in and out of jobs” and believes “there still aren’t that many good roles for older women”.
Speaking about what her dream role would be, she said: “A badass godmother, head of a clan or a crime syndicate.
“If you had met some of the badass aunties I have met you would know they could run that ship without blinking. And she would be called something you wouldn’t expect, like Sweetie Auntie.”
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help. In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.
