In what was a “global casting call”, Mindy Kaling has revealed on social media that Canadian newcomer Maitreyi Ramakrishnan will play the lead role in her upcoming Netflix series with Lang Fisher.
The series is will be based on Kaling’s experiences pulled from her childhood and Ramakrishnan has been cast in the role of Devi, following a worldwide open casting call for the untitled series from Kaling and The Mindy Project co-executive producer Lang Fisher.
She held a global casting call for the series in which Maitreyi was selected from 15000 participants. Making her on-screen debut, Ramakrishnan will play an overachieving high school sophomore who has a short fuse that gets her into difficult situations. The series will follow her life as a modern-day first-generation Indian-American teenage girl.
Mindy’s expressed her excitement at the casting: “We feel so much excitement to be bringing this story to life, and a responsibility, too. Depicting what it’s like to be a young desi woman right now-a real girl with real desires, ambitions and problems.”
The untitled series, which received a 10-episode order, is co-created by Kaling and Lang Fisher, with the latter also set to serve as executive producer. The series was set up under Kaling’s overall deal at Universal Television, with Universal set to produce the new series. Kaling recently exited that deal for a new one with Warner Bros. Television – who will now produce the series instead.
Kaling is best known for creating, producing, and starring in the famously popular show, ‘The Mindy Project’, which ran for six seasons – three on Fox and then three on Hulu. She was also a writer and executive producer on ‘The Office’ at NBC in addition to appearing on screen as Kelly Kapoor.
Further details for the show are yet to be announced.
Kaling’s other venture, the series adaptation of ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’ is also set to debut on Hulu later this month. Read about it here.