![]() She’s strict with high expectations from her daughter, as is typical of an Indian mother, but has a sense of (sardonic) humour about it. Nalini is trying to cope with the sudden and recent death of her husband, trying to keep her niece and daughter grounded in their Hindu culture while attempting to be a good parent. The other rich and nuanced character in the show is Nalini, a single mother and dermatologist who has one foot in her relatively orthodox Indian culture, and one in the liberal Western world. Echoing Ramakrishnan’s words, a frustrated Devi exclaims at one point in the show, “Some loser tells me I’m too Indian, some other people think I’m not Indian enough.” As you get invested in Devi’s journey-even before you want the teenager to succeed, find love, get laid, or get along with her mom-you want her to just belong. This is reality for many youth growing up all over the world.” And that struggle is really what the show tackles beautifully. I went through a similar experience in high school when it came to finding my identity as a Tamil-Canadian. ![]() That in-between feeling trying to find a place where you feel you belong is complicated, especially when the world wants to put you in a stereotypical box but you know you are so much more than that. “Finding where you fit within your culture and heritage is something that Devi, myself, and many others from all ethnicities can relate to. ![]() Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, the 18-year-old Tamil-Canadian who beat out 15,000 hopefuls to play Devi, opened up to us about her experience enacting the one-of-a-kind character of Devi. ![]() Vogue interviewed two fierce brown women playing lead roles in the show-Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Devi) and Poorna Jagannathan (Devi’s mom)-on being part of Kaling’s Never Have I Ever. That such nuanced and complex characters should come out of Kaling is hardly a surprise-the actor-writer-director has been outspoken about the cliched portrayal of South Asians in American television and the script is loosely based on Kaling’s own life. Though a Hindu, she admits she’ll probably grow up to be “an atheist who eats cheeseburgers everyday with (her) white boyfriend” and believes that she’s a “glamorous woman of colour who deserves to have a sexy life.” Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher’s coming-of-age romcom series, Never Have I Ever, tells the story of not just a teenager navigating relationships, school, family, and life, but also of a family trying to be a family while each of its unique members try to find their niche between their native and acquired culture. But, Devi is also short-tempered, gets hysterical when she doesn't get things her way, is unabashed about her decisions, barely gets along with her mom, constantly jealous of her perfect Indian cousin, and obsessed with losing her virginity. Devi’s smart to the point that she gets called an “unfuckable nerd” at school, dreams of getting into Princeton University, has very thick arm hair, and has many other makings of your stereotypical South Asian character in American cinema (think Raj Koothrappali from The Big Bang Theory). The first generation teenager is “Devy” at school and just “Devi” at home. Meet Devi Vishwakumar-a 15-year-old Indian American living in the San Fernando Valley of California with an overbearing mother (Nalini) and an overachieving cousin (Kamala).
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