The Office alum Mindy Kaling has been the center of attention as of late as fans and critics continue to debate the merits of HBO‘s new show Velma and Kaling’s on-screen portrayal of South Asian women.
Kaling has been behind some of the biggest projects centered on South Asian characters in recent years, including HBO Max’s The Sex Lives of College Girls and Netflix’s Never Have I Ever. She now voices Velma in HBO’s new Scooby-Doo spinoff, which has received criticism from some quarters for being “too woke” and others for portraying racist stereotypes.
“Hopefully you noticed my Velma is South Asian,” Kaling told the crowd during the show’s reveal at last year’s Warner Bros upfront presentation. “If people freak out about that, I don’t care.”
Kaling has continued to maintain confidence in her work (she also executive producers Velma) in the months since, standing by her characters and her portrayal of South Asian women.
“Indian American girls on my shows want to do something that is unconventional or surprising. I’m always debating two sides,” she told Produced By magazine earlier this month. “I think some of the identifying characteristics of my shows are bright women and underdogs trying to break out from stereotypes.”
She also noted how proud she was of “how many women, and how many women of color, have directed our shows.”
The Emmy-nominated writer/actress certainly hasn’t been scared off social media, as evidenced by some of her best and quirkiest Instagram selfies below.
Velma, Season 1, Streaming, HBO Max
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