- Thursday, March 06, 2025
Despite her successful debut in “Delhi Belly”, she found it difficult to secure roles and eventually shifted focus to Hollywood
By: India Weekly
ACTOR Poorna Jagannathan, best known for her roles in “The Night Of” and “Never Have I Ever”, has spoken about her struggles in Bollywood, saying that ageism in the industry left her feeling “underestimated.”
Despite her successful debut in “Delhi Belly” (2011), she found it difficult to secure roles and eventually shifted focus to Hollywood.
“I felt like they couldn’t ever cast me… When I landed in India, I was 40 years old, I had a child and they had no idea what to do with me or how to place me,” Jagannathan told PTI. “There was intense ageism in the industry when I was there.”
Jagannathan played a key role in “Delhi Belly”, a dark comedy that gained popularity for its unconventional storytelling. However, after that, she had only a small part in “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani”. She said the opportunities were limited due to age bias and a language barrier.
She noted that the arrival of streaming platforms has reshaped the industry, allowing more diverse stories and casting choices. “Priyanka, Deepika, and all these people are really shifting what it means to be a woman in their forties, but not when I was there,” she said.
Jagannathan found critical acclaim in Hollywood with “The Night Of”, leading to roles in “The Blacklist”, “Better Call Saul”, and “Never Have I Ever”.
She now stars in “Deli Boys”, a comedy-drama about two Pakistani-American brothers who inherit their father’s illegal empire.
“It’s like Deli Boys and Delhi Belly have some crossover in terms of their humour and sensibility. It’s very absurd. It’s very dark, it is very physical. And that is completely my sense of humour,” she said.
Jagannathan plays Lucky, a gangster who “can cook biryani and cocaine with equal talent.” She described it as a dream role, adding, “Imagine playing a gangster and a cocaine drug lord at 52. It’s like a fantasy.”
The series, created by Abdullah Saeed and produced by 20th Television, premieres on JioHotstar on March 6.
