Indian-American actress Poorna Jagannathan has had a remarkable journey from Bollywood to Hollywood, making her one of the most notable faces on international television.
The actress’ career has been shaped by the evolution of South Asian representation in global entertainment. With projects spanning from ‘Delhi Belly‘ to ‘Never Have I Ever‘, the new comedy, ‘Deli Boys‘, and the upcoming superhero series ‘Lanterns’, Poorna has seen firsthand how storytelling for characters of colour has transformed over the years.
In an exclusive interview with ETimes, Poorna opened up about her trajectory in the American film industry. She shared, “‘Delhi Belly’ was obviously an amazing film, but it happened in India. In the States, I would only get very typecast as a doctor or a nurse. Slowly and surely, there were more South Asian writers and more South Asian people in entertainment, both in front of and behind the camera. And, the way that South Asian female roles got written became meatier and meatier over the years. My career just reflects that change.”She credited creators like Mindy Kaling and Abdullah Saeed for crafting narratives that are both specific to South Asian experiences and universally relatable. She explained, “‘Deli Boys’ is a testament to they have decided to create worlds that they come from and portray those specific stories to a universal audience.”
When asked about the difference between South Asian representation in Hollywood films versus web series, Poorna acknowledged that while television offers greater opportunities for depth and nuance, Hollywood had a lot of catching up to do. “I think the mainstream streamers are much more open to having different stories on their platform,” Poorna said and added, “Movies still need to be a little more mass-oriented because of the theatre economics, whereas streamers can cater to a more niche audience.”
She further highlighted the work of Onyx Collective, the studio behind ‘Deli Boys’, which is dedicated to amplifying voices of people of colour. “Their roster is unbelievable,” she said, and added, “As an actor, I get to play much more nuanced, interesting, and funnier characters on TV than I would in films.”
She also observed a similar dynamic in the Indian film industry saying, “Movies in India still need to be super star-driven, while web series allow a bunch of wonderful working actors to shine.”
‘Deli Boys’ premieres today on JioHotstar, the show follows two brothers navigating the murky world of their late father’s secret empire. The series also stars Asif Ali, Saagar Shaikh, Alfie Fuller, and Brian George in lead roles.
