Dalip's dreams turn into nightmare

A Hindi film actor working for a BBC TV soap opera has aroused the wrath of the actors union Equity which says he is taking work away from British born Asian actors.

Dalip Tahil who stars as charmer Dan Ferreira in the BBC soap opera East Enders, has been questioned by immigration officials over his two year work permit which is specific to his earlier work for Andrew Lloyd Webber's stage production Bombay Dreams. But last March the BBC headhunted him for East Enders where he has become one of the soap opera's best loved characters.

Equity says it was never consulted about a new work permit for Tahil.

"If we had been consulted we would not have been in favour of a work permit for the East Enders role because many British-born Asian actors could undertake that role", the Equity spokesman added. BBC refused to say whether the actor would be deported.