Mindy Kaling’s new show on Comedy Central is all about a doctor who balances her personal and professional life. She spoke to I Kaur about her Indian roots
This is one show many women of our times would relate to. late 20s, career-oriented and looking for love. Comedy Central’s new show The Mindy Project presents one such woman in a hilarious manner, played by Mindy Kaling. “She is a successful and hard-working doctor whose constant effort is to be a better person, a better catch and a better friend even though her personal life is messy. She gives herself the benefit of doubt so she could give herself some time to re-evaluate her personal life. People across the world, especially women, very naturally and effortlessly relate to these elements,” said the actress.
The 34-year-old’s first official TV appearance was in an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm in 2005. She previously appeared in The Office and was also a part of films like No Strings Attached and license to Wed. Mindy had initially entered the industry with the hope to become a writer and got into acting eventually. Now she likes the idea of having both.
Apart from playing the lead role in The Mindy Project, she is also the writer of the show. “It is interesting that I am not only acting but also the writer of the show. I really want this show to appeal to a wide audience, so I didn’t want it to be too specific or niche to just a really small group in lA and New York. Speaking of other clichés in general, I just didn’t want the characters to be stock. I didn’t want to portray the character as a bimbo, which is something you see everywhere. I think such characters are not fresh,” she explained.
Recently, the presence of Indians in US television series has drastically increased. While names like Kunal Nayyar in The Big Bang Theory have received unanimous applause, Mindy believes in treading the path in her own way. “I don’t feel daunted of my origin as I think there are other actors who have been part of this field and are doing exceedingly well. I don’t think of myself so much in terms of being Indian. If that’s another thing that Americans see me as, I’m not worried about it,” she added.
Mindy is at present working on a film written by her, featuring Anne Hathaway. She shared that she is a great fan of the actress. “I have been a fan of her since as long as I can remember. What I like about her is that she doesn’t stick to the glamorous side of herself. I had her in mind for a while for this character that I wrote in the film. She’s not playing a gorgeous heroine, the character is pretty unglamorous — a little dowdy and one who looks down on herself. She’s into such kind of roles and I like that,” she said.