Hollywood has a new wave of South Asian faces: Meet 14 of them here
Hollywood has steadily increased the number of diverse actors onscreen, including many new South Asian faces.
Stars like Mindy Kaling, Kal Penn and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, among others, have helped pave the way for a new wave of talent of South Asian descent. While pioneers in their industry, they and many others have fought for better representation and championed each other.
“I think in different phases of my life, I kind of taught myself or learned how to be my own hype girl. And it helped me navigate many crazy situations,” Chopra Jonas previously told TODAY about adapting to new environments as an immigrant and in her career.
Kaling’s breakout role as Kelly Kapoor on “The Office” not only changed the actor, producer and writer’s career, but was the first time many younger actors saw themselves on American television.
“When I saw Mindy on screen, Kelly in ‘The Office,’ I was like, ‘Oh, my God, she’s Tamil. Wow, that’s so cool!’ So in that way I felt seen,” “Never Have I Ever” star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, 20, told TODAY.com. “But she was still an adult woman and I was 8, you know, so you can only relate so much.”
“But I think in the small ways you feel seen, even if it’s in small moments of just hearing a word that’s in a language that you speak at home,” Ramakrishnan added. “Those small ways can help.”
The Hollywood Diversity report released by UCLA in 2022 noted that Asians make up 6.4% of all film roles, but didn't have more specific numbers on South Asians roles.
However, the Gracenote Inclusion Analytics 2020-2021 TV season report did report increased portrayals of South Asians in TV and film, with South Asian men having their share of screen close to their share of the U.S. population, 2.3%. Though for South Asian women, it's 0.3%.
From seeing an Indian-American family lead Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever” to Season Two of “Bridgerton” being reimagined with the Sharma family setting sail from Bombay (present-day Mumbai) instead of the English countryside, to Kumail Nanjiani portraying Kingo, the first South Asian superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in “Eternals,” each role is a step in the right direction.
Here are just some of the new South Asian stars in Hollywood.:
Raymond Ablack
Known for: The Canadian actor is known for his role as Sav Bhandari in “Degrassi: The Next Generation.” Since then, he’s been seen in “Orphan Black,” “Narcos,” “Shadowhunters,” “Maid,” "Ginny & Georgia," and “Workin’ Moms.”
Upcoming project: Ablack has been a part of “Ginny & Georgia” since its premiere and will return as restaurant owner Joe for the third and fourth season.
Utkarsh Ambudkar
Known for: The actor and rapper was a VJ for MTV Desi before making his way to TV and film. His credits include “The Mindy Project,” “Pitch Perfect,” “Free Guy,” “Marry Me” and his current show “Ghosts." He also appeared in the Broadway hip-hop show “Freestyle Love Supreme.”
Upcoming project: He’ll continue his role in the fourth and final season of “Never Have I Ever,” voice a character in the “Avatar: The Last Airbender” series and film “World’s Best.”
Simone Ashley
Known for: The British actor first made waves with her role “Sex Education,” but gained even more recognition when she led Season Two of “Bridgerton” as Kate Sharma. She’s also appeared in “Sparrow,” “Detective Pikachu” and most recently “The Little Mermaid.”
Upcoming project: Next, she will voice a character in the animated film “10 Lives” and is expected to appear in the third season of “Bridgerton.”
Charithra Chandran
Known for: The British-Indian actor also made a splash as Edwina Sharma in the second season of “Bridgerton.” She also starred in “Alex Rider” and appeared on “The Parables Retold.”
Upcoming project: Per her IMDB, she has many projects in the works, including the films “Good Intentions” and “How to Date Billy Walsh.”
Rahul Kohli
Known for: The English actor was part of the “iZombie” cast, as well as “Supergirl” and “The Haunting of Bly Manor.”
Upcoming project: Be sure to check Kohli out in the upcoming series “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “Twilight of the Gods” and “Career Opportunities in Murder & Mayhem.”
Liza Koshy
Known for: The YouTuber-turned-actor has held an array of jobs from contributing to “Total Request Live” and hosting a variety of awards and reality shows like “Double Dare” and “Dancing with Myself.” On the acting side, Koshy’s credits include “Boo! A MAdea Halloween,” “Work It,” “Liza on Demand” and voicing a character on the animated series “Hamster & Gretel.”
Upcoming project: Koshy is voicing Arcee in “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” and will be a part of the thriller “Sniff,” “Players,” rom-com and “Family,” among others.
Hasan Minhaj
Known for: The comedian is a Peabody Award winner and was a senior correspondent on “The Daily Show.” He’s also released a couple of comedy specials, including “Homecoming King.” He was most recently seen in “The Morning Show.”
Upcoming project: Minhaj will appear in the upcoming comedy “No Hard Feelings,” as well as “Haunted Mansion.” The actor was recently cast in Colleen Hoover’s adaptation of “It Ends With Us” as Marshall.
Richa Moorjani
Known for: The actor has had roles in “The Mindy Project,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “9-1-1” and “Home Econonics.”
Upcoming project: The actor returns as Kamala in the final season of “Never Have I Ever” and the fifth season of “Fargo.”
Anirudh Pisharody
Known for: The actor has had roles in “Big Sky,” “The Goldbergs,” “Last Man Standing” and “Morgan’s Secret Admirer.” He is also known as Des in “Never Have I Ever” Season Three and Ravi Panikkar in “9-1-1.”
Upcoming project: He will next be seen in “Unit 234.”
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan
Known for: People were introduced to the Canadian actor in Mindy Kaling’s Netflix show “Never Have I Ever,” where she portrays lead Devi. She also voiced Priya in “Turning Red” and Zipp Storm in two Little Pony shows, including “My Little Pony: Tell Your Tale.”
Upcoming project: Fans will see Ramakrishnan as Devi for a last time when “Never Have I Ever” drops its fourth and final season on June 8.
Suraj Sharma
Known for: The Indian actor made his acting debut starring in the Academy Award-winning 2012 film “Life of Pi.” He’s back in the spotlight after roles in the series “God Friended Me,” film “Wedding Season” and most recently “How I Met Your Father.”
Upcoming project: Sharma can currently be seen as Sid in “How I Met Your Father,” which is on its second season.
Jay Shetty
Known for: While the British podcaster, author and life coach is not an actor, he has made a name for himself in Hollywood. The co-founder of Sama Tea is the go-to for many celebs — including Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck who asked him to officiate their wedding — for spiritual guidance and chats on his "On Purpose" podcast. He's also known for his best-selling books “Think Like a Monk” and “8 Rules of Love: How to Find It, Keep It and Let It Go.”
Upcoming project: Shetty continues to share his words of wisdom on his social media, podcast and tours, as well as the Calm app, where he’s a Chief Purpose Officer.
Megan Suri
Known for: Among the actor’s most notable role is starring in the 2019 film “The MisEducation of Bindu” before making her debut in the Netflix series “Never Have I Ever.” Suri has also been seen in shows like “Bones,” “Modern Family, “Atypical,” “Fresh Off the Boat” and “Poker Face.”
Upcoming project: Fans will get to see Suri once again as Aneesa in the fourth and final season of “Never Have I Ever.”
Geraldine Viswanathan
Known for: The actor, born in Australia and of Indian Tamil and Switzerland descent, broke out in the 2018 film “Blockers.” Since then, she’s appeared in “Hala,” “Bad Education” and “Miracle Workers.”
Upcoming project: You’ll next see her in the new “Miracle Workers” season, upcoming Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell comedy “You’re Cordially Invited,” “Drive-Away Dolls” with Pedro Pascal and Matt Damon, and “The Beanie Bubble,” among many other films and show.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
