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'Emmerdale': Murderous Meena 'will do anything' warns actor Paige Sandhu

FROM ITV

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Print media - No Use Before Thursday 2nd December 2021
Online Media - No Use Before 0700hrs Thursday 2nd December 2021

Emmerdale - 9234

Friday 17th December 2021

As they smile sadly before parting, itÕs clear that both Billy Fletcher [JAY KONTZLE] and Dawn Taylor [OLIOVIA BROMLEY] are regretful at how things have turned out. How will Meena JutlaÕs [PAIGE SANDHU]  react if she discovers the pair still have feelings for each?

Picture contact - David.crook@itv.com

Photographer - Mark Bruce

This photograph is (C) ITV Plc and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the programme or event mentioned above, or ITV plc. Once made available by ITV plc Picture Desk, this photograph can be reproduced once only up until the transmission [TX] date and no reproduction fee will be charged. Any subsequent usage may incur a fee. This photograph must not be manipulated [excluding basic cropping] in a manner which alters the visual appearance of the person photographed deemed detrimental or inappropriate by ITV plc Picture Desk. This photograph must not be syndicated to any other company, publication or website, or permanently archived, without the express written permission of ITV Picture Desk. Full Terms and conditions are available on  www.itv.com/presscentre/itvpictures/terms
Paige Sandhu's Meena has been Emmerdale's most murderous character this year (ITV)

Emmerdale star Paige Sandhu says 'there’s nothing that’s out of bounds' for her dangerous alter ego.

Sandhu plays manipulative murderess Meena Jutla in the ITV soap, who has been building up her body count by bumping off any villager who poses a threat to her.

Last month, Ben Tucker (Simon Lennon) was the latest poor soul to meet a brutal end after he discovered her involvement in the survival week disaster.

Read more: Who will Meena kill next?

Chatting at a recent press event, Sandhu reveals an insight into Meena’s twisted mind saying: “She’ll do anything to get what she wants.”

FROM ITV

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Print media - No Use Before Tuesday Tuesday 16th November 2021
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Emmerdale - 9215/16

Thursday 25th November 2021

Ben [SIMON LENNON] is surprised and unnerved when a smiling Meena Jutla [PAIGE SANDHU] then appears in the office. Meena lunges to grab the camera from him but fails to wrestle it from him and he makes off with it. Meena gives chase but slips in the wine Liv spilled earlier. As Meena lies lifeless on the floor, panicked Ben has no idea what to do... 

Picture contact - David.crook@itv.com

This photograph is (C) ITV Plc and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the programme or event mentioned above, or ITV plc. Once made available by ITV plc Picture Desk, this photograph can be reproduced once only up until the transmission [TX] date and no reproduction fee will be charged. Any subsequent usage may incur a fee. This photograph must not be manipulated [excluding basic cropping] in a manner which alters the visual appearance of the person photographed deemed detrimental or inappropriate by ITV plc Picture Desk. This photograph must not be syndicated to any other company, publication or website, or permanently archived, without the express written permission of ITV Picture Desk. Full Terms and conditions are available on  www.itv.com/presscentre/itvpictures/terms
FROM ITV

STRICT EMBARGO
Print media - No Use Before Tuesday Tuesday 16th November 2021
Online Media - No Use Before 0700hrs  Tuesday 16th November 2021

Emmerdale - 9215/16

Thursday 25th November 2021

Ben [SIMON LENNON] finally turns to the body camera and is horrified as he watches shaky footage of the attempted drowning of Victoria.

Picture contact - David.crook@itv.com

This photograph is (C) ITV Plc and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the programme or event mentioned above, or ITV plc. Once made available by ITV plc Picture Desk, this photograph can be reproduced once only up until the transmission [TX] date and no reproduction fee will be charged. Any subsequent usage may incur a fee. This photograph must not be manipulated [excluding basic cropping] in a manner which alters the visual appearance of the person photographed deemed detrimental or inappropriate by ITV plc Picture Desk. This photograph must not be syndicated to any other company, publication or website, or permanently archived, without the express written permission of ITV Picture Desk. Full Terms and conditions are available on  www.itv.com/presscentre/itvpictures/terms
Ben confronted Meena and met a grisly fate (ITV)

“There’s nothing that’s out of bounds for her because she doesn’t feel guilty about doing anything, and she doesn’t believe that laws and bad things apply to her. She gets to do whatever she wants, she’s indestructible.”

In upcoming scenes, Meena will lie to latest beau Billy Fletcher (Jay Kontzle) that she is expecting his baby. This twist comes after he chooses to be with Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley).

