Little India
Meera was born and raised in a mining village near Wolverhampton. She describes her younger self as 'mouthy', saying she would hit anyone that called her names at school. Meera said her home was like 'little India', an enclave of culture populated by extended family.

Scholar
Meera went to an all-girls school, taking an interest in music and languages. She played guitar, and learned to speak Spanish and French. Achieving three A levels, Meera decided against following her parents wish for her to become a doctor. Instead, she studied English and Drama at Manchester University.

Writing herself
While studying drama, Meera found she was not offered many acting parts, so she decided to write her own. She wrote a play loosely based on her life called One of Us, the story of an Asian girl who runs away from home to become an actress. The play won the National Student Drama Award and was performed at the Edinburgh Festival.

On stage
While performing at the Edinburgh Festival, Meera was approached by a theatre director. He was keen to work with her and this persuaded Meera to abandon plans for an MA to become an actress. She spent the next seven years acting at the Royal Court Theatre in London.

TV calls
In 1994, the BBC asked Meera to write and star in a drama series. Entitled My Sister Wife, it told the story of an Asian marriage. The same year, she wrote the screenplay for her first film, Bhaji on the Beach. Meera was the first Asian woman to write and direct a British feature.

Comic relief
In 1996, Meera published her first novel, Anita and Me. She was also asked to join a new sketch show on Radio 4. Goodness Gracious Me proved to be such a hit that it was quickly transferred to BBC2. The show teamed Meera with comic Sanjeev Bhaskar and they would later work together on The Kumars at No 42, and the film version of Meera's book.

Bombay dreaming
In 2002, Meera penned the script for the Bollywood-inspired musical Bombay Dreams. She admits it was a daunting task, presenting an unknown culture, composer and genre to British audiences. The show proved to be a great success and transferred to Broadway at the end of its London run.