Poorna Jagannathan
Poorna Jagannathan (born December 22, 1972) is an American actress and producer of Indian descent. She is best known for her portrayal of Safar Khan in the HBO miniseries "The Night Of" as well for her role as Nalini Vishwakumar in the Netflix teen comedy series "Never Have I Ever" by Mindy Kaling. She also co-conceived, produced and acted in the play "Nirbhaya", written and directed by Yaël Farber, which dealt with the taboo around sexual violence. The play won the prestigious 2013 Amnesty International Award and was called by "The Telegraph" as "One of the most  powerful pieces of theater you'll ever see". The play is considered one of the most impactful moments in India's history of women's empowerment. Jagannathan was previously a series regular in the Netflix psychological thriller series "Gypsy", a recurring in the Apple TV+ crime drama miniseries "Defending Jacob", and part of the ensemble cast for HBO's anthology series, "Room 104". She also starred in the cult Bollywood comedy, "Delhi Belly" as well as the movie "Share", which was directed by Pippa Bianco, produced by "A24", and released on HBO in 2019. Jagannathan was featured among the top  10 in "Femina" magazine's "India's 50 most beautiful women" in 2012 as well as being named by Vogue India as one of 8 Indian women changing the face of beauty. In 2014, Jagannathan was named among the top 50 most powerful women in India. In 2021, she was named among the top 100 Most Impactful Asians by Gold House. She is an occasional contributor to CNN Opinions. Early life. The daughter of an Indian diplomat, Jagannathan was born in Tunis, Tunisia, and grew up in Pakistan, Ireland, India, Brazil and Argentina. She speaks Tamil, Hindi, English, Spanish and  Portuguese. She attended the University of Brasília before graduating in journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park. On a scholarship, she studied toward 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, whom she met there. Career. Jagannathan has appeared 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 "" for their 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, winning Best Screenplay and Best Actor, and was immediately acquired by HBO. Jagannathan also won critical acclaim for her role as a spunky, irreverent journalist in the 2011 Bollywood 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 Jagannathan 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 Jagannathan'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 FilmCompanion. Jagannathan also acts in theater and is  a board and company member of The Barrow Group in New York City. In 2012, Deadline.com reported that Jagannathan had joined the cast of the HBO show "The Night Of" as a series regular. Her performance in "The Night Of" received positive 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" Sonia Saraiya wrote that her performance was "quietly devastating". In September  2016, it was announced that Jagannathan had joined the cast of "Gypsy" as a series regular. The Netflix produced series was led by Naomi Watts but was not renewed for another season. In May 2018, Deadline announced that Jagannathan had joined the cast of the HBO series "Big Little Lies" as a recurring character named Katie Richmond. Jagannathan's comic performance in "Room 104" was widely 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 delivery is the bedrock of the episode's sense of humor." She is currently a series regular on Mindy Kaling's new show "Never Have I Ever", which released its first season with a 100% and its second season with a 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes from its Top Critics. Jagannathan's performance as Nalini Vishwakumar was lauded by critics. 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. Some of the #JustMomThings she says penetrate through the screen and hit you while you watch! But her  dynamic with Devi is beautiful in the subtext." John Anderson from "The Wall Street Journal" said that she "is a hilarious mix of Indian tradition, widowhood, creeping Americanization and the flat delivery of a sentencing judge." In 2018, Jagannathan 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. Before her career as an actor, Jagannathan spent 15 years working in advertising at agencies like TBWA\Worldwide, Ogilvy, and Deutsch Inc. before starting her own consultancy, Cowgirls & Indians. Moved by a gang rape and murder in Delhi on December 16, 2012, Jagannathan initiated, produced and acted in a testimonial play called "Nirbhaya" (, a pseudonym given to the victim). The play uses the rape and death of Jyoti Singh Pandey to encourage discussions about sexual violence. Jagannathan collaborated with internationally acclaimed playwright and director, Yaël Farber, for the same. "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 excellent 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 centerpiece performance for Southbank's "Women of the World" festival where it played to sold-out houses in the UK. After a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund an India tour, "Nirbhaya" opened to critical acclaim in India on  March 17, 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, the UK, India and the U.S. Many 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.