Poorna Jagannathan still in 'denial' about 'Deli Boys' cancellation
What's the story
Actor Poorna Jagannathan, currently seen on HBO's Lanterns, is still coming to terms with the cancellation of her critically acclaimed series Deli Boys after two seasons. Speaking to Variety India, she admitted, "I don't take anything personally, but I'm definitely a little bit in denial about the cancellation still."
Industry insight
'Asian stories...have a pretty hard time getting audiences'
Jagannathan reflected, "The show was one of the most critically acclaimed comedies for the company Onyx Collective, which was under Disney."
"Asian stories, stories of people of color, primarily made by people of color, starring people of color my biggest lesson is that they still have a pretty hard time getting audiences."
Audience expansion
'For us to survive, we do need a mainstream audience'
Jagannathan stressed, "For us to survive, we do need a mainstream audience to join us. And that's a whole other battle."
"I've been on Ramy and Never Have I Ever, and all these shows that have their own kind of life."
"But with Deli Boys, I learned a very, very important lesson."
"Yes...creators of color are getting greenlit...And that's a huge step."
"But the next phase of our growth is really...making audiences believe that our stories, although specific, are universal."
Upcoming project
On recent film 'Best of the Best'
Jagannathan stars in Netflix's new film Best of the Best, which also features her Never Have I Ever co-star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan.
The movie, written by Hasan Minhaj and Prashanth Venkataramanujam, explores competitive Bollywood-fusion dancing.
"I think it's going to do terrific. And I cannot wait to see it," she said about the film.
Best of the Best was released on Friday, September 18.