I had to convince America that I was an American

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Posted: 7 years ago

"It was scary, but an organic experience. I was asked by my manager to make music with Jimmy Iovine and that's how I went to America. People there responded to me in a very casual 'you are my friend' tone, so I felt I was relatable to them. When I went to parties like that of the Grammy's, people asked me why I was not working in America and that made me think about it. The opportunity to be a part of television came to me at a party. The VP of casting at an American commercial broadcast television network asked if I would want to do TV. I told her that TV is a six-year commitment and that I have never done it before. She then flew down to India to talk to me".

"Whenever you saw Indians on mainstream global entertainment platforms, you always saw them being put in a box - either they would be nerds or a big fat Punjabi family. Why should our ethnicity define the role that we play? The only thing I told the TV network was not to come to me with a show that showcases 'my big fat Punjabi wedding', I won't do it. They came to me with 26 scripts and I chose to play an FBI agent who happened to be half-Indian", she added.

After she bagged the role of Alex Parish, there was quite a discussion on her character's name. Revealing about this, she expressed, "I had an Indian assistant whose name was Jennifer, so I told the team that they were again stereotyping me. They had given me a character and it was my job now to convince the world that I am that person. Every Sunday, I had to convince America that I was an American"