The Mindy Project!

Mindy Kaling is an actress, comedian and writer who is best known for her role as Kelly Kapoor on hit American sitcom “The Office”. The award-winning half-Tamil, half-Bengali actress has penned over 20 episodes of The Office, and has appeared in a number of feature films including “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “No Strings Attached”.

Earlier this week, Mindy’s new venture “The Mindy Project” aired on US TV station Fox. Produced by Universal Television, the series follows Mindy Lahiri (played by Kaling), a doctor looking for love. While reviews for the pilot episode have been mixed, the fact remains that this is a historic step in television – The Mindy Project is the first US sitcom starring a South Asian American.

We are more than accustomed to the numerous stereotypes that on-screen South Asian characters have, from Apu in The Simpsons to Rajesh Koothrapalli from The Big Bang Theory. Granted, there has been a lot of progress in the portrayal of South Asians between the time of Apu and Raj, but there’s no denying that each of these characters are laden with numerous stereotypes that it seems difficult to break away from.

Here’s hoping that “The Mindy Project” paves the way for more South Asians to step in the limelight. We can’t wait to see what else Mindy Kaling has in store!

Did you get a chance to watch "The Mindy Project"? Let us know what you thought of it!