Archana Panjabi (born 31 May 1972) is an English actress. On television, she is known for her roles as Maya Roy in the BBC One series Life on Mars (2006–2007), Kalinda Sharma in the CBS series The Good Wife (2009–2015), Nas Kamal in the NBC series Blindspot (2016–2017, 2020), Kendra Malley in the Global series Departure (2019–2023), and The Rani in Doctor Who (2025). Her work in The Good Wife earned her a Primetime Emmy Award in 2010 and an NAACP Image Award in 2012, as well as two further Emmy nominations, one Golden Globe nomination, and three Screen Actors Guild Award nominations shared with the cast. Panjabi is the first Asian actor to win a Primetime Emmy for acting. Her films include East Is East (1999), Bend It Like Beckham (2002), Yasmin (2004), and A Mighty Heart (2007).

Early life and education Archana Panjabi was born 31 May 1972 in Edgware, London, to Govind and Padma Panjabi, both Sindhi Hindu immigrants from India. Her ancestry belongs to Sindh, now in Pakistan; her parents settled in India after the Partition of India.

She graduated from Brunel University with a degree in management studies in 1994. She is also trained in ballet.

Career Panjabi has appeared in film and television, from early appearances in the 1999 comedy film East is East to the BBC television series Life on Mars. Her first Hollywood role, as a British diplomat, was in the Oscar-winning The Constant Gardener, released in 2005. One of her highest profile film roles was in the 2002 comedy release Bend It Like Beckham. Panjabi then landed the role of witty and wisecracking office colleague Gemma in the 2006 Ridley Scott-directed romantic comedy A Good Year, alongside Russell Crowe and Marion Cotillard.

Panjabi next appeared in 2007 with Angelina Jolie in the film adaptation of A Mighty Heart, a book by Mariane Pearl, wife of the journalist Daniel Pearl. Panjabi played the role of former Wall Street Journal reporter Asra Nomani. In 2008, she played the role of Chandra Dawkin in Traitor.

She provided the voices for several characters in the British children's television animation Postman Pat. She lent her voice to the video game Dead Space: Extraction. Panjabi appeared on the BBC Four World Cinema Award show in February 2008, arguing the merits of five international hits such as The Lives of Others and Pan's Labyrinth with Jonathan Ross and Christopher Eccleston. In 2009, she portrayed an MI5 agent in the French movie Espion(s), and in the same year she joined the cast of the new CBS television series The Good Wife as Kalinda Sharma, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award. Panjabi is the first actor of Indian descent to win an Emmy award.

In 2010, she played Saamiya Nasir in the British comedy The Infidel. On 28 May 2012, she was cast as pathologist Tanya Reed Smith in BBC Two drama series The Fall. Panjabi appeared as Blaise in the BBC World Service radio series Westway. After leaving The Good Wife in 2015, she guest starred in Fox comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. She joined the cast of Shetland series 3.

In 2016, it was announced that she will star in ABC anthology drama series The Jury as the show's protagonist, Kim Dempsey. She also joined the cast of NBC drama Blindspot.

In December 2017, Panjabi commented in The Daily Telegraph on the improvement for offers of parts for actors from ethnic groups "I think there's definitely been an acknowledgement of there being a lack of diversity...". In an interview with The Guardian in February 2018, subsequent to her The Good Wife success, Panjabi ruefully recalled "A US talent agent once told me an Indian woman could never have a career in Hollywood". She also starred as Reece Shearsmith's third love interest, in the ITV drama The Widower, first aired in August 2019. She starred in TNT's drama Snowpiercer in Season three in 2022.

In May 2021, Panjabi voiced Depa Billaba in the series premiere of Star Wars: The Bad Batch.

In September 2024, it was reported by Deadline that Panjabi had been cast in the fifteenth series of Doctor Who. At the end of "The Interstellar Song Contest" it was revealed that she is playing the newest incarnation of The Rani, a villain not seen since the 1993 special Dimensions in Time.

Philanthropy Panjabi was appointed the first Pratham USA Ambassador, representing the largest educational movement in India. She is a celebrity participant in the Rotary International's "This Close" public service campaign to end polio. In support of women's rights, she has partnered with Amnesty International to head their Stop Violence Against Women campaign to change the "no recourse to public funds" rule that traps women in a cycle of violence. On 9 February 2011, Panjabi walked in The Heart Truth's Red Dress Collection Fashion Show to increase awareness of the danger of heart disease, the number one killer of women. The Harvard Foundation and Office for the Arts at Harvard University invited Panjabi to participate in their Artist in Residence Program in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to share her creative process as an actress.

