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Maya is a bright, outspoken, sparky character – someone who gets things done and makes things happen. She is confident, mature, and secure in her Deaf identity. She has never had much time for Mel, but has always been protective of Kelly. She's quick-witted, perceptive and fiercely loyal to her friends – and to their teacher, Michael, whom she respects and admires. Maya also likes to have a good time. In series two, Maya welcomed Anjali, her cousin from India, into the group of friends. Her plans to develop an independent future for Anjali in England antagonised her family, and Maya lost the battle when Anjali was sent home to India.
'In the second series I really enjoyed playing Maya, because her character was enriched by the conflict between traditional Indian beliefs and her own Deaf beliefs,' says Deepa Shastri. 'This was an interesting issue, faced every day in many Asian families. The beauty of this issue is that it's not just relevant to Asian families but to many other families with strong traditions. They have nothing but the best intentions for the deaf individual, but this doesn't always create the best outcome.'
'There were some emotional scenes and I had to dig deep inside to get the right emotions. It was a good challenge.'
Deepa met the RUSH director, Ray Harrison Graham, when he taught her in the drama class at the Unicorn Theatre. GCSE exams intervened but at the BSL March in July 2000 at Trafalgar Square she bumped into Ray again, and he persuaded her to be part of the VEE-TV drama series.
Deepa is now 24 and is currently working at the BDA. In the past year, since the second series of RUSH, she has taken a lead role in a short film called Hear no Evil, and played Zoe in the BBC See Hear drama Switch.