EastEnders bad guy Navin Chowdhry has admitted how he has asked producers to tone down his evil character Nish Panesar.
The actor made his soap debut in 2022 playing the nasty businessman. As the patriarch of the Panesar clan, Nish has become one of the soap’s biggest villains.
From attempted murder to abusing his wife Suki, his time in Walford has not been short of drama. Especially at the moment, as this week he makes his dramatic return – and has some big news for his family: he is dying.
Fans will recall how Nish was booted out of the family home earlier his year. But the bad guy has arrived back in Walford – much to the shock of his estranged family and neighbours.
However, for actor Navin, he has previously shared that fans often blur the line between his evil character and who he is in real life. So much so, that he’s had to have words with producers.
Speaking to Daily Star, he said: “There have been moments when we’ve had scenes and I’ll speak to the producer and I’ll say, ‘I’m going to have to go on the school run and you’re making me beat up every woman on Albert Square’. I’ve been scared.
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“I am aware that everyone wanted him to die at Christmas. I apologise to the audience that I’m still around!”
What’s more, Navin has already had a bit of a backlash from soap fans. He added: “There has been the odd comment. There are a few unfriendly messages I’ve been on the receiving end of. But most people get it.”
Despite the negativity, Navin is happy to keep playing Nish on the long-running BBC One soap. In fact, he actually enjoys being nasty for the role.
He said: “I enjoy being evil. And we have a good time on set. They often say the best fun you have is when you’re doing the darkest stuff. Sometimes when you go really dark, the flipside is you have a very fun experience on set.”
