USA Today: South Asian Stars Storm Hollywood

Getty Images/USA TODAY/NBC

It looks like USA Today reporter Bill Keveney has been reading Nirali.

OK, perhaps I’m giving our little magazine too much credit—maybe he has finally just noticed all the desi actors who are taking Hollywood by storm. In his April 8 article, “Stars of South Asian Descent are on the Ascent,” Keveney writes that “After years of relative anonymity, performers of Indian heritage are establishing a small but growing presence in TV and film, breaking stereotypes along the way.”

His examples? Sendhil Ramamurthy, Navi Rawat, Mindy Kaling, Aasif Mandvi, Kal Penn, Parminder Nagra, Naveen Andrews (see our upcoming feature) and Ravi Kapoor.

He forgot to mention Aziz Ansari, Noureen DeWulf, Maulik Pancholy, Sunkrish Bala, Kavi Ladnier, Rasika Mathur, Janina Gavankar, Reef Karim and a few others (maybe he should have perused Nirali’s archives?).

It’s fun to see this story in print, even if it does lack a little heft. It would have been much more fascinating if the piece focused on this nugget from our favorite “Hero”:

Now that’s a story. More acting opportunities, more stereotypical roles: Selling out or moving on up? Maybe Keveney can pursue this angle next.

1. April 10, 2007, 2:07 pm Priya

   This has nothing really to do with the post but… Sendhil makes me giggle. Hee.