'Mindy has given me such a great gift with Devi' If you buy into the real pain and missteps of growing up, you let characters mature along with your audience - all while watching your cast do the same. Nalini's answer to that question, and Devi's reaction to it, not only show the growth of the show, but both the problems and opportunities of young-adult TV. WATCH | Canada has 'amazing South Asian talent,' says Mindy Kaling:ĭuration 1:05 Featured VideoMindy Kaling explains why Canada's 'amazing South Asian talent' leads her to work with artists from this country.Īfter two years of desperately trying to mask grief over her father with popularity and relationships, a tearful Devi asks her mom at the end of season 3, 'What if nobody ever loves me, because I'm always too much?' In its strongest (and penultimate, as Kaling plans to end Never Have I Ever after Season 4) season yet, the laughs are still there, but the series about teenage angst finally allows its main character to get to the root of her own problems.

Only this time, the show finally seems to be getting through to the heart of its characters. In the show, that exists as Devi grappling with the death of her own father - something Never Have I Ever once again builds to in its final episodes, luring you in with comedy only to hit you over the head with tragedy. While Kaling based the show largely on her own teenage years, it also draws on her experience of losing her mother in 2012. While the show can read like a juvenile version of Gossip Girl (try keeping track of whether Kamala's more into Prashant, Steve or Manish how Eleanor and Fabiola are fighting about the text Malcolm sent to Isabella or whether Aneesa is going to hook up with Ben after the rumour Devi totally told Shira at the school's all-night marathon) there's a more serious theme running right under its surface. WATCH | Mindy Kaling on how she sees herself in (most of) her characters:ĭuration 1:19 Featured VideoMississauga's Maitreyi Ramakrishnan plays Devi Vishwakumar on Never Have I Ever, where her character is choosing between two boys, who fans have dubbed 'Team Ben' or 'Team Paxton.' Asked who she'd choose, the actor says she's the 'proud prime minister of Team Devi.' 'It's so much more fun to watch someone who believes in themselves and makes big mistakes than someone who chooses not to put themselves out there - which is way more what I was like.'

'I think that's what makes the character cinematic and really fun,' co-creator Kaling told CBC News about writing for Devi - a character somewhat based on her own childhood growing up in and around Boston. But also from the start, its formula for connecting with audiences was radically different from other high school dramas and rom-coms.īecause, almost unfailingly, every single choice Devi makes, makes you want to scream.

Never Have I Ever's Devi Vishwakumar may just be one of TV's most difficult characters, and Mindy Kaling knows it.Īs it follows drama queen Devi (played by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, a breakthrough role for the Mississauga actor) while she ricochets between boyfriends, best friends and family drama, the teen comedy has proven itself as one of Netflix's most popular shows ever since it premiered back in 2020.

Never have i ever season 3 casting call