Personal life Panjabi married Rajesh Nihalani, a bespoke tailor, in 1998 in an arranged marriage. The couple have a daughter and son together.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1995 Bideshi Joyoti Short film 1999 East is East Meenah Khan 2001 Delilah Adult Pim Short film 2002 Black Nor White Sangeeta Short film 2002 Bend It Like Beckham Pinky Bhamra 2002 Arranged Marriage Shashi Short film 2003 Code 46 Check In 2003 Cross My Heart Sumi 2004 Yasmin Yasmin 2005 Chromophobia Sarita 2005 The Constant Gardener Ghita Pearson 2006 A Good Year Gemma 2007 Flying Lessons Sharmila Italian title: Lezioni di volo 2007 I Could Never Be Your Woman Casting Girl 2007 A Mighty Heart Asra Nomani 2008 Traitor Chandra Dawkin 2008 My World Teacher Short film 2009 Espion(s) Anna 2009 Be Good Animal Adoption Officer Short film 2010 The Infidel Saamiya Nasir 2010 The Happiness Salesman Karen Short film 2014 I Origins Priya Varma 2015 San Andreas Serena

Television Year Title Role Notes 1994 Siren Spirits Joyoti Episode: "Bideshi" 1996 The Thin Blue Line Nazia Habib Episode: "Alternative Culture" 1997 Dad Episode: "Dadmestic" 2000 Harry Enfield's Brand Spanking New Show Various 12 episodes 2001 A Mind to Kill Lamisa Khan Episode: "Colour Blind" 2001 Murder in Mind WPC Jill Evans Episode: "Vigilante" 2001 The Bill Shanaz Arad 2 episodes 2002 Single Voices Episode: "Little Englander" 2002 Holby City Ali Safron Episode: "From This Moment On" 2002 My Family Dental Assistant Episode: "Of Mice and Ben" 2002 White Teeth Alsana 4 episodes 2003 The Canterbury Tales Clare Episode: "The Man of Law's Tale" 2003–2004 Grease Monkeys Rita Dhillon 20 episodes 2003–2006 Postman Pat Meera Bains, Katy Pottage and Nisha Bains 2004 Sea of Souls Megan Sharma 6 episodes 2006–2007 Life on Mars Maya Roy 2 episodes 2007 Silent Witness Amita Joshi 2 episodes 2008-2017 Postman Pat: Special Delivery Service Meera Bains and Nisha Bains 2009 Personal Affairs Jane Lesser 5 episodes 2009–2015 The Good Wife Kalinda Sharma Main role (season 1–6) 2013–2014 The Fall Professor Reed Smith Main role 2014 The Widower Simone Banerjee Miniseries 2015 Brooklyn Nine-Nine Lieutenant Singh Episode: "The Funeral" 2016 Shetland Detective Sergeant Asha Israni Main role (series 3) 2016 The Jury Kim Dempsey Unsold TV pilot 2016 Power Monkeys Preeya Main role 2016–2018, 2020 Blindspot Nas Kamal Main role (season 2); guest role (seasons 3 & 5) 2017 Bull Arti Cander 1 episode: "The Devil, The Detail" 2017 BoJack Horseman Tilda Madison Voice role; episode: "Commence Fracking" 2018Next of Kin Mona Harcourt 6 episodes, also executive producer 2019–2023 Departure Kendra Malley Main role, also executive producer 2019 Still Open All Hours Jasmin Recurring role (series 6), 4 episodes 2020 Run Fiona 3 episodes 2020 I Know This Much Is True Dr Patel Miniseries 2021 Star Wars: The Bad Batch Depa Billaba Voice; episode: "Aftermath" 2022 Snowpiercer Asha Main role (season 3) 2023 Hijack Zahra Gahfoor Miniseries2024Under the BridgeSuman Virk2025Doctor Who The Rani3 episodes

Television films Year Title Role Notes 1995 Under the Moon Heena 2000 In The Beginning Basya 2001 Ivor the Invisible Leila 2002 The Secret Nadia's PO 2002 Tough Love Chandra 2003 This Little Life Niala 2003 Final Demand Farida 2005 A Very Social Secretary Ashley

Radio Year Title Role Notes 2004-5 Westway (radio series) Blaise

Awards

Panjabi was awarded the Chopard Trophy at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007. She was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for The Good Wife, winning in 2010. She won an NAACP Image Award in 2011 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for the same role. She was also nominated for three SAG Awards with her co-stars of The Good Wife for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

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