Navin Chowdhry – who plays EastEnders villain ‘Nasty’ Nish Panesar – has revealed that his character has one weakness: he “genuinely cares” about his grandchildren.
Since debuting on the soap back in 2022, Nish has been heavily involved in some extremely dramatic storylines – including the attempted murder of his ex-wife Suki – and he recently returned to Albert Square after a three month absence with the news that he is dying of viral myocarditis.
Since his comeback, he has made it clear that he wants to build bridges with his grandchildren and appeared to win the forgiveness of sons Vinny and Ravi, even as his relationship with the family remains understandably strained.
Speaking at the first RadioTimes.com Soap Awards sponsored by Inspired Villages – where he won the award for Best Villain – Chowdhry explained: “When it comes to the grandkids he genuinely cares.”
Asked about Nish’s own children, he continued: “I think because his life has been so separate from them, the bond is arguably different to a normal father/child relationship, you could argue.
“So I think there’s such a loss and a longing to rediscover what he never experienced when he was in prison. At the same time in his head, in his mind, in his heart, they have to fall in line with what he wants.”
He added: “So if anybody… we’ve done little scenes here and there, where if anybody can perhaps get through to him on an emotional level, it is his grandkids.”
Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com last month, Chowdhry explained that the character was “more dangerous than he’s ever been” since his diagnosis, owing to the fact that he now has nothing to lose.
