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Poorna Jagannathan
Poorna Jagannathan (/ˈpɔːrnə ˌdʒɑːɡəˈnɑːθən/ POR-nə JAH-gə-NAH-thən; born December 22, 1972) is an Indian-American producer and actress. She is known for her portrayal of Safar Khan in the HBO drama miniseries The Night Of, as well as for her role as Nalini Vishwakumar in the Netflix teen comedy series Never Have I Ever. She currently portrays Lucky in the Hulu crime comedy series Deli Boys.
Poorna also co-conceived, produced, and acted in the play Nirbhaya, which was considered "one of the most powerful and urgent pieces of human rights theatre ever made," and is regarded as a critical moment in India's history of women's empowerment.
Poorna was named among the "Top 100 Most Impactful Asians" in America in 2021, 2022 and 2025 by Goldhouse. People magazine featured her in their 2024 “The Beautiful Issue” while Verve magazine named her among the top 50 most powerful women in India in 2014.
Poorna was born on on December 22, 1972 in Tunis, Tunisia, to Vasantha Krishnan and G. Jagannathan. Her father, G. Jagannathan, was an Indian diplomat working at the Indian diplomatic mission to Tunisia.
She grew up in India, Pakistan, Ireland, Brazil and Argentina, and speaks Tamil, Hindi, English, Spanish and Portuguese. Poorna studied at the Sardar Patel School in Delhi and attended the University of Brasília before graduating in journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park. She earned a scholarship to pursue a Master of Fine Arts in acting at the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University, but dropped out after the first year. Poorna went on to train at The Barrow Group where she is currently a board and company member. Before her career as an actor, Poorna spent 15 years working in advertising at agencies like TBWA\Worldwide, Ogilvy, and Deutsch Inc. before starting her own consultancy, Cowgirls & Indians. She quit her advertising career and focused solely on acting in 2016.
Poorna has had recurring parts on several TV shows like Big Little Lies, Better Call Saul and Ramy. She played Blacklister #44 on The Blacklist, and appeared as the guest lead on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for its 18th year's double-season-finale episodes.[citation needed] In 2017, she played one of the leads in A24's film Share. Share premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, and was immediately acquired by HBO.
Poorna also won critical acclaim for her role as a journalist in the 2011 Hindi cinema film Delhi Belly. The Village Voice said that "the most enjoyably subversive element is Poorna Jagannathan as the self-sufficient bachelorette who waylays Tashi on his way to the altar. Rangy, corkscrew-haired, with a wary demeanor that can't long be upset by anything, she's a happy departure from the usual run of Xeroxed, pedestaled beauties." Mumbai Mirror said, "Poorna Jagannathan, an offbeat choice, is remarkably subtle and does a brilliant job." The Daily News and Analysis said that Poorna shines in the film, and that "her bohemian sex appeal" is "a refreshing change from the prim and proper 'heroine' we are used to watching." The editor of Outlook Lounge said that Poorna's performance was a "masterclass in effortless acting." In 2019, Delhi Belly was named one of the top 25 Bollywood movies of the decade by Film Companion.
In 2012, Deadline reported that Poorna had joined the cast of the HBO show The Night Of as a series regular. Her performance in The Night Of received rave reviews. Vinnie Mancuso of Observer wrote, "Poorna Jagannathan, who has been putting in one of the year's most heartbreaking performances, continues to shine..." Vikram Murthi from Vulture wrote "Poorna Jagannathan's subtle performance really shines... Her facial reactions convey such a profound array of emotions." Variety's Sonia Saraiya wrote that her performance was "quietly devastating".
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Poorna Jagannathan
Poorna Jagannathan (/ˈpɔːrnə ˌdʒɑːɡəˈnɑːθən/ POR-nə JAH-gə-NAH-thən; born December 22, 1972) is an Indian-American producer and actress. She is known for her portrayal of Safar Khan in the HBO drama miniseries The Night Of, as well as for her role as Nalini Vishwakumar in the Netflix teen comedy series Never Have I Ever. She currently portrays Lucky in the Hulu crime comedy series Deli Boys.
Poorna also co-conceived, produced, and acted in the play Nirbhaya, which was considered "one of the most powerful and urgent pieces of human rights theatre ever made," and is regarded as a critical moment in India's history of women's empowerment.
Poorna was named among the "Top 100 Most Impactful Asians" in America in 2021, 2022 and 2025 by Goldhouse. People magazine featured her in their 2024 “The Beautiful Issue” while Verve magazine named her among the top 50 most powerful women in India in 2014.
Poorna was born on on December 22, 1972 in Tunis, Tunisia, to Vasantha Krishnan and G. Jagannathan. Her father, G. Jagannathan, was an Indian diplomat working at the Indian diplomatic mission to Tunisia.
She grew up in India, Pakistan, Ireland, Brazil and Argentina, and speaks Tamil, Hindi, English, Spanish and Portuguese. Poorna studied at the Sardar Patel School in Delhi and attended the University of Brasília before graduating in journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park. She earned a scholarship to pursue a Master of Fine Arts in acting at the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University, but dropped out after the first year. Poorna went on to train at The Barrow Group where she is currently a board and company member. Before her career as an actor, Poorna spent 15 years working in advertising at agencies like TBWA\Worldwide, Ogilvy, and Deutsch Inc. before starting her own consultancy, Cowgirls & Indians. She quit her advertising career and focused solely on acting in 2016.
Poorna has had recurring parts on several TV shows like Big Little Lies, Better Call Saul and Ramy. She played Blacklister #44 on The Blacklist, and appeared as the guest lead on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for its 18th year's double-season-finale episodes.[citation needed] In 2017, she played one of the leads in A24's film Share. Share premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, and was immediately acquired by HBO.
Poorna also won critical acclaim for her role as a journalist in the 2011 Hindi cinema film Delhi Belly. The Village Voice said that "the most enjoyably subversive element is Poorna Jagannathan as the self-sufficient bachelorette who waylays Tashi on his way to the altar. Rangy, corkscrew-haired, with a wary demeanor that can't long be upset by anything, she's a happy departure from the usual run of Xeroxed, pedestaled beauties." Mumbai Mirror said, "Poorna Jagannathan, an offbeat choice, is remarkably subtle and does a brilliant job." The Daily News and Analysis said that Poorna shines in the film, and that "her bohemian sex appeal" is "a refreshing change from the prim and proper 'heroine' we are used to watching." The editor of Outlook Lounge said that Poorna's performance was a "masterclass in effortless acting." In 2019, Delhi Belly was named one of the top 25 Bollywood movies of the decade by Film Companion.
In 2012, Deadline reported that Poorna had joined the cast of the HBO show The Night Of as a series regular. Her performance in The Night Of received rave reviews. Vinnie Mancuso of Observer wrote, "Poorna Jagannathan, who has been putting in one of the year's most heartbreaking performances, continues to shine..." Vikram Murthi from Vulture wrote "Poorna Jagannathan's subtle performance really shines... Her facial reactions convey such a profound array of emotions." Variety's Sonia Saraiya wrote that her performance was "quietly devastating".
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