Shabnam Dutta

Shabnam Dutta Sahi is better known in the UK as Sonia Dutta and is a well established broadcaster, fluent in Hindi, Bengali and English, with over twelve years of broadcasting experience to her credit. As Sonia Dutta she presented the film chart show on Sunrise Radio and is generally acknowledged to be a Bollywood expert. She is married to the radio personality Manish Sahi

Biography

She started her career in 1995 with All India Radio in Delhi while reading for her Masters in Political Science at Lady Shri Ram College for Women at Delhi University, having already topped her subject at graduation level at Miranda House. Within months of her joining the newly launched FM Station for a new generation of young and trendy listeners, her weekly request show, 'You Asked For It' began topping the popularity charts and she was soon poached by the rival station TIMES FM now known as Radio Mirchi with an offer to present various shows through the week. She also did the original "Bole Mere Lips" on 6 O'clock FM which went on to become Radio Midday. Over the years, as she became a well known name in the world of broadcasting she demonstrated her unique talent and versatility by hosting quizzes, discussions, chart shows as well as being the voice of Weekend Breakfast alongside fellow broadcaster and journalist, Manish Sahi, who she married in 1999.

Shabnam Dutta Sahi or Shabbi as she is more commonly known joined in the internet radio revolution in India by being a part of the RADIO ASIANET line up in 1998 where she presented the definitive Bollywood Chart show every week. Soon she was lapped up by producers in Toronto to produce and present a pre-recorded weekly Bollywood show on Toronto's RADIO INDIA.

In the year 2000, Shabnam joined Zee TV, one of India's leading satellite channels, as a freelance news presenter while she continued to do her popular weekly show on radio.

From 1998 until she left the country in 2002, she was contracted by Trans World International ( TWI ) to voice a weekly sports show on the Rupert Murdoch owned STAR TV SPORTS as well other satellite channels like AXN, SONY MAX, Zee TV and the government owned national terrestrial channel, Doordarshan. Her credits include voice-overs for numerous radio and TV ads, Corporate films as well as short films and documentaries in Hindi, English and Bengali.She also worked as a freelance Researcher for LIMCA BOOK OF RECORDS, India's answer to the Guinness Book, from 1996-1997. In 1998 Shabnam acted in a short public awareness film in Hindi on child literacy, directed by a student of MCRC, Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi - the premier Film school in India. Contemporary Indian films (or ‘Bollywood’ ) became one of Shabnam’s specialized areas of interest and expertise in the years that followed. Over the years, she got to discuss films with some of the biggest names in the Indian Film industry.

She moved to London with husband Manish Sahi in 2002 and was promptly offered a job at Sunrise Radio. Here she carved a niche for herself among her fellow Asian broadcasters in the UK as Sonia Dutta, a name she adopted following a request from her employers, to follow their Station policy and acquire a nom de plume!Besides presenting various shows for them as well as scripting, voicing and editing commercials she also hosted many live shows on stage - be it the annual ASIANA BRIDAL SHOW and THE ASIAN LIFESTYLE SHOW or various other melas and events like Diwali/Baisakhi At Trafalgar Square, London Mela etc.

In 2006 she recorded the popular title track for a unique concept album titled 'Lady Chatterjee' which was produced and conceptualised by leading Delhi singer/songwriter/musician Sawan Dutta and brought out by the HMV -SA RE GA MA label. She left Sunrise Radio in September of that year.

In 2007 she became a mum for the second time with her son Rohan, her eldest son Arnav was born in 2004.

Now based in London with her family, Shabnam Dutta Sahi has decided to return to TV, though she still calls radio her first passion , followed closely by her love of cooking especially Indian cusine. She is currently spending the second half of 2008 in India shooting for a documentary.

Trivia

Shabnam Dutta Sahi's mother is the famous childrens author Swapna Dutta. The Cambridge Guide To Children's Books In English has called her India's answer to Enid Blyton.

Her father is the former Secretary to the Government of India - Director Genral Posts & Chairman,Postal Services Board. while her uncle was the Chief Secretary of West Bengal

External links

* [http://www.asiansinmedia.org/news/article.php/events/1341 Asians in Media]
* [http://www.yourlondon.gov.uk/articles/2006/october/diwalionthesquare.jsp Diwali on the Square ]
* [http://www.sunriseradio.com/downloads/programme_schedule.pdf presenters-sunrise radio]
* [http://video.aol.com/video-search/id/150012792 Lady Chatterjee video- Sawan Dutta feat Shabbi]
* [http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2006/05/11/stories/2006051100130300.htm The Hindu- Lady Chatterjee ]
* [http://www.musicindiaonline.com/music/hindi_bollywood/s/movie_name.8493/ Lady Chatterjee/Bollywood Songs]