Racists leave Suki shaken…
SUKI STRIKES FEAR INTO THE HEARTS OF THE LOCALS – BUT STAR BALVINDER SOPAL TELLS US THERE’S MORE TO HER CHARACTER THAN MEETS THE EYE…
It’s fair to say that Suki Panesar hasn’t exactly made a lot of friends in Walford! Since arriving on the Square just over a year ago, she’s made it clear that she’s not to be crossed – just ask her son Jags what happens if you get on the wrong side of Suki!
Yet there’s a sense that all the hardships life has thrown at her have made her this way, and she’s just doing whatever it takes to keep her family safe. Balvinder Sopal, who plays the Machiavellian mum, agrees…
“Part of her does enjoy being bad, but there’s also a part of her that’s had to do it,” she considers. “Suki’s just trying to provide for her family, and make sure they’re all right. She also wants to make sure they have a standing in the community, because there’s respect in fear, isn’t there? It’s her survival instinct.”
This week, we get a glimpse of Suki’s more vulnerable side after the Minute Mart is a target for racist graffiti. The incident leaves Suki shaken, and she opens up to her eldest son Kheerat about some painful memories.
“For Suki it’s just a horrible reminder that her family will never be good enough to be a part of the wider community,” sighs Balvinder. “She can serve them 24/7, be open for them to get their loo rolls in the middle of the night, but at the end of the day she will still be an outsider. And that hurts – when you think you’re a part of something, then with a word someone can dismiss you.
“I think that’s also one of the reasons that Suki keeps her cards close to her chest,” she adds. “She doesn’t believe in relying on the wider community – they are bound to let you down, as they don’t see you as one of them. And so Suki thinks, ‘Well, if you don’t see us as equals, then we don’t see you as equals’. Which is a sad way to be.”
Seeing his mum so upset leads Kheerat to announce that he’s going to visit his dad, who is in prison. However, is that what Suki really wants?
“She doesn’t want to revisit old wounds,” Balvinder tells us. “Seeing his dad could derail Kheerat, and Suki doesn’t want emotions to get hold of him. She just wants him to stay focussed on family and business, which is what his dad would want, too.”
So, will we ever meet Mr Panesar, and what affect would his arrival have on the family?
“I don’t think there’s much of a connection between Suki and her husband, because he’s in prison for a long time,” explains Balvinder. “Suki just wants to get on with her life – although how can you move on when something is unresolved?
“It’d be interesting to see the dynamic between Suki and her husband, but equally, I don’t want her to be defined by him,” she adds. “She is who she is, but I’d love to explore that relationship, I think it would be great for the viewers. I do wonder what Suki would make of her husband coming back into her life…”
Meanwhile, Balvinder is delighted that the Panesars are now a fully fledged part of Albert Square life, and even have some dodgy deals going on with the Mitchells!
“I love seeing the Panesars at the forefront of the storylines, not just in for diversity or representation,” she tells us. “I want us to be just like the Carters or the Truemans or the Mitchells – interesting as a family, but also authentic to where we come from.
“Even with Kheerat’s line recently [Kheerat declared his turban wasn’t a hat, but ‘a crown’], Sikh people rejoiced about the fact that, in a single line, they had been represented,” continues Balvinder. “It’s a delicate balance – and it’s important that we get it right.”
Suki doesn’t believe in relying on the wider community
Cousins of Alfie Moon, brothers Tyler and Anthony set hearts racing when they pitched up in Walford in 2011, having been introduced with the typical fanfare that you would expect for a new Walford duo.
Just a couple of years later, however, a change in producer resulted in stars Tony Discipline and Matt Lapinskas, who played the lads respectively, waving goodbye to the Square – with Tony going on to join the fire brigade, and Matt taking on building work between acting gigs.
So, what happens when you suddenly jump off the treadmill of a fast-moving soap and step out of the limelight? The boys – who are set to feature on podcast Soap From The Box, spilling more secrets from their time on the Square – join us to reveal the truth behind their Walford exits, and lift the lid on life after EastEnders…
“There have been a few times when I’ve been called to put out a fire, and I’ve been recognised as Tyler!” laughs Tony, as he and Matt reunite on a Zoom call to chat with Inside Soap. “There was one where a garden shed had caught alight, and as I’m running a hose through, this guy turns around mid-panic and goes, ‘Weren’t you in EastEnders, mate?’ And I thought, ‘I’d better do a good job of putting this fire out’!”
“People still message me and ask what I’m doing now,” shares Matt. “Soaps have such a massive audience, so it was nice to jump on the podcast with Tony to look back on it all. EastEnders was an experience that we went through together, and we’re still really close.”
For Tony and Matt, fresh out of drama school, landing in EastEnders was a surreal experience. Thankfully, though, they had 70s singing icon David Essex, who played their dad, Eddie, to guide them…
“During my first week, it hit me that I was in the show, and I said to David, ‘I don’t really know what I’m doing’!” confesses Tony. “He put his arm around me and said, ‘Listen, son – none of us do,’ and he made me feel so much better.”
“We’d all walk down the corridor together and see these lovely ladies staring, and think it was at us,” chuckles Matt. “But they were all looking at David!’”
The Moons’ exit was relatively low-key compared with their arrival – with Matt leaving first. And he admits the decision to call time on Anthony felt like a jolt.
“I think I’d just been measured for costumes on the same day that a new boss came in and told me that she was letting me go,” admits the 32-year-old. “It’s not until you shoot your final scenes and you’re back sat at home that it sinks in, but you just move on.
“During lockdown, I took on some building work to earn a bit of extra cash, and the papers said that I’d quit acting and was desperate for work,” continues Matt. “That was quite a funny moment,
because the next day I was on set shooting a Christmas film with Aston Merrygold from JLS, that’s on Amazon Prime now!”
Like Matt, acting is still Tony’s first love – and he’s raring to go when the next opportunity comes his way. In fact, the lads haven’t ruled out a return to Walford!
“Whenever EastEnders is ready for us, we’re good to go,” grins Matt. “If they need a couple of strapping lads to come back and stir some stuff up, I’m sure Anthony and Tyler would be up for it!”
“I think the Moons left to go on a cruise, so it’s been a long time at sea,” chips in Tony. “They must be in the Arctic by now!”