Jai Sharma is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Chris Bisson.

In 2013, Bisson temporarily departed Emmerdale on 24 January because of the birth of his child and returned at the end of March that year.

During his time on the show, Jai formed the "Sharma & Sharma factory" alongside Nikhil and their father Rishi (Bhasker Patel); closely interacted with his estranged mother Georgia Sharma (Trudie Goodwin); developed a close friendship with local businessman Declan Macey (Jason Merrells) that lasts until it transpires that Jai is the father of Declan's supposed daughter, Mia (Sapphire Elia), following her death in a road collision; embarked on a relationship-turned-marriage with wayward "tart with a heart" Charity Tate (Emma Atkins); became enemies with Charity's cousin and ex-lover Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) over his attempts to destroy their relationship and bonding with Jai's sister Priya (Fiona Wade); engaged in a one-night stand with Priya's friend Rachel Breckle (Gemma Oaten) that results in her conceiving their beloved son, Archie, and his marriage with Charity ending; kidnapping Charity after she took revenge for his one-night stand by framing Rachel for setting fire to Declan's house, "Home Farm", in order for her to abscond the country with Archie so that Jai would never see his son again; reclaim his son Archie until Rachel returns to reveal that she had him all along and that the child Jai had was never Archie; married Declan's sister Megan (Gaynor Faye) over their mutual animosity towards Charity; sparked an affair with Megan's business partner Leyla Harding (Roxy Shahidi) that results in Megan betraying Jai in his custody battle with Rachel over Archie; repeatedly clashed with Cain's brother and Rachel's boyfriend Sam (James Hooton); exhibited a cocaine addiction until he eventually reconciles with Megan after she gives birth to their daughter Eliza; befriended Cain's stepdaughter Holly Barton (Sophie Powles) about his cocaine addiction and later feeling guilty when she later dies of an overdose; and romanced with Holly's apparent best-friend, Nell Fairfax (Scarlett Archer), who soon turns out to be an con-artistic drug addict.

On 21 July 2009, entertainment website Digital Spy reported that Emmerdale would be introducing "a new trio of entrepreneurial siblings", Jai, Nikhil and Priya Sharma as part of the soap's ongoing reinvention.

Of his casting Bisson commented: "Jai is a bit of a charmer and has an eye for the ladies but he's also a hard worker with a good business mind.

[1] In an interview on 1 September 2009, Bisson explained the Sharma backstory, that "Jai had left the family business and set up a chain of mobile phone shops, sold them at the top of the market, and now has a load of money... Jai will take chances, he's a bit of a maverick, he can talk people round, he can get the best out of people and that's irritating for Nikhil because he's not at all like his big brother.

"[2] Jai moves to the village with his brother, Nikhil (Rik Makarem) and his sister Priya (Fiona Wade), to open a sweet factory.

Jai soon befriends Faye Lamb (Kim Thomson) and takes a shine to Maisie Wylde (Alice Coulthard).

Jai gives Charity Tate (Emma Atkins) a job at the factory and makes it clear that he likes her.

Charity tries to get Jai to change his mind, but he refuses but throws Ella Hart (Corrinne Wicks) out when she makes advances towards him.

Jai's parents, Rishi (Bhasker Patel) and Georgia Sharma (Trudie Goodwin), visit to meet Charity.

The family are concerned about Priya's relationship with Cain and Jai tries to stop her meeting him and accidentally hits her, knocking her to the ground.

When Pyria's friend Rachel Breckle (Gemma Oaten) arrives, Jai persuades her to have a drink with him and they end up sleeping together.

Jai takes Rachel's boyfriend and Cain's brother, Sam (James Hooton), to the hospital and tries to find out how she and the baby are.

He is relieved to learn the baby has been born safely and Rachel lets him see his son but will not allow him to visit regularly, worried that Charity will find out.

When he later finds her in bed with Ross Barton (Michael Parr), he initially attacks him but refuses to play Charity's game.

A month later, Declan, who was believed to be dead, returns and threatens to kill Megan, before revealing Charity's crimes to her family.

Jai tells Charity that unless she reveals Archie's location, he will leave her to die but she claims she doesn't know where Rachel is and that Declan was lying.

After he leaves, Sam approaches Jai, suspecting that he is involved in Charity's disappearance, and demands his car keys so he can find her.

She initially plans to find another way to get rid of Leyla but later tells her that she can stay, providing they work separately and only see each other when necessary.

Desperate to gain custody of the real Archie, he locks Rachel in a freezer when she threatens to use him buying a baby against him in court.

She is arrested and charged with possession but Megan's revenge on Jai is to tell the family court about he had been bullying Rachel in the hope she would drop her case for residency.

She also claims to have had a miscarriage and the family court, now believing that Jai is a danger to his son, only allows him supervised access twice a month.

Consequently, Jai starts taking cocaine far more regularly and makes himself seriously ill on 2 occasions, unaware that Megan is still pregnant.

Holy Soap describe Jai's most memorable moment as: "Informing brother Nikhil that he now owned the factory, rather than their father.