Sanjay Kapoor (EastEnders)

Sanjay Kapoor is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Deepak Verma.

Sanjay the market trader had an eye for the ladies and a weakness for gambling. He was always full of big ideas and get-rich-quick schemes, which never worked.

Development

In 1998, EastEnders acquired a new executive producer, Matthew Robinson. Robinson was dubbed "the axeman" in the British press, after a large proportion of the EastEnders cast either quit, or were culled, shortly after Robinson's introduction. It was reported that Robinson hoped the changes would attract more viewers and "spice up Walford".

Among the departing characters were longrunning Asian family the Kapoors, including Sanjay, Gita and Neelam Kapoor. As they were the only Asian characters in the show, EastEnders received criticism for axing them from angry black and Asian MPs, including Oona King, MP for East End constituency Bethnal Green and Dr Ashok Kumar.

Storylines

Sanjay was first seen in Albert Square in February 1993 as a friend of the market inspector, Richard Cole who came to persuade him to bend the rules and give him a pitch in the market for his clothing stall. Richard agreed and gave him Rachel Kominski's permanent pitch, much to her dismay.

Sanjay, a Hindu, was married to Gita Kapoor and at the time of his arrival she was heavily pregnant with their first...
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