Maya Sharma
Encyclopedia
Maya Sharma is a fictional character
on the soap opera
Coronation Street
. She was played by Sasha Behar
. She appears between 2003 and 2004.
received complaints because of a scene in which viewers saw Maya threaten Sunita with a statue of Hindu god Lord Ganesh.
ITV has apologised for the scene, But Hindu leaders rejected the apology. Ramesh Kallidai, secretary of the Hindu Forum of Britain, said: "The apology is not unconditional, it makes a justification for the behaviour. This is not acceptable to us." The scene was part of a long-running storyline in the ITV1 soap. It showed Maya, played by Sasha Behar, threatening Sunita (Shobna Gulati), saying her husband would come home to find her "beaten to death by Ganesh", the God of good fortune.
included Maya on their feature profiling bunny boilers. Opining on her fixation with Dev they stated: "While we might question the object of Maya's fixation - Dev, for heaven's sake? - there's no denying her single-mindedness." They also commented on her career status adding: "As ever in soap, the middle classes are trouble - Maya was a solicitor."
(David Neilson
) and Hayley Cropper
(Julie Hesmondhalgh
) about the matters regarding the legal custody of infant Amy Barlow. She falls for shopkeeper Dev Alahan
(Jimmi Harkishin
), who seems to take an immediate liking to her.
Despite striking up a friendship with Frankie Baldwin (Debra Stephenson
), very quickly it seems there is something wrong with this character, as she begins stealing vases and then kidnaps Monica, Tyrone Dobbs
(Alan Halsall
)'s pet dog. Then she leaves a restaurant without paying and drives Dev around a country road extremely fast threatening not to stop the car unless he proposes to her. At her engagement party to Dev, Tyrone tries to ruin the event by telling everyone that she killed his dog and he compares her to Cruella Devil, but she resists this. Dev rekindled his love for ex-girlfriend Sunita Parekh
(Shobna Gulati
) when he discovers she has a brain tumour. Even Maya has pity, and then decides to capitalise this by playing the caring friend and telling Sunita she might be putting pressure on Dev. When Dev announces his love for Sunita, Maya trashes his shop and his flat. Sunita recovers and Dev dumps Maya and starts dating Sunita again.
At Dev and Sunita's engagement party, Maya wrecks Sunita's dress by spilling urine on it. Then, she marries several illegal immigrants with Sunita's birth certificate. When it comes to Dev and Sunita's wedding, they are both arrested for illegal marriage. When Dev manages to get a taxi driver who transported her to one of the illegal weddings to convince the police that it was Maya behind these plans, she is thrown in jail, but later released on bail. She spends her bail time running around Manchester and burning down Dev's shops.
She then enters Dev's flat and takes Sunita hostage and phones Dev. Soon Dev arrives but Maya has gone and eft a message in lipstick on the table. He is ordered to the corner shop on Coronation Street. This is his last property that has not been destroyed. When he arrives and sees a bound and gagged Sunita he proceeds to tell her that everything would be ok but then Maya knocks him out and ties him up too. When he wakes up they talk about how he dumped her and how upset she was. Later a police man comes up at the door. Dev screams to attract attention but then Maya gags him to stop his cries for help. She tells the police that she is Sunita and while she does this Dev gets a knife and cuts his legs free.
When Maya returns she turns the gas on the stove on and leaves the kitchen, telling Dev that if he believes in reincarnation that maybe next time he would come back as something better and starts a fire in the shop below. She leaves them tied up inside a locked room. Soon Jamie Baldwin
(Rupert Hill
) and Leanne Battersby
(Jane Danson
) notice a fire in the shop and Rita Sullivan
(Barbara Knox
) calls the fire brigade. Dev breaks the window with the curtain rail and this attracts the attention of the Street's residents below. Two of the residents, Ciaran McCarthy
(Keith Duffy
) and Charlie Stubbs (Bill Ward
) come to the rescue. Dev is released by Ciaran and carried down on his shoulder just before the corner shop explodes dramatically. Maya feels quite shocked when Dev is rescued. The residents are in shock to see Dev bound and gagged and had no idea what was going on. Sunita is saved by Charlie and appears shortly afterwards. Maya is completely astonished at this point. She is watching from her car at the other end of the street and then tries to run Dev down in the street in a fit of rage, but misses after Charlie pulls Dev out of the way. She crashes into the viaduct and when she crashes the residents think the worst was over. However, then she arises covered in blood and starts up her car. Suddenly, a truck crashes into the back of her car as she reversed it back out.
