Sunita Alahan (also Parekh) was a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Shobna Gulati. They made their first screen appearance on 23 March 2001 and remained in the show until 2006, when the character was axed from the serial by producer Tony Wood. In 2009, Sunita returned to Coronation Street as a full-time character, reintroduced by producer Kim Crowther. In November 2012, Gulati announced that they had quit the soap once more, this time permanently. Sunita died on 3 April 2013 as she succumbed to the injuries she sustained during the Rovers Return fire, caused by her illicit ex-lover Karl Munro (John Michie).
Sunita's storylines saw her escape an arranged marriage, diagnosed with an aneurysm and a brain tumour, falsely imprisoned, held hostage, falling pregnant with twins, becoming a single parent after divorcing her husband, surviving a tram crash, embarking on an affair with Karl, becoming trapped in a fire at The Rovers Return Inn and later dying in hospital of a cardiac arrest after her breathing tube was removed by Karl.
Creation and development
Introduction On 12 February 2001, it was announced that Coronation Street would introduce a new Asian character named Sunita Parekh as part of an arranged marriage storyline. It was revealed that former Dinnerladies actress Shobna Gulati would portray Sunita and appear in the show from March. Sunita was given an immediate link to established character Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin) as she was an employee at his shop in Swinton. After the announcement of the character, the storyline caused criticism among the press for reinforcing negative racial stereotypes. A Coronation Street spokeswoman, Alison Sinclair, defended the portrayal of the new character, commenting: "The arranged marriage storyline is just a device for pulling viewers in. We researched various storylines with the Asian community and this gives us dramatically best way forward. But then we move on from that." Sinclair also said that the show had been criticised in the past for not tackling issues of concern to the characters from the minority ethnic communities portrayed. Defending the storyline, Gulati added: "It's very brave to explore an issue a lot of people consider to be untrendy but it's prevalent and part of our culture." Despite the criticism, writer Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, who has sat on a parliamentary committee investigating forced marriages in Asian communities, believed such issues should be tackled on screen. She stated: "I think these stories should be on a lot more but Coronation Street should have a whole range of characters. Most people who are running soaps are so narrow-minded, the only time they think of black characters is for stereotypical roles." She made her first on-screen appearance on 23 March 2001, although her voice only was heard on 21 March 2001.
Brain tumour and aneurysm In 2004, Sunita was part of a storyline in which she discovers she is suffering from a brain tumour and aneurysm. The story was reported in tabloids prior to airing, with the storyline showing Sunita convincing herself she was suffering from migraines rather than getting herself checked out. Which she later found out was life-threatening.
Departure (2006) In September 2005, the Daily Mirror reported that Sunita could be axed along with nine other cast members as part of plans to reduce cast numbers. On 20 September 2005, it was confirmed that the character had been axed, alongside Janice Battersby (Vicky Entwistle) and Jessie Jackson (Nailah Cumberbatch). Speaking of the axings, producer Tony Wood said, "Shobna and Vicky are superb actresses who have proved extremely popular during their time on the show. However it is the nature of soap that characters come and go and the writing team and I felt that these characters had run their course for the time being." Gulati said she was looking forward to a "great exit storyline" and it was confirmed that Sunita would not be killed off, leaving the door open for a possible return. Sunita departed on-screen on 1 February 2006. In April 2006, it was reported by the press that Gulati would return to the show, however it was revealed by a Coronation Street source that Sunita would only be mentioned in forthcoming scripts and would not be returning.
Reintroduction
In May 2009, it was reported by The Sun that Gulati would make a "dramatic return" to the show. A spokesperson told Digital Spy: "Talks have been going on, but nothing has been signed and sealed." On 16 May 2009, it was confirmed that Gulati would be reprising the role of Sunita. Discussing their comeback, Gulati commented: "They didn't kill Sunita off - she went to live in her parents' house in Swinton with her and Dev's twins. Sunita's a heartwarming character and I'd like to see her come back as a mature woman - she has brought up two kids on her own and she's not a girl anymore." Coronation Street producer Kim Crowther first hinted at a possible return for Sunita in an interview with entertainment website Digital Spy in the previous week. She said: "We have a great new direction for Dev after Tara [Mandal]'s (Ayesha Dharker) exit. Further down the line, we build more family around Dev again and it might signal the return of some old faces…" The character returned on-screen on 10 December 2009, drawing 7.79 million viewers and 34.2% of the total TV viewing audience.
