# Poorna Jagannathan

Poorna Jagannathan (/ˈpɔːrnə ˌdʒɑːɡəˈnɑːθən/ POR-nə JAH-gə-NAH-thən; born December 22, 1972) is an American producer and actress. She is known for her portrayal of Safar Khan in the HBO drama miniseries The Night Of, as well as for her role as Nalini Vishwakumar in the Netflix teen comedy series Never Have I Ever.
Poorna also co-conceived, produced, and acted in the play Nirbhaya, which was considered "one of the most powerful and urgent pieces of human rights theatre ever made," and is regarded as a critical moment in India's history of women's empowerment.
Poorna was named among the "Top 100 Most Impactful Asians" in America in 2021 and 2022 by Goldhouse. People magazine featured her in their 2024 “The Beautiful Issue” while Verve magazine named her among the top 50 most powerful women in India in 2014.

## Early life

Poorna was born in Tunis, Tunisia, to Vasantha Jagannathan and G. Jagannathan, an Indian diplomat, on December 22, 1972. She grew up in Pakistan, Ireland, India, Brazil and Argentina, and speaks Tamil, Hindi, English, Spanish and Portuguese. Poorna attended the University of Brasília before graduating in journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park. She earned a scholarship to pursue a Master of Fine Arts in acting at the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University. Although she dropped out after the first year, she continued to study acting under her mentor, Elizabeth Kemp. Poorna went on to train at The Barrow Group where she is currently a board and company member. Before her career as an actor, Poorna spent 15 years working in advertising at agencies like TBWA\Worldwide, Ogilvy, and Deutsch Inc. before starting her own consultancy, Cowgirls & Indians.

## Career

Poorna has had recurring parts on several TV shows like Big Little Lies, Better Call Saul and Ramy. She played Blacklister #44 on The Blacklist, and appeared as the guest lead on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for its 18th year's double-season-finale episodes. In 2017, she played one of the leads in A24's film Share. Share premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, and was immediately acquired by HBO.
Poorna also won critical acclaim for her role as a journalist in the 2011 Hindi cinema film Delhi Belly. The Village Voice said that "the most enjoyably subversive element is Poorna Jagannathan as the self-sufficient bachelorette who waylays Tashi on his way to the altar. Rangy, corkscrew-haired, with a wary demeanor that can't long be upset by anything, she's a happy departure from the usual run of Xeroxed, pedestaled beauties." Mumbai Mirror said, "Poorna Jagannathan, an offbeat choice, is remarkably subtle and does a brilliant job." The Daily News and Analysis said that Poorna shines in the film, and that "her bohemian sex appeal" is "a refreshing change from the prim and proper 'heroine' we are used to watching." The editor of Outlook Lounge said that Poorna's performance was a "masterclass in effortless acting." In 2019, Delhi Belly was named one of the top 25 Bollywood movies of the decade by Film Companion.
In 2012, Deadline reported that Poorna had joined the cast of the HBO show The Night Of as a series regular. Her performance in The Night Of received rave reviews. Vinnie Mancuso of Observer wrote, "Poorna Jagannathan, who has been putting in one of the year's most heartbreaking performances, continues to shine..." Vikram Murthi from Vulture wrote "Poorna Jagannathan's subtle performance really shines... Her facial reactions convey such a profound array of emotions." Variety's Sonia Saraiya wrote that her performance was "quietly devastating".
While lauded for her dramatic performance, Poorna's comedic roles have gained her the most attention. Her episode in the Duplass Brothers Productions Room 104 was praised by critics. Kathryn VanArendonk of Vulture wrote, "But Jagannathan's Divya is even better. Even without a physical presence, Divya is still immediately recognizable as a character. At times she's breezily unconcerned, at other moments, she's sharply chastising her son for his brusqueness." Her performance as Nalini Vishwakumar in Mindy Kaling's Never Have I Ever was lauded by critics. Her portrayal of an immigrant woman has been regarded as groundbreaking and a first for television. Sonia Saraiya from Vanity Fair said, "I've seen a lot of actors attempt to flesh out the stereotypically demanding Indian mom, but I've never seen anyone do it as well as Jagannathan does... It's the little things: the nearly untraceable Indian accent, the mumbled exclamations in a different language, the slight gestures and paranoiac side-eyes of the Indian aunty, the seemingly effortless bridging of the paradox between ancient tradition and modern necessity." Jinal Bhatt from Mashable.com wrote, "Poorna Jagannathan has been a revelation in this series, and I'd say she puts forth one of the best portrayals of Indian-American mothers we’ve seen." Never Have I Ever, which debuted in 2020, went on to win the People's Choice Awards for seasons 1, 2 and 3 consecutively.
In 2018, Poorna lent her voice to three podcasts in the Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls series, based on The New York Times Best Seller list books by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo. She read the stories of Mary Kom, Margaret Hamilton and Madam C. J. Walker. The series was named among the 50 best podcasts for 2018 by Time and won the 2019 People's Choice Podcast Award in the Education category.
In 2024, Poorna joined the cast of DC Studios' Lanterns for HBO in the recurring role of Zoe. Lanterns is set to be released early 2026.