Maya survives and is sent to the same hospital as Sunita. When Sunita learns this she leaves the hospital immediately. Sunita's friend Shelley Unwin
(Sally Lindsay
) mentions that Maya is on life support and her hospital room is under police guard. After coming out of intensive care, Maya is sent to jail to await her trial. Little is now known about Maya. She was last mentioned when Leanne Battersby offered Dev a share of her restaurant business in 2007 as Maya had tried to tempt Leanne into taking out a lawsuit against Dev for unfair dismissal from the Corner Shop at the beginning of her twisted campaign of revenge.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
. She was played by Sasha Behar
Sasha Behar
Sasha Behar is a British actress, known for portraying Maya Sharma in ITV1 soap opera Coronation Street.-Background:...
. She appears between 2003 and 2004.
Controversy
In 2004, ITVITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
received complaints because of a scene in which viewers saw Maya threaten Sunita with a statue of Hindu god Lord Ganesh.
ITV has apologised for the scene, But Hindu leaders rejected the apology. Ramesh Kallidai, secretary of the Hindu Forum of Britain, said: "The apology is not unconditional, it makes a justification for the behaviour. This is not acceptable to us." The scene was part of a long-running storyline in the ITV1 soap. It showed Maya, played by Sasha Behar, threatening Sunita (Shobna Gulati), saying her husband would come home to find her "beaten to death by Ganesh", the God of good fortune.
Reception
Radio TimesRadio Times
Radio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
included Maya on their feature profiling bunny boilers. Opining on her fixation with Dev they stated: "While we might question the object of Maya's fixation - Dev, for heaven's sake? - there's no denying her single-mindedness." They also commented on her career status adding: "As ever in soap, the middle classes are trouble - Maya was a solicitor."
2003–04
Corrie's psycho, dubbed "Mad Maya", starts out as a lawyer. Originally, she advises RoyRoy Cropper
Royston "Roy" Cropper, is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor David Neilson, the character was introduced during the episode airing on 19 July 1995. Originally a secondary character, he was given a more prominent role in 1997, by the...
(David Neilson
David Neilson
David Neilson is an English actor best known for portraying Roy Cropper in Coronation Street from 1995 onwards....
) and Hayley Cropper
Hayley Cropper
Hayley Anne Cropper is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street...
(Julie Hesmondhalgh
Julie Hesmondhalgh
Julie Hesmondhalgh is an English actress.Hesmondhalgh was born in Accrington, Lancashire. As a teenager, she was moderately interested in acting, but wished to become a social worker. She applied to drama school to be with her friends, and studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art...
) about the matters regarding the legal custody of infant Amy Barlow. She falls for shopkeeper Dev Alahan
Dev Alahan
Devendra 'Dev' Alahan is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Jimmi Harkishin, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 10 November 1999.-Character development:...
(Jimmi Harkishin
Jimmi Harkishin
James "Jimmi" Harkishin is an actor best known for his role as shop owner Dev Alahan in Coronation Street. He also featured in the film East is East and also Bhaji on the Beach....
), who seems to take an immediate liking to her.
Despite striking up a friendship with Frankie Baldwin (Debra Stephenson
Debra Stephenson
Debra Stephenson is an English actress, comedian, impressionist and singer.-Career:At the age of fourteen Stephenson appeared on BBC TV's Opportunity Knocks, winning her way through to the All-Winners' Final, broadcast live from the London Palladium...
), very quickly it seems there is something wrong with this character, as she begins stealing vases and then kidnaps Monica, Tyrone Dobbs
Tyrone Dobbs
Tyrone Sylvester Dobbs is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by Alan Halsall, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on November 30, 1998.- Casting :...
(Alan Halsall
Alan Halsall
Alan David Halsall is an English actor best known for playing Tyrone Dobbs in Coronation Street, a role which he has played for since 1998.-Early life:...
)'s pet dog. Then she leaves a restaurant without paying and drives Dev around a country road extremely fast threatening not to stop the car unless he proposes to her. At her engagement party to Dev, Tyrone tries to ruin the event by telling everyone that she killed his dog and he compares her to Cruella Devil, but she resists this. Dev rekindled his love for ex-girlfriend Sunita Parekh
Sunita Alahan
Sunita Alahan is a fictional character from the British ITV1 soap opera Coronation Street, played by Shobna Gulati. She made her first on-screen appearance on 23 March 2001 and remained in the show until 2005, when the character was axed from the serial by producer Tony Wood...
(Shobna Gulati
Shobna Gulati
Shobna Gulati is an English actress, writer, and dancer of Indian origin, best known for playing Anita in Victoria Wood's Dinnerladies, and Sunita Alahan in the long-running soap opera Coronation Street from 2001 to 2006, a role to which she returned at the end of 2009...
) when he discovers she has a brain tumour. Even Maya has pity, and then decides to capitalise this by playing the caring friend and telling Sunita she might be putting pressure on Dev. When Dev announces his love for Sunita, Maya trashes his shop and his flat. Sunita recovers and Dev dumps Maya and starts dating Sunita again.
