Mindy Kaling opens up about growing up Indian and being only woman of colour in Hollywood

Mindy Kaling felt like an outsider for a long time in Hollywood owing to the constant reminders that she is different. The actor is glad that things are now changing and says that the right representation matters a lot. In an interview with a news agency, Kaling revealed that when she was growing up, she realised there was no one on TV who looked like her. 

Mindy Kaling on being the only woman of colour in Hollywood

Mindy Kaling revealed that she often found herself drawing parallels to people who are like her on shows like The Cosby Family or characters on white sitcoms. Adding that one cannot imagine her excitement when Bend It Like Beckham released, she said that the idea that she could actually see Indian people on-screen blew her mind. 

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Talking about how things have changed for women of colour in the West, Mindy Kaling told the news agency that people talk about representation matters in Hollywood so much that it almost loses its meaning. Currently basking in the success of her latest Netflix show, Never Have I Ever, the actor has always been a bearer for diversity and the right representation. She was the only woman and person of colour when she joined the cast and the writing team of the popular sitcom, The Office when she was 24. 

Mindy Kaling played the character of Kelly Kapoor on the show and later became the first woman of colour to write, star in and create a primetime show called The Mindy Project in 2012. The show not only got a wider range of attention, but also brought her global fame. Recalling her struggle with stereotypical attitudes because of her ethnicity and gender, Kaling said that it was a bit of both when she was starting out. 

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She added that it was more common than not having an all-white writers team that was also all-men. Kaling said it was a lot of unfair responsibility when everything one says is a representation of all women and all minorities because you are the only minority and the only woman in the room. Mindy Kaling further said that luckily, people don't get to see much of that kind of writer rooms anymore. 

With her recent show, Never Have I Ever, Mindy Kaling said she has used her relationship with being Hindu and the experience of straddling the lines of two cultures to narrate the story of a 15-year-old Indian girl in America named Devi. She narrates the story of Devi's desperation to feel that she belongs in society and her journey to shed her reputation as a nerd. Mindy mentioned that her coming to terms with her Indian-ness was a big part of the show. The show started streaming on Netflix from April 27. 

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