Asked exactly how far Meena will go to keep up this act, the actor explained: “She does go really far, like, too far. I read the script and I was like ‘she does what?!’ Yeah, she goes really far — think of the worst thing and then times it by ten and that’s what she does.”

FROM ITV

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Print media - No Use Before Tuesday Tuesday 23rd November 2021
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Emmerdale - 9219

Tuesday 30th November 2021

Billy Fletcher [JAY KONTZLE] comforts a distraught Dawn Taylor [OLIVIA BROMLEY], who insists she's a monster for killing Malone. When Billy delivers an impassioned speech, Dawn leans in for a kiss which Billy initially reciprocates before pulling away, leaving her humiliated. 

Picture contact - David.crook@itv.com

Photographer - Mark Bruce 

This photograph is (C) ITV Plc and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the programme or event mentioned above, or ITV plc. Once made available by ITV plc Picture Desk, this photograph can be reproduced once only up until the transmission [TX] date and no reproduction fee will be charged. Any subsequent usage may incur a fee. This photograph must not be manipulated [excluding basic cropping] in a manner which alters the visual appearance of the person photographed deemed detrimental or inappropriate by ITV plc Picture Desk. This photograph must not be syndicated to any other company, publication or website, or permanently archived, without the express written permission of ITV Picture Desk. Full Terms and conditions are available on  www.itv.com/presscentre/itvpictures/terms
Billy Fletcher (Jay Kontzle) comforts a distraught Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley) (ITV)

While she joins a long list of soap ladies who have faked a pregnancy for their own selfish reasons, there is another more pressing concern. Could Meena kill Dawn next?

“Yeah, 100%! Any excuse to kill someone! ‘Oh, you looked at me like that? I’m gonna kill you’. But particularly with [Meena’s] history with David and Victoria, Dawn is a big threat. So yeah, she’s in trouble!”

Read more: Emmerdale spoilers - Meena's Christmas plan for Billy

The festive period also sees Manpreet Sharma (Rebecca Sarker) finally begin to suspect foul play where her sinister sibling is concerned. The respectable doctor does some digging into the death of Meena’s friend Nadine, and this leaves Meena with something of a dilemma.

“Manpreet is the person who probably knows her the most, and knows her the best,” Sandhu muses.

FROM ITV

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Print media - No Use Before Tuesday 7th December 2021
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Emmerdale - Ep 9238

Thursday 23rd December 2021

Manpreet Sharma [REBECCA SARKER] is suspicious of Meena Jutla’s [PAIGE SANDHU] pregnancy

Picture contact - David.crook@itv.com

Photographer - Mark Bruce

This photograph is (C) ITV Plc and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the programme or event mentioned above, or ITV plc. Once made available by ITV plc Picture Desk, this photograph can be reproduced once only up until the transmission [TX] date and no reproduction fee will be charged. Any subsequent usage may incur a fee. This photograph must not be manipulated [excluding basic cropping] in a manner which alters the visual appearance of the person photographed deemed detrimental or inappropriate by ITV plc Picture Desk. This photograph must not be syndicated to any other company, publication or website, or permanently archived, without the express written permission of ITV Picture Desk. Full Terms and conditions are available on  www.itv.com/presscentre/itvpictures/terms
Manpreet is suspicious of Meena (ITV)

“I always feel like Meena would murder anyone, would do anything bad to anyone... the only person that she would think twice about doing it to would be Manpreet.

“So when Manpreet starts to do these things, Meena can’t just go and ‘off’ her sister because she does have some sort of feeling for her, so she has to choose a different tactic.”

Meena has quickly become one of the most iconic soap villains of the year, and Sandhu’s electric portrayal is a big part of that. So what is it like to play such an animated, complex character?

Paige Sandhu as Meena (ITV)
Paige Sandhu as Meena (ITV)

“It’s fun to be bad! It just is, in a safe, not real way!” Sandhu replies. “We were doing some crazy [scenes] yesterday where you get to go to really extreme places. I just think it's out of the norm, so it’s more fun.

“I don’t know, maybe there’s something messed up in my own head!” she laughs. “But yeah, I enjoy it.”

Teasing what we can expect from the big Christmas storyline, Sandhu promises: “It’s not your average episode.”

“We got to do some really cool stuff that you don’t do in your average Emmerdale episode, or average show! I feel like the writing was really interesting - we had some really good dark, intense, funny scenes.

“So that was really fun, I hope that the audience will like it - I definitely don’t think they’ll expect what’s coming.”

Watch the latest Emmerdale spoilers