At Dev and Sunita's engagement party, Maya wrecks Sunita's dress by spilling urine on it. Then, she marries several illegal immigrants with Sunita's birth certificate. When it comes to Dev and Sunita's wedding, they are both arrested for illegal marriage. When Dev manages to get a taxi driver who transported her to one of the illegal weddings to convince the police that it was Maya behind these plans, she is thrown in jail, but later released on bail. She spends her bail time running around Manchester and burning down Dev's shops.
She then enters Dev's flat and takes Sunita hostage and phones Dev. Soon Dev arrives but Maya has gone and eft a message in lipstick on the table. He is ordered to the corner shop on Coronation Street. This is his last property that has not been destroyed. When he arrives and sees a bound and gagged Sunita he proceeds to tell her that everything would be ok but then Maya knocks him out and ties him up too. When he wakes up they talk about how he dumped her and how upset she was. Later a police man comes up at the door. Dev screams to attract attention but then Maya gags him to stop his cries for help. She tells the police that she is Sunita and while she does this Dev gets a knife and cuts his legs free.
When Maya returns she turns the gas on the stove on and leaves the kitchen, telling Dev that if he believes in reincarnation that maybe next time he would come back as something better and starts a fire in the shop below. She leaves them tied up inside a locked room. Soon Jamie Baldwin
Jamie Baldwin
James Andrew "Jamie" Baldwin is a fictional character in the British soap opera ITV Coronation Street, played by Rupert Hill. He first appeared in 2004 and left in 2008. In March 2011 it was announced that Jamie would return for one episode on 24 April 2011....
(Rupert Hill
Rupert Hill
Rupert Sinclair Hill is an English actor known for several former roles in UK soap operas.Rupert Hill started with small roles on television...
) and Leanne Battersby
Leanne Battersby
Leanne Anika Barlow is a fictional character on the soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Jane Danson, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 4 July 1997....
(Jane Danson
Jane Danson
Jane Danson is an English actress, most famous for playing the role of Leanne Battersby in Coronation Street.-Acting:...
) notice a fire in the shop and Rita Sullivan
Rita Sullivan
Rita Sullivan is a long-standing character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street...
(Barbara Knox
Barbara Knox
Barbara Knox, MBE , is an English actress, best known for playing Rita Sullivan in the television soap opera Coronation Street.-Early life:Knox was born in Oldham, Lancashire...
) calls the fire brigade. Dev breaks the window with the curtain rail and this attracts the attention of the Street's residents below. Two of the residents, Ciaran McCarthy
Ciaran McCarthy
Ciaran McCarthy is a fictional character from the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street portrayed by Keith Duffy. He made his first on-screen appearance on 7 August 2002, before departing in 2005. He returned in 2010 until Duffy temporary departed in January 2011 to go on Boyzone Tour,...
(Keith Duffy
Keith Duffy
Keith Peter Thomas Francis John Duffy is an Irish singer-songwriter, actor, drummer, dancer and television presenter. He began his career as part of Boyzone in the 1990s. In the 2000s, he achieved critical acclaim for his acting roles, particularly in soap operas such as Coronation Street and Fair...
) and Charlie Stubbs (Bill Ward
Bill Ward (actor)
Bill Ward is an English actor who played Charlie Stubbs in Coronation Street.-Biography:He completed a degree in History at Bristol University. He is a former advertising executive. After Coronation Street, he had a role in the ITV series Cold Blood with Pauline Quirke...
) come to the rescue. Dev is released by Ciaran and carried down on his shoulder just before the corner shop explodes dramatically. Maya feels quite shocked when Dev is rescued. The residents are in shock to see Dev bound and gagged and had no idea what was going on. Sunita is saved by Charlie and appears shortly afterwards. Maya is completely astonished at this point. She is watching from her car at the other end of the street and then tries to run Dev down in the street in a fit of rage, but misses after Charlie pulls Dev out of the way. She crashes into the viaduct and when she crashes the residents think the worst was over. However, then she arises covered in blood and starts up her car. Suddenly, a truck crashes into the back of her car as she reversed it back out.
Maya survives and is sent to the same hospital as Sunita. When Sunita learns this she leaves the hospital immediately. Sunita's friend Shelley Unwin
Shelley Unwin
Shelley Victoria Unwin is a fictional character who appeared in ITV's British soap opera Coronation Street. She is the daughter of Bev Unwin and the late Charlie Unwin...
(Sally Lindsay
Sally Lindsay
Sally Lindsay is an English actress best known for playing the role of Shelley Unwin in the long-running ITV1 Soap opera Coronation Street...
) mentions that Maya is on life support and her hospital room is under police guard. After coming out of intensive care, Maya is sent to jail to await her trial. Little is now known about Maya. She was last mentioned when Leanne Battersby offered Dev a share of her restaurant business in 2007 as Maya had tried to tempt Leanne into taking out a lawsuit against Dev for unfair dismissal from the Corner Shop at the beginning of her twisted campaign of revenge.