Late is better than never, finally some South-Asian representation in mainstream TV, and even better, on Netflix!

*SPOILER WARNING*

“Never Have I Ever” is a new show on Netflix, written by Mindy Kaling, which features a South-Asian lead, “Devi”, played by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan. It’s basically about an Indian-American teenage girl and her life struggles of trying to become ‘cool’ at school, dealing with the trauma of losing her dad and becoming temporarily paralysed, and her inner-conflict with her identity.

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So seeing a show dedicated to representing my culture, of course I binged it straight away. Overall, I really enjoyed it and it was so great finally seeing a young South-Asian lead in a western show, but I got some mixed feelings about exactly how she was represented- I feel like there were loads of positives especially the fact that a show like this even exists now, but it still played on loads of stereotypes of the Indian culture which was a bit disappointing, especially considering Mindy Kaling was a writer for it.

Lets start with her family; she lives at home with her mum and cousin (Kamala) as her dad died from a heart attack. Her mum is very stereo-typically Indian, having a strong accent and being extremely strict about Devi’s school work, clothes she wore, and boys. On top of that, her cousin Kamala has a secret boyfriend while her parents are setting up an arranged marriage for her- the stereotypes of the mum I get, fair enough because for a lot of us it’s really relatable and true, but an arranged marriage, really? I don’t really see how that was a necessary addition to the show as it’s such a stigma and stereotype of the Indian culture that doesn’t even happen as much nowadays, especially with this generation.

As well as her home life showcasing a very stereotypical portrayal of Indians, her life at school also contributes to this. First of all, literally everyone in the school refers to Devi and her friends as the “UN”, which stands for “unfuckable nerds”, what a shock. Of course if there was ever going to be a show with a young South-Asian lead, she had to be unfuckable, nerdy and unpopular. Give us a break, can there not just be a show where there’s an Indian lead who isn’t considered ‘ugly’, ‘unfuckable’ or an unpopular nerd? I feel like this show really plays on these stereotypes that have affected a lot of us growing up, and I guess it can go two ways, it can be nice to relate to this in a show but also reinforce such things that young Indian girls may think about themselves already.

It’s a tricky one because for a lot of us this is relatable and its nice being able to laugh at and relate to such things in a show representing your culture, like how Indian parents can be sometimes, but it also just makes you sigh, yet again another show which is reinforcing what people already think of us, and what we think about ourselves. I think releasing a show like this is really great but also really important to think about exactly what you put in it, and how you portray the characters, because especially when there’s not a lot out there for young South-Asian girls to identify with, it carries a lot of weight for how it may help them accept or contribute to rejecting their identity.

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So, I know I’ve mentioned a lot of issues I have with the show, but there are also a lot of things I think were great about it. In practically the first minute of the show when she’s praying, she mentions her hairy arms, which I know is something all my brown girls can relate to, honestly the hair on our bodies is a real struggle smh, also loved how she clapped back at Ben when he comments on her moustache and she taunts him “at least I can grow one”- queen. As well as this she is also just a normal teenage girl with normal teenage interests and struggles like fitting in, getting a boyfriend and losing her virginity- I really liked that being Indian wasn’t her defining trait, there were so many other aspects of her character and life like her complicated friendships and relationship with Paxton that the show focused on.

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Episode 4 “Never Have I Ever…Felt Super Indian” where Devi and her family celebrate Ganesh Puja at her school was great. It showed the rituals of the Hindu celebration, and the beautiful suits and sari’s worn to it- and we can all relate to when Devi complains about the itchiness of the sari blouse, they are NOT comfortable. I feel like this episode really allowed people to relate in a religious and cultural way, as well as relating on a personal level with Devi as it shows her struggle and conflict with her Indian identity, feeling like she didn’t fit in at school because she was ‘too Indian’, and didn’t fit in at cultural/religious events because she isn’t ‘Indian enough’- it did well at showing what it’s like growing up as Indian in a Western community. One of my favourite parts of the Ganesha Puja episode was when Devi and her mum encountered the Indian ‘aunties’, lmao the portrayal of them was so accurate, it was great- if you know, you know.

Overall, honestly I really recommend watching it, especially if you are from the South-Asian community, it’s enjoyable and really relatable despite some aspects of the show which I think were unnecessarily stereotypical. But big up Mindy Kaling for writing it, some representation was really needed for our community, and I think ‘Never Have I Ever’ is a really great start to it- hopefully eventually we can stray away from these stereotypes even more.

Song recommendation: Urban Jazz by IAMDDB