Mindy Kaling

                                                              Mindy Kaling

      Mindy Kaling is a hilarious actress, writer, producer, director and author who routinely pushes the envelope with her brilliant writing and her successful show, The Mindy Project which is partly inspired from her own life. Born June 24th 1979 to ambitious and driven Hindu Indian immigrants, Kaling's father was and an architect and her mother a obstetrician/gynecologist. She attended and graduated from Dartmouth College and got her Bachelor's in playwriting. Kaling is easily recognizable for her TV role as Kelly Kapoor on The Office but her significant contribution to the writing of the Emmy award winning show is what sets her apart. Kaling joined the writing staff at the young age of  24, being the only female on the staff.  In addition to her co-directing and writing episodes for The Office she also worked on webisodes and produced. 

     The Mindy Project which was inspired from Kaling's observations of her mother was picked up by FOX in 2012. Being Kaling's first starring role she is aware of the significance she has stated in interviews that she is often forced to feel exceptional for how she looks: "I often forget that ... being Indian, an Indian-American woman who is not, sort of, pencil thin -- that that is very new to broadcast television."  Kaling is very aware of her marginalized category and how her voice and image opens paths for other women of color who are looking to break into the writing world. 


     As Southeast Asian myself, I applaud Kaling for her comedic chops and how she handles the intimidation in a industry that is predominantly run by white men. Her role and writing signifies a change in the way the audience perceives and receives new characters delivered to them. She has provided characters with relatable appearances and Kaling said being raised by immigrants and in a cultural family gave her a dual perspective she uses in her writing as well as the"everyone against me mentality" that she has been able to incorporate into her writing. 

“I feel that I’ve become capable, and had to be capable, even if that’s just been the result of being incredibly hard-working and incredibly decisive, but I think the best stuff I’m going to do hasn’t happened yet.” 

     I personally feel connected to Kaling's for our cultural background but what exemplifies her to me is her raw talent and the talent she has introduced to the film industry in the short time that she has preoccupied it and I look forward to experiencing more of comedies and anything else she explores.