Shabnam Masood (also Kazemi) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Zahra Ahmadi and later Rakhee Thakrar. Shabnam's first appearance was on 17 July 2007. Ahmadi made her final appearance as Shabnam on 24 October 2008.Digital Spy Shabnam returned to the show on 13 January 2014, after Thakrar assumed the role on 1 December 2013. After two years on the show, Thakrar made an unannounced exit as Shabnam on 5 February 2016.
Shabnam's storylines during her first stint in the show include a feud with her mother, Zainab Masood (Nina Wadia); friendships with Dawn Swann (Kara Tointon) and Carly Wicks (Kellie Shirley); her failed engagements with Muslim men; and her difficulty acknowledging her family and religious roots. During her second stint on the show, her storylines include a friendship with Stacey Branning (Lacey Turner); a relationship with Kush Kazemi (Davood Ghadami); the revelation that she has a secret daughter, Jade Green (Amaya Edwards), whose father is Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo); delivering a stillborn son named Zaair with Kush; and suspecting an affair between Kush and Stacey. Shabnam left Albert Square with Jade, leaving Kush behind, after she made the decision for him to stay with his son Arthur Fowler, whom he fathered with Stacey.
Creation and development
Background Shabnam Masood was one of several Asian characters introduced in 2007 by executive producer, Diederick Santer."", Asians in Media, accessed 16 October 2007 She was first seen in July 2007, the episode after the introduction of her mother, Zainab (played by Nina Wadia), who became Walford's new postmistress. An EastEnders source commented: "Shabnam's definitely going to turn heads. She's 21, fresh from university and has no idea what she wants to do with her life. To keep her going, her mum gives her a job at the Post Office." Shabnam appeared intermittently until October 2007, when the Masood family, including Masood Ahmed and Tamwar Masood (Shabnam's father and brother), moved to a property on Albert Square and became regular characters.
The Masoods were the first Muslim family to join the show since the Karims, who appeared between 1987 and 1990, and they were the first Asian family to be introduced since the unsuccessful Ferreira family in 2003. Panned by critics and viewers, the Ferreiras were dismissed as unrealistic by the Asian community in the UK, and were eventually axed in 2005."Unrealistic’ Ferreira family dismissed by Asian viewers ", The Stage, accessed 16 October 2007"Unrealistic’ EastEnder accuses BBC of discrimination", Digital Spy, accessed 16 October 2007
The introduction of more ethnic minority characters is part of producer Diederick Santer's plan to "diversify", to make EastEnders "feel more 21st century"."The art of storytelling", The Guardian, accessed 27 March 2007 Prior to 2007, EastEnders was heavily criticised by the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE), for not representing the East End's real "ethnic make-up". It was suggested that the average proportion of visible minority faces on EastEnders was substantially lower than the actual ethnic minority population in East London boroughs, and it therefore reflected the East End in the 1960s, not the East End of the 2000s. Furthermore, it was suggested that an element of "tokenism" and stereotyping surrounded many of the minority characters in EastEnders. The expansion of minority representation in EastEnders provides "more opportunities for audience identification with its characters, hence a wider appeal.""EastEnders ", The Museum of Broadcast Communications, accessed 27 March 2007 Trevor Phillips, CRE chair, has said: "balanced representation of ethnic minority communities in the media matters. The industry has a key part to play in this, it is a powerful tool and can go a long way towards helping to build an integrated society.""Coronation Street and EastEnders battle it out for coveted CRE Race In the Media Award", Campaign for Racial Equality, accessed 27 March 2007
Casting Actress Zahra Ahmadi, a graduate from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, was cast as Shabnam. She has commented: "I've watched EastEnders as long as I can remember and I'm really excited to be joining the cast. It was very surreal walking into the Square and seeing all the faces I'd grown up watching. I felt like I knew them". EastEnders executive producer, Diederick Santer, has said "Newcomer Zahra is a real find. She's warm and great fun. I'm confident the Masoods will be a big hit with viewers."
Departure It was reported on 8 September 2008 that Zahra Ahmadi had quit her role as Shabnam. Ahmadi was quoted as saying: "I've made the tough decision to leave as I'm still young and I want to try other roles. But I'm really happy the door has been left open for me to return as it has been a great experience." Diederick Santer added: "Zahra is a fine actress, even though she's leaving, the door is always open for her to return. The Masood family have been a great addition to Albert Square so there's plenty more to come from them in future.""Shabnam Masood actress quits 'Enders ", Digital Spy, accessed 8 September 2008 The character made her exit in October 2008, leaving England to find her roots in Pakistan.
Reintroduction and recast It was announced on 1 December 2013 that Shabnam would return to EastEnders in January 2014, played by Rakhee Thakrar. Thakrar said of her casting: "Having grown up watching EastEnders with my family, I'm really excited to now be joining the show. I can't wait to become part of the Masood family and start working with the rest of the amazing EastEnders cast and crew." Shabnam returned to EastEnders on 13 January 2014.
