For years, South Asian representation in Hollywood was diversity tokenism at best. Characters were often expected to explain themselves, their culture, their accent, their family, or their immigrant experiences. His identity often became a story. Actors like Poorna Jagannathan spent much of their careers moving against those boundaries.

Now, with shows like deli boysJagannathan believes that the negotiations are entering a new phase. had an exclusive conversation with India TodayThe actor reflected on what she calls “Representation 2.0” – a moment when South Asian characters are no longer defined solely by their ethnicity, but are allowed to exist as messy, ambitious, flawed, and often hilarious individuals.

This change is significant on the part of Jagannathan, whose career has consistently challenged traditional portrayals of South Asian women on screen. From night of To I never have and now deli boysHe’s built a body of work around characters that feel alive.

Speaking about the increasing visibility of South Asians and Asians in Western entertainment, Jagannathan said change is happening not only in front of the camera but also behind it.

“You know, I’ve always made choices that were close to my own preferences. So, if I got a role that was written for another ethnicity, like a white one, I would always try and encourage them to change it to a more Indian name or Indian. Whatever I can bring to the role really makes it easier for me to get into it,” she said.

For Jagannathan, authenticity has never been about making a statement. It’s about making the characters feel real enough to inhabit without any compromise. What excites him now is that writers create culturally specific characters from the beginning rather than reinventing diversity into existing templates.

“I not only see people living in it, but I also see people on the other side writing for it. The characters are becoming much more culturally specific,” she explained.

That development is probably most visible deli boysComedy-crime series based on two South Asian-American brothers who unexpectedly inherit their family’s criminal empire. The show’s cultural identity is unambiguous, yet it rarely stops to explain itself to viewers. For Jagannathan, this difference matters. “With something like Daily Boys, we are entering an area that is no longer identity-centric narratives,” she said. “Our identities have just been given. They are included in the story,” he said.

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The actor pointed towards the show as beef As an example of a new storytelling model emerging in Hollywood. “deli boys and as it shows beef Simply, for me, representations are 2.0. This is the next level, where we came from, it’s inherent in who we are. This is not part of the story. It’s a secondary subplot to everything.”

During this time, deli boys Displays independence. Jagannathan’s character is ambitious, dangerous, and undoubtedly manipulative: a far cry from the nurturing, self-sacrificing stereotype that South Asian women are often confined to on screen.

Additionally, he also talked about sharing scenes with comedian and actor Fred Armisen. Armisen joked that his real-life unfamiliarity naturally translated into the dynamics of his characters. Jagannathan recalled how even a scene involving intimacy was shaped by their initial awkwardness, with consensual conversations during rehearsals eventually finding their way into the script.

all six episodes of deli boys Season 2 is now available on JioHotstar.