| Dipika 'Dipi' Rebecchi | |||||||||||||
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| Neighbours character | |||||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Sharon Johal | ||||||||||||
| Duration | 2017–2021 | ||||||||||||
| First appearance | 24 April 2017 | ||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 13 July 2021 | ||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Jason Herbison | ||||||||||||
| Spin-off appearances | Neighbours vs Time Travel (2017) Neighbours: Erinsborough High (2019) | ||||||||||||
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Dipika 'Dipi' Rebecchi is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Sharon Johal. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 24 April 2017. Johal originally auditioned for the role of Dipi's younger sister Mishti Sharma. Actress Scarlett Vas secured the role and producers changed Dipi to better suit Johal. Dipi is part of the extended Rebecchi family introduced into Neighbours, joining established regular character Toadfish Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney). She is married to Shane Rebecchi (Nicholas Coghlan) and they move to Erinsborough with their two daughters Yashvi (Olivia Junkeer) and Kirsha Rebecchi (Vani Dhir). She soon becomes the new owner of Harold's café.
Dipi is characterised as very social and extroverted. She has a passion for musical theatre which is often explored in her stories. She is portrayed as a proud mother and wife, but her overbearing ways uncover anger issues as she gets into violent altercations with three characters. She also establishes herself as a local gossip alongside Sheila Canning (Colette Mann). Dipi is older than Johal so the show's styling team have to make her appear an older mother by dressing her in baggy caftans and altering Johal's glamorous hair style. Her stories have included an assault on Jake Hendra (Guy Greenstone), a near death experience, her turbulent marriage to Shane and constant interference in Mishti's life. In March 2021, Johal announced her departure from the show and she made her final appearance in July 2021. Critics of the genre have praised Neighbours for adding multicultural diversity in hiring Johal, an Indian-Australian actress.