7/14/2023 0 Comments Never have i everNever Have I Ever Review: Still from the seriesĪ bit of delusion is inevitable when a friend describes her as a combination of Priyanka Chopra's "beauty" and Ruth Bader Ginsberg's "incisive intelligence". Devi wants to be seen as "super cool and whip-smart". But she still cannot steer clear of trouble, which, of course, is hardly surprising when you consider that this brainy girl's behaviour often borders on the bratty and impulsive. No boyfriends until you are old enough to rent a car, the girl is told by her mother.įor all her vulnerabilities, there always are extenuating circumstances for Sherman Oaks High sophomore Devi Vishwakumar (played superbly by debutante Maitreyi Ramakrishnan). The 10-episode series pivots around a 15-year-old first-generation Indian-American girl growing up in California's San Fernando Valley and dealing with teenage pangs aggravated by issues pertaining to, while going beyond, chasing "perfect grades and killer test scores", finding camaraderie and love, and dealing with a fretful single mom forever worried that her daughter might be hurtling down a ruinous path. "When your parents are born elsewhere and you're born in the Western world – me, Canada Devi, America – it's hard to find out where your identity is.The appeal of Never Have I Ever, a charming, peppy Netflix teen dramedy created by Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher, stems primarily from its spry tempo, which alternates between the rollicking and the staccato, vividly capturing, in the process, the caprices of youth and the intricacies of a minority culture viewed from within and without. "One thing that really hits home with me and Devi is finding where you find yourself within your own culture," says Ramakrishnan, a Toronto native who won the role after producers saw audition tapes of 15,000 girls. She also related to Devi's resistance to Hindu traditions, bristling at her older cousin's (Richa Moorjani) impending arranged marriage and stubbornly attending Ganesh Puja, a Hindu prayer celebration. The subject of grief resonated with Ramakrishnan, 18, who says she lost her great-grandmother and "first best friend" to Alzheimer's disease when she was Devi's age. But that (dynamic) was more interesting to us: What if your favorite parent died and all you were left with was the one who didn't understand you?" "The difference was that I got along very well with my mother and Devi is at odds with hers so much of the time. "A lot of their personality traits are very similar: the very high standards, which is similar to a lot of Asian parents I know," Kaling says. Devi's mom is also a doctor and has a tough-love approach to parenting. In some ways, "Never Have I Ever" is a tribute to Kaling's own mom, an OB-GYN who died of cancer in 2012. I had none of that – I was a lot quieter than she is." That said, "I did not have her confidence in terms of me thinking I should be with the hot senior guy. And I think we haven't seen that before," says Kaling, 40, who based the show in part on her high school self. "Devi is decidedly a nerd and so are her friends, but she's not a wallflower. More: Mindy Kaling has 'newfound respect for stay-at-home moms' while quarantining with her toddler She's witty, self-assured and (mostly) well-liked, while also being incredibly vulnerable. Historically, on-screen brainiacs have been portrayed as awkward outcasts or irksome overachievers: Sheldon Cooper, Tracy Flick, Steve Urkel.īut Mindy Kaling's Netflix comedy "Never Have I Ever" (now streaming) introduces a new breed of bookworm in Devi Vishwakumar (newcomer Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), a 15-year-old Indian-American teen who brazenly pursues boys, talks back to teachers, lies about losing her virginity, and steals booze for classmates after crashing their model UN. Watch Video: Mindy Kaling dishes on her Mother's Day plans with her daughter
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