### Nirbhaya

Moved by a gang rape and murder in Delhi on December 16, 2012, Poorna initiated, produced, and acted in a testimonial play called Nirbhaya (transl. Fearless, a pseudonym given to the victim). The play uses the rape and death of Jyoti Singh Pandey to break the silence around sexual violence. She collaborated with internationally acclaimed playwright and director, Yaël Farber, to build the play. Nirbhaya opened at the Assembly Hall in August 2013 during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It won the coveted 2013 Amnesty International Award as well as the Scotsman Fringe First and Herald Angel Awards, and received favorable reviews from leading publications.
The Sunday Herald called Nirbhaya "one of the most powerful and urgent pieces of human rights theatre ever made". In March 2014, Nirbhaya was the centrepiece performance for Southbank's "Women of the World" festival where it played to sold-out houses in the United Kingdom. After a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund an India tour, Nirbhaya opened to critical acclaim in India in March 2014, playing to sold-out houses in Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore. In August 2014, The Guardian audiences voted Nirbhaya among the top 10 "best fringe moments" in the Edinburgh Festival's history. Nirbhaya opened to rave reviews at The Culture Project in New York City in May 2015, and rose to become The New York Times Critics' Pick. The play toured for three years in multiple cities in Ireland, Canada, India, the UK, and the United States. Some reviewers stated that it was one of the most political and deeply moving pieces of theater ever made. Nirbhaya is considered one of the most impactful moments in India's history of the women's empowerment movement.

