‘Bend It Like Beckham’ Icon Parminder Nagra Has Landed A Leading Role In A New Series
The series dropped on SBS this week.
Beloved Bend It Like Beckham actress Parminder Nagra is returning to our screens in the new UK crime drama D.I. Ray and you truly just love to see it.
It’s been 20 years since Nagra won our hearts as Jesminder “Jess” Bharma in the beloved sports comedy that has lived rent-free in my brain for two decades. Since then, she has starred in films like Ella Enchanted, Bird Box and Five Feet Apart, but D.I Ray marks her return to a lead role in a major project.
The new series, from the creators of Line Of Duty, follows D.I Rachita Ray, who finally receives a much-desired promotion to the homicide department, only to find out her first case is a “culturally specific homicide”.
This leads Ray to suspect she’s been given the role on the basis of her ethnicity rather than her expertise, but she sticks it out, determined to find the killer regardless.
On her journey to find the perpetrator, Ray deep dives into the dark world of organised crime, while navigating the racial biases of her co-workers.
Sadly, we don’t get to see any bending like Beckham in the series, but I will take what I can get when it comes to Parminder Nagra content. The woman has some top-tier acting chops and deserves to be much bigger of a name than she’s ever been given credit for. An icon, honestly.
The series also stars Battlestar Galactica’s Jamie Bamber, Pennyworth’s Ian Puleston-Davies and Maanuv Thiara of Ted Lasso fame. D.I Ray is created by Maya Sondhi and produced by Jed Mercurio — both Line of Duty stalwarts.
You can stream D.I Ray on SBS On Demand or watch episodes on SBS every Thursday at 8:30pm AEST.
Peep the trailer for D.I Ray below.