British Actress Shivaani Ghai Joins ‘Batwoman’ For Season 2
Along with getting a new ‘Batwoman‘, the Arrowverse show will also have a new enemy… or friend?.. or frenemy?.. as British actress, Shivaani Ghai joins the cast for Season 2.
As has been previously reported, it’s all change at Wayne Towers for Season 2. Ruby Rose decided to hang up her cowl after one season as Kate Kane, leaving Javicia Leslie to pick up the mantle of the Bat as a new character, Ryan Wilder.
Ghai is set to play Safiyah, the fiercely protective ruler of a small community on the island of Coryana. A woman with as many enemies as aliases, she is compassionate and charismatic with both physical and psychological prowess. She is beloved by her people and will stop at nothing to protect what’s hers. No one goes unnoticed by Safiyah, specifically when it comes to those who have encountered the Desert Rose.
Shivaani Ghai has previously appeared in tv shows ‘The Catch’, ‘Dominion’, ‘Strike Back’ and ‘Eastenders’, along with the films ‘London Has Fallen’, ‘Cleanskin’ and ‘Fireflies’. She also voices the character of Vanya Shah in the ‘Hitman 2’ video game.
If the name Safiyah sounds familiar, we have already heard it in the show. *SEASON 1 SPOILER WARNING* Safiyah was the person that sent the hitman “Rifle” to Gotham to steal a weapon capable of penetrating the Batsuit. This plot was foiled by Alice (Rachel Skarsten) who sabotaged the weapon, leading to Safiyah sending someone to Gotham to kill Alice and the Wonderland gang. Safiyah then did a deal with Julia Pennyworth (Christina Wolfe) for Lucius Fox’s journal on Julia’s condition that she got “Rifle” to stand down. However, when Julia realises the journal contains details on how to kill Batwoman, she terminated their deal. This results in having Julia and girlfriend Sophie (Meagan Tandy) followed, and sends the couple photos to show they are being watched. The island of Coryana is also the only place on Earth where the Desert Rose grows – the universal cure-all that Alice used as an antidote to the poison she administered to Mary Hamilton (Nicole Kang) and her mother.
The character of Safiyah does exist in DC Comics, although is a pretty recent addition, first appearing in Batwoman: Rebirth #1 in April 2017. As in the show, she is the ruler of Coryana, but also someone with which Kate Kane has a previous romantic relationship. Later on, Safiyah takes charge of an organisation dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali, known as the “Many Arms of Death”. We’ll have to wait and see how closely the Arrowverse version tracks with the comic book counterpart.
‘Batwoman’ comes from writer/producer Caroline Dries. Dries exec-produces with Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Geoff Johns. The series is produced by Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros.
‘Batwoman‘ Season 1 aired on E4 in the UK. Season 2 is set to premiere in January 2021 on The CW in the USA.