## Filmography

Key :
| † | Denotes productions that have not yet been released |

### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2004 | She Hate Me | Song's Girlfriend | |
| 2005 | The Weather Man | NY Pedestrian | |
| 2007 | Awake | Dr. Neyer's Nurse | |
| 2007 | Montclair | Dr. Blight | |
| 2009 | Karma Calling | Quality Control Supervisor | |
| 2011 | Peace, Love & Misunderstanding | Mira | |
| 2011 | Delhi Belly | Menaka Vashisht | |
| 2012 | Thanks for Sharing | Dr. Kazhani | |
| 2013 | Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani | Riana | |
| 2015 | Growing Up Smith | Nalini Bhatnagar | |
| 2016 | Carrie Pilby | Fliss | |
| 2017 | The Circle | Dr. Villalobos | |
| 2017 | Daisy Winters | Annabel Kumar | |
| 2018 | Mile 22 | Dorothy Brady | |
| 2018 | An Actor Prepares | Dr. Fisher | |
| 2018 | The Dead Center | Sarah Grey | |
| 2019 | Share | Kerri | |
| 2020 | Alia's Birth | Jaime | |
| 2022 | I'll Show You Mine | Priya Sura | |
| 2022 | House Comes With a Bird | Langley | Short film |
| 2023 | The Out-Laws | Rehan | |
| 2024 | Turtles All the Way Down | Dr. Singh | |
| 2024 | Wolfs | June | |
| 2024 | Goodrich | Dr. Verma | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2004 | Law & Order | Rehana Khemlani | Episode: "Veteran's Day" |
| 2005 | Jonny Zero | Dr. Shamira | Episode: "Who's Your Daddy" |
| 2005 | Starved | PJ | Episode: "The Breatharians" |
| 2006 | Love Monkey | Director | Episode: "Confidence" |
| 2006 | Rescue Me | Dr. Klein | Episode: "Satisfaction" |
| 2006 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Dr. Sikh | Episode: "Blind Spot" |
| 2008 | The Game | Dr. Diamond | Episode: "Just the Three of Us" |
| 2009 | Numb3rs | Tech #1 | Episode: "Con Job" |
| 2010–2011 | Royal Pains | Saya | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | House of Cards | Dr. Lanjawni | Episode: "Chapter 27" |
| 2016 | NCIS: Los Angeles | Dr. Nitya Agarwal | Episode: "Core Values" |
| 2016 | Rizzoli & Isles | Mrs. Jalbani | Episode: "Dangerous Curve Ahead" |
| 2016 | The Night Of | Safar Khan | 7 episodes |
| 2017 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Maya Samra | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Gypsy | Larin Inamdar | 10 episodes |
| 2017 | Room 104 | Divya (voice) | Episode: "The Internet" |
| 2017 | The Blacklist | Nirah Ahmad | Episode: "The Endling (No. 44)" |
| 2018 | Taken | Judith Chapman | Episode: "ACGT" |
| 2018 | Better Call Saul | Dr. Maureen Bruckner | 2 episodes |
| 2018 | Sorry for Your Loss | Therapist | Episode: "17 Unheard Messages" |
| 2019 | The Act | Dr. Lakshmi Chandra | Episode: "Teeth" |
| 2019 | Ramy | Salma | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | Big Little Lies | Katie Richmond | 3 episodes |
| 2020 | Messiah | Sanjana Mirza | 3 episodes |
| 2020 | Defending Jacob | Elizabeth Vogel | 4 episodes |
| 2020 | The Wilds | Rana Jadmani | Episode: "Day Seven" |
| 2020–2023 | Never Have I Ever | Dr. Nalini Vishwakumar | 40 episodes |
| 2021–2023 | Ten Year Old Tom | Rahul's Mom (voice) | 6 episodes |
| 2025 | Deli Boys | Lucky | Main role |
| 2026 | Lanterns † | Zoe | Upcoming series, recurring role |

## Accolades

* For her performance in Delhi Belly, Poorna won the Stardust award for Best Supporting Actress and the L'Oreal Femina Award for Breakthrough Performance in 2012.
* Poorna was named among the top 100 Most Impactful Asians in 2021 and 2022 by Goldhouse.
* In 2014, Verve magazine named Poorna among the top 50 most powerful women in India.
* Italian Marie Claire named Poorna as one of the 12 women from the East impacting Western cinema in 2012.
* Poorna is also a brand ambassador for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
| Award | Category |
| Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award 2013 | Winner |
| Scotsman Fringe First Award 2013 | Winner |
| Herald Angel Award 2013 | Winner |
| L'Oreal Femina Women Awards 2012 | Winner of Breakthrough Performance |
| 10th Annual Kamala Pasand Max Stardust Awards | Winner of Breakthrough Supporting Performance (Female) |
| 18th Annual Colors Screen Awards | Nominated for Best Debut Actor (Female) |
| Zee Cine Awards 2012 | Nominated for Best Debut Actor (Female) |
| 18th Annual Colors Screen Awards | Nominated for Best Supporting Actor (Female) |