Affair with Karl Munro In January 2012, Gulati hinted that there will be changes for Sunita in the coming weeks. It was later reported that Sunita will embark on an affair with Karl Munro (John Michie) . Speaking to the Daily Star, the executive producer of the show, Phil Collinson, said that Sunita catches Karl's eye and it makes it more exciting as Sunita is the last person viewers would expect to have an affair and hinted that "all hell breaks loose" when Karl's partner Stella Price (Michelle Collins) discovers the affair. In an interview with Digital Spy, Michie said that the main reason that Karl is attracted to Sunita is that because he is a "serial flirt". Michie also said that it's great working with Gulati and is a very easy person to work with as they get on well. Gulati revealed in March 2012 that a fan "warned her off Karl" while shopping in the supermarket. She said that Sunita has a soft spot for Karl and the person in the supermarket said to leave Karl as he has a gambling addiction. Gulati added: "[It's] definitely interesting viewing, definitely keep watching, because Sunita and Karl - how hot is that?" In an interview with Digital Spy, Gulati said that Sunita is starting to notice Karl because Dev is showing little or no interest in her. She also added that Sunita doesn't find Karl's gambling problems off-putting because she wants to be needed and that every girl likes a challenge as she feels she can change Karl.
Departure (2013) On 30 November 2012, Daniel Kilkelly from Digital Spy reported that Gulati would leave Coronation Street to explore other career opportunities and spend more time on comedy writing. Gulati stated "I have loved playing Sunita but, having played the role originally from 2001 to 2005 and then returning to Corrie four years ago, I really feel the time has come for me to focus on other aspects of my career." Series producer Phil Collinson added that Gulati's departure would provide "an exciting storyline opportunity" for Sunita and the writing team were looking forward to plotting "a brilliant exit story for her." Gulati filmed their final scenes on 27 February 2013 along with fellow departing actress, Natalie Gumede, who played Kirsty Soames.
Storylines 2001–2006 Sunita calls her boss Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin), asking for help as she does not want to marry the man that her parents have arranged for her. She comes to Weatherfield on 23 March 2001 and tells Dev that she does not want to get married and Dev lets her stay in the corner shop flat. Her parents, Mena (Leena Dhingra) and Suresh (Kaleem Janjua) dismiss her fears as pre-wedding nerves and warn her if she doesn't marry Deepak, they will disown her. Sunita refuses to change her mind, starting work in the shop and residency in the flat above.
Sunita later leaves the shop and gets a job working at The Rovers Return Inn public house as a barmaid. She begins dating Ciaran McCarthy (Keith Duffy), causing problems between her and her friend, Shelley Unwin (Sally Lindsay), as he tried to wreck her relationship with his friend, Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne) but Ciaran is arrested for being absent without leave as he is still serving in the Navy. He is away for a while and Sunita starts developing feelings for Dev but Ciaran returns and they reconcile. Ciaran proposes and she accepts but he changes his mind about getting married and can't tell her so Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford) does it for him. Sunita then confronts him before ending their relationship. She briefly dates Danny Baldwin (Bradley Walsh) but ends it after discovering he is married.
Sunita later collapses and is diagnosed with an aneurysm and a brain tumour. Dev looks after Sunita, insisting that she get medical attention and going with her to her appointments. She is told that she will need an operation to repair the aneurysm but Dev's partner, Maya Sharma (Sasha Behar), who is friends with Danny's wife, Frankie Baldwin (Debra Stephenson), becomes suspicious. She sneaks into Sunita's flat and finds a pregnancy test. She assuming that it's positive until Dev tells her what is really wrong but Sunita's condition makes Dev realise that he is in love with her. He ends the relationship with Maya and tells Sunita after her operation. They decide to get married and they begin planning the wedding but Maya steals Sunita's birth certificate and as Sunita, marries 7 illegal immigrants and alerts the authorities. Sunita is arrested for bigamy on her wedding day but Dev clears Sunita's name, implicating Maya in her place. Sunita is released and Maya is arrested but released on bail. Angry that her scheme failed, Maya sets fire to Dev's shops around Manchester before taking Sunita hostage and tying her up and gagging her then capturing Dev. She sets fire to the corner shop. Sunita and Dev are rescued by Ciaran and Charlie Stubbs (Bill Ward). When Maya realises they have escaped, she tries to run them over but crashes and a truck crashes into her. She is taken to hospital in critical condition under police guard and later imprisoned.
In 2005, Sunita is overjoyed when she discovers she is expecting twins. Sunita gives birth to twins Aadi (Adam Hussain) and Asha (Tanisha Gorey), with Dev at her side. However, she later learns that Dev has children by several different women who he has given homes and jobs. She is devastated and leaves Dev after deciding she can no longer trust him. Off-screen Sunita divorces Dev, but they keep in regular contact.
2009–2013