australian television information archive

Georgina Naidu as Phrani Gupta

Phrani drives the Pearl Bay-to-Port Deakin bus, runs the general store and dabbles in numerous other local enterprises. She sees it all and feels she knows life and its vagaries all too well. She has a highly individual and often startling perception of the world. Her head is a pot-pourri of Eastern thought and she is particularly susceptible to maxims that involve accepting other people for who they are and what they believe. She is a unique figure on the coastal landscape. The fact that she is not taken seriously doesn't seem to worry her.

Georgina Naidu's first performance was at her third birthday party, an impromptu dance piece that brought the house down. At this tender age, she knew she wanted to act. After she graduated from high school she worked in production for five years, before training at the Victoria College of the Arts. Graduating in 1994, Georgina already has an enviable list of credits. Her most recent television and film roles include performances in The Gift, Lift Off, G.P., Road To Nhill and Dead Letter Office. Georgina's father is Indian, her mother from an English background. She has been brought up with a number of cultural influences. "It is quite wonderful, because I was the only Indian person on set and, as such, I was given a lot of leeway in regard to what I see is correct for my character."

"I like her because while she appears a traditional Indian woman, she is not cliched. She is industrious, has good business sense and can turn her hand to anything. She doesn't curb her behaviour for anyone. She says what she thinks and is up-front about everything, including men". - Georgina Naidu.