Indian actress Ayesha Dharker may not yet be a household name, but when she is seen worldwide playing Queen Jamillia in the new Star Wars movie, you won't be able to avoid her.

What may surprise some, however, is that her mother puts her spiralling success down to an inherited Scottish work ethic -- and Imtiaz Dharker would know. The poet, painter and award-winning documentary-maker grew up in Scotland and remains loyal to her childhood past.

Born in Pakistan, she came to Glasgow as a toddler and grew up in Pollokshields. Studies at Hutchesons' Girls' School eventually led her to an MA in English Literature and Philosophy from Glasgow University, where she met her future husband Anil. The pair eloped to his home in India shortly after marrying.

Imtiaz combined motherhood with a career, establishing herself independently. Her paintings have been exhibited widely in India and abroad and she has had several books of poetry published.

Her documentaries, for groups such as Cry and Unicef, have landed several awards, including the Silver Lotus for the Best Short Film in 1980 and the Balraj Sahni award for Art in 1992.

Whilst she lives now in the Indian film capital Bombay, Imtiaz says of her childhood home: 'I loved being in Scotland. I had a lot of very good friends at school. I found the Scots were so friendly and I feel I am Scottish. '

Imtiaz has based many of her writings on her childhood experiences in Scotland. Her latest book, I Speak For The Devil, is due out in July.

'It's about growing up in Scotland, about walking out of your house into another country,' she said. Imtiaz continues to visit Scotland and read her work at the Edinburgh Festival in 1999.

Ayesha is also a keen visitor to Scotland. 'She's been to Scotland, visiting Glasgow and Aberdeen, and loves it,' said Imtiaz.

Ayesha's parents are baffled by the aptitude and talent their daughter has for acting. Her mother says 'She had a great break when she was 10 with a role in a French film, Manika, The Girl Who Lived Twice. It was the casting director, Jennifer Jaffrey, who discovered her.

Her first film made it to the Cannes Festival. Since then she has had a string of roles in Hindi cinema, most notably her portrayal of a suicide bomber in The Terrorist. John Malkovich was impressed and promoted it as much as he could in the US. He held a private showing for American film critics in Chicago and the film ran in 90 theatres. Ayesha went on to win Best Actress at the Cairo Film Awards.

Ayesha has attributed her some of her success to her parents:

"I am my worst critic. My parents act as the balancing force -- they tell me my weak moments as well as my brilliant ones, thereby pointing out how I can improve."

Her mother takes a different view. She says: "I think it's down to the Scottish work ethic and the Scottish attitude of giving 100%. I hope this is something I passed to her."