Vera Mindy Chokalingam, known professionally as Mindy Kaling (born June 24, 1979 in Cambridge, Massachusetts) is an American actress, writer, director, and comedian of Indian descent.
She's perhaps best known for her roles as Kelly Kapoor on NBC's The Office, Dr. Mindy Lahiri on Hulu's note The Mindy Project, which she created, and Velma Dinkley in Velma. From 2012 to 2015, she was the only actor of Indian descent headlining a series on American network television. note
Mindy has written two memoirs to date: 2011's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), and 2015's Why Not Me?
She's also provided the voices of Taffyta Muttonfudge in Disney's Wreck-It Ralph and Disgust in Pixar's Inside Out.
Bibliography:
- Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) (2011)
- Why Not Me? (2015)
- Nothing Like I Imagined(Except For Sometimes) (2020)
Selected filmography:
As Actor
- The Office (2005 — 2013) as Kelly Kapoor
- License to Wed (2007) as Shelly Rawat
- No Strings Attached (2011) as Shira
- The Five-Year Engagement (2012) as Vaneetha
- Wreck-It Ralph (2012) as Taffyta Muttonfudge (voice)
- The Mindy Project (2012 — 2017) as Dr. Mindy Lahiri
- This Is the End (2013) as herself
- Inside Out (2015) as Disgust (voice)
- A Wrinkle in Time (2018) as Mrs. Who
- Ocean's 8 (2018) as Amita
- Champions as Priya Patel
- Late Night (2019) as Molly
- Monsters at Work (2021) as Val Little (voice)
- Velma (2023) as Velma Dinkley (voice)
As Creator/Co-Creator
- The Mindy Project
- Champions
- Four Weddings And A Funeral (2019)
- Never Have I Ever (2020—2023)
- The Sex Lives of College Girls (2021—present)
She provides examples of:
- Alpha Bitch: Her roles as Taffyta and Disgust.
- Asian Airhead: She often plays this trope, making her a rare Indian example.
- But Not Too Foreign: She shortened her surname for professional purposes.
- Motor Mouth: Her characters talk a lot.
- What Could Have Been: She was offered a job as a writer on Saturday Night Live, but couldn't take it due to her contract on The Office.
