Yahoo News Bodyguard star Anjli almost turned down Nadia role
After its phenomenal debut success, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone willing to turn down a role in Bodyguard.
However, Anjli Mohindra has revealed she almost did just that.
In a new piece for Stylist, Mohindra said she nearly rejected the chance to play Nadia, because she "didn't want to perpetuate the seemingly Islamophobic narrative" of the series.
But after speaking to her agent, she changed her mind, as "you never know what's coming with a Jed Mercurio show".
"Once I clocked the end game, I thought to myself, 'This feels closer to the truth'," she wrote.
"These terror groups are funded, organised, even – however inadvertently – radicalised by people of power in the West.
"Being constantly excluded, alienated and persecuted can push people to extremes. Anyone (Muslim or otherwise) can be driven to inhumane actions if they're constantly vilified and dehumanised."
Mohindra went on to describe Nadia's "multi-layered and complex" character, and said that was what made her "sign for the part" in the end.
"This character felt real – she wasn't a plot device. I was able to give her a personal backstory which I then felt compelled to bring to life," she continued.
"The role wasn't black or white (or even brown) – it was multi-layered and complex. Just like life."
Bodyguard was initially accused of Islamophobia after it featured a Muslim woman as a suicide bomber.
Director Lexi Alexander tweeted at the time: "British TV industry, I have had it with you. Can you do one show without any bad Muslims in it? One??? Just one?!?"
In response, creator Jed Mercurio said critics "need to watch the whole drama" before deciding their opinion.
Last night's extended finale of Bodyguard featured a pivotal scene with Nadia, which had major ramifications when it came to working out who was responsible for the death of Julia Montague.
If you're no longer avoiding spoilers, we've deciphered all the important events from the final episode in the series here.
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