Candidates At 21st Asian Achievers Awards
The stage is set and the red-carpet is getting laid out as the shortlist for potential winners of the
21st Asian Achievers Awards, the UK’s most prominent and longstanding celebration of British
Asian achievement across multiple fields, are announced. This year’s Awards will take place on
Friday 15th September 2023 at the prestigious London Hilton on Park Lane. Nearly 700 people
are expected to attend. These high-profile guests include celebrities, senior ministers, global stars
and influencers.
In the upcoming edition, more than 500 nominations were received across all the categories.
These include: Arts And Culture, Business Person Of The Year, Community Service,
Entrepreneur Of The Year, Lifetime Achievement Award, Media, Professional Of The Year
Sports Personality Of The Year, Uniformed And Civil Service and Woman Of The Year.
Judges were chosen to represent a wide cross-section of society from charity, public services,
business, entrepreneurship and politics. Among them are Farzana Baduel (CEO and Co-Founder,
Curzon PR) and Shamil Thakrar (Co-Founder, Dishoom). Eastenders actor Nitin Ganatra will be
the evening’s Host with Pakistani actress/model Ainy Jafri Rahman as Co-Host.
This year’s shortlist includes accomplished figures across various fields, with some major
trailblazers in the arts and culture fraternity. Shubham Saraf is an actor who was born in Kolkata,
India, spent significant time Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago before moving to London. With a BA
in Economics from University of Warwick then obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Acting from the
Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2017. Renowned for breaking barriers in the performing
arts field, Saraf is highly acclaimed for his work on stage. His 2022 performance as Nathuram
Godse in National Theatre’s The Father And The Assassin resulted him in a nomination at the
Evening Standard Theatre Awards. His acclaimed screen work also include BBC One’s A Suitable
Boy, Shantaram on Apple TV+ and Netflix’s Criminal: UK. Saraf recently made his Hindi debut with
Blink alongside Bollywood star Sonam Kapoor. It currently streams on JioCinema.
Harrow-based Archana Kumar has become a huge success in her field. Starting dance at a
young age, she turned her passion into a business, winning a range of high profile competitions
along the way. Kumar has utilised her exceptional choreography and teaching skills to open her
own dance school, teaching over 1,000 students, in a range of classes, and across London for
various cultural performances and events. From kids’ classes, summer workshops, ladies
workouts to over 50’s Bollywood sessions, Kumar aims to spread the art of dance and music
through the community. Over the decade, her successes have reached amazing heights. She has
produced and directed the UK smash hit Theatre Production, Mrs Kapoor’s Daughter’s Wedding.
The show is packed with entertainment, Bollywood dancing, live singing and laugh-out-loud
comedy. It has very quickly become a huge household name showcasing traditions and family
values through the lives of a typical British Asian household. With an amazing 83 sell-out shows
around the UK, 86k audience members, roaring reviews, and standing ovations, it’s become the
must-attend stage spectacle. Throughout her career, Archana’s drive has always been to open
more doors for UK-based South Asians in the world of the performing arts.
Born in Nairobi, Kenya to Indian parents and then grew up in London whilst studying in Yorkshire.
Writer, producer and director Pratibha Parmar always had a keen eye for conveying stories about
strong women and social justice. Thus far, she has helmed award-winning directed award-winning
films for BBC, Channel 4, ITVS, PBS and European broadcasters. Her work has also had
theatrical distribution. A globally recognised filmmaker and human rights activist, Pratibha’s works
Warrior Marks and Khush helped gain pivotal rights for women and girls as well as contributing to
the visibility of marginalised LGBTQIA+ communities. Her accomplishments have been recognised
with multiple accolades. This includes an ICON award presented at the London Indian Film
Festival for Outstanding Contribution to Indian and World Cinema. She is also a member of the
Directors Guild of America and a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. Parmar’s
recent independent film, My Name Is Andrea, a hybrid doc featuring performances from Ashley
Judd, Andrea Riseborough, Amandla Stenberg, Christine Lahti and Soko, had its world premiere
at the Tribeca Film Festival. Last year’s credits also include directing an episode of the iconic show
Law & Order: SVU for NBC. Pratibha is currently focused on directing scripted television.
Leeds born-and-raised virtuoso sitarist Jasdeep Singh Degun has a well-rounded sense of
musicality and sensitivity towards. Not only towards Indian Classical but many other different
styles and genres of music. Degun was a small child when he began singing devotional Kirtan at
the Gurdwara in north Leeds, and vocal training with an Indian classical teacher while at primary
school. Aged 15, he commenced his study of the sitar under Ustad Dharambir Singh MBE, a
master of the North Indian ‘gayaki ang’ singing style that simulates the human voice through a
gliding, pulling string technique called ‘meend’. He obtained a degree from SOAS, University of
London before undertaking a six-month period at Sangeet Research Academy, a top music school
in Kolkata, North India. The musical prodigy has performed all over the world in many high-profile
productions and prestigious venues, including Buckingham Palace, the Amphitheatre in Doha, and
the Royal Albert Hall at the 2014 BBC Proms. In May 2022, Degun released his debut album
Anomaly on Real World Records. The soundtrack’s twelve tracks range from inspired sitar solos to
orchestral cinematic journeying. Jasdep is currently supported by and the PRS Foundation’s
Composers’ Fund and Open Fund.
Speaking about this year’s programme, Liji George, Commercial Director, Asian Achievers
Awards says: “We see in the Shortlist that the Awards represent the best and brightest in South
Asian excellence across the country. We have community leaders, innovators and job creators
that have added to the social, cultural and business fabric of the UK. Congratulations to all the
shortlist and best of luck for the Awards.”
South Asians in the UK today occupy leadership positions across a range of fields, including
politics, business and civil society. The Asian Achievers Awards continue to recognise the
outstanding work of such individuals within the South Asian community. The event is organised by
global advisory firm EPG, supported by Market Financial Solutions (MFS), Axiom DWFM, Asian
Voice, Gujarat Samachar and others, with expected funds of upwards of £150,000 expected to
be raised for charity partner One Kind Act on the night.
Over the last few editions, the net worth of the room has consistently been over £40 billion. Tickets
for the event will be available at: asianachieversawards.com.
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