Mindy Kaling sat down with Vogue India to debate her daughter in addition to her profession.
Particularly, Mindy revisited her eponymous present The Mindy Project. Though the present clearly starred an Indian-American girl (aka Mindy herself), the present wasn’t targeted solely on her ethnicity.
However in accordance with Mindy, loads of the white execs at Fox weren’t so eager on the concept her ethnicity would take a backseat within the present. She informed Vogue India,
“For lots of white executives on the TV networks, they type of needed it to be [ethnicity-driven]. They felt extra comfy with it being about an Indian girl who felt misplaced in America, educating white individuals.”
She continued,
“It’s not that I haven’t felt misplaced in America as a dark-skinned Indian girl, but it surely was not essentially the most attention-grabbing factor.”
And it wasn’t as if the present by no means addressed Mindy’s identification. The Mindy Undertaking referenced it right here and there — like when one other observe tried to poach her solely so as to add “some spice” to their observe.
After which, after all, there was the notorious “Mindy Lahiri Is a White Man” episode, which reimagined how Mindy would have gotten forward in her profession had she been — you guessed it — a white man.
However largely the present was about Mindy, her relationships, her friendships, her profession, her motherhood journey, and her iconic wardrobe.
Sadly, Mindy feels that she could have let down a few of her followers by making these decisions. She mentioned,
“I like these sorts of tales [that are ethnicity-driven], and I feel there must be extra of them, and I’d even do a present like that, however I do suppose individuals are stunned and postpone that I didn’t embrace these sorts of tales early on in my profession.”
She additionally acknowledged how significant that illustration could be to individuals.
However tales about WOC dwelling their lives are simply as significant. Characters of colour need to be well-rounded they usually need to be greater than their ethnicity. As a result of, as Mindy mentioned, that’s not at all times essentially the most attention-grabbing factor about somebody.
On high of that, it’s neither Mindy’s nor any WOC’s job to “educate white individuals,” because the Hollywood execs had needed her to do.
The Mindy Undertaking was, and stays, a wonderful present that had the proper ratio of foolish vs. severe tales. It addressed essential subjects but in addition allowed Mindy to be her ridiculous, self-absorbed self. Aside from the absolutely atrocious series finale, I personally wouldn’t change a factor.
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