Stillbirth On 1 August 2015, Thakrar confirmed a stillbirth storyline for Shabnam and father-to-be Kush Kazemi, in which she realises that her baby has stopped moving. EastEnders worked with the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society (Now known as Sands) to produce the storyline. Speaking of the nature of the storyline, Thakrar commented: "In the UK, 3628 babies were stillborn in 2013, that's one in every 216 births; a shocking fact I've come to learn during my preparation for telling this story." She added: "It is an experience that profoundly changes a person's life forever, and we feel a heavy responsibility to tell the truth of this. Our hope is that we can encourage people to talk about their experiences and their babies that have died." Erica Stewart, Bereavement Support Services Manager at Sands, stated: "The death of a baby is rarely talked about. Many people shy away from the issue, others have a misconception that this is a thing of the past. We hope that with a TV drama as popular as EastEnders covering this heartbreaking experience, it will help to lift the taboo, and raise awareness of all the issues that surround the death of a baby. We worked closely with the writers and actors on this storyline. We really appreciate their dedication to ensuring that they portray the impact that the death of a baby has on bereaved families as truthfully as possible. Everyone involved has approached this storyline with incredible sensitivity."
The scenes featuring the stillbirth of baby Zaair took place commencing from 31 August 2015. The episode was watched by 6.2 million viewers on the night of its broadcast, and was met with a positive reception from fans. The episode in which Shabnam has a stillbirth was nominated for 'Best Single Episode' at the 2016 British Soap Awards but lost out to 'The Heart of England' from Doctors. Thakrar was also nominated for 'Best Actress' but lost the award to co-star Lacey Turner.
Second departure On 5 February 2016, viewers saw Shabnam depart Walford with her long-lost daughter, Jade following the ending of her marriage to Kush. Thakrar's departure from the show was not announced. After the episode aired, Thakrar commented: "Every now and again a job and a group of people change your life. I can definitely say that about EastEnders. I'm so grateful for the chance to play Shabnam Masood and particularly her story. It feels like the right time for both myself and the character to move on. I'm very thankful for my time on the show. It's been brilliant." Thakrar also extended her thanks to executive producer, Dominic Treadwell-Collins and said she would miss co-stars Ganatra, Patel, Ghadami and Turner. She did not rule out a return to the show.
Storylines 2007–2008 Shabnam, the daughter of Masood Ahmed (Nitin Ganatra) and Zainab Masood (Nina Wadia), appears initially as a university graduate, who is undecided what career path she wants to follow. She has aspirations to travel and makes plans to leave Walford but is forced to rethink when she discovers her parents are struggling financially. Shabnam's lack of direction, friendship with Dawn Swann (Kara Tointon) and recreational activities anger Zainab, causing friction between mother and daughter. Zainab tries to set Shabnam up with Jalil Iqbal (Jan Uddin) and invites him to stay with the family and work in their post office for a while. Shabnam is initially against this as she remembers Jalil as a "geek" from her childhood, though when she sees him, she is attracted to him. Zainab sets them up with a romantic meal, listening in on their conversation using a baby monitor. Shabnam discovers that Jalil has a girlfriend, though Zainab sees a picture of her and jokes that she is ugly and that her make-up looks like it has been done by Edward Scissorhands. Shabnam later bumps into Jalil on a night out in R&R nightclub, where they flirt. Jalil and Shabnam later share a kiss, but during a conversation with the Masood family, he comments that he thinks modern Muslim women like Shabnam provide "great entertainment" but are not marriage material. Zainab is greatly offended by this and sends him away.
Shabnam and Zainab have an argument about Shabnam's behaviour after Zainab catches her dancing in a club. Zainab is disappointed that Shabnam seems to want to embrace British culture more than her family's traditional Muslim culture. Zainab warns Shabnam about the dangers of going against her people's culture and society's rules, relaying an incident in Pakistan, where a girl was burnt as punishment by her family for secretly dating a boy her family felt was unsuitable. After hearing this story, Shabnam is unable to feel proud of her culture; however, Zainab has many positive things to say about the Muslim culture too. Shabnam feels confused; she does not know where she really belongs, so she leaves Walford to find her roots in Pakistan.
2014–2016 Shabnam returns to Walford after attending her grandmother's funeral, but leaves after arguing with Masood. She soon returns when she hears about Masood's downward spiral so she moves in with him and Tamwar. She gets a job working with Denise Fox (Diane Parish) at the local Minute Mart. A market worker, Kush Kazemi (Davood Ghadami), tries to impress her, but she is not interested. She befriends Stacey Branning (Lacey Turner). She soon gets closer to Kush, and they kiss and have sex. She tells Stacey that she had a daughter named Roya who she left on her aunt's doorstep and was adopted. The father is Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo). Shabnam develops feelings for Kush and when he gets her to admit it, he says he feels the same. They date in secret but Stacey finds out, and then Masood also finds out through gossip. Masood is against this, so Shabnam lies that Kush has proposed to her. Kush says it is happening too fast and Masood orders him to leave. Kush later admits that he is unable to commit as he is still mourning his dead wife. Shabnam admits that she only pushed their relationship through lying because she loves him. They resume their relationship and take things more slowly, and tell Masood of their plans, who comes round to the idea.