The “Deli Boys” would be nowhere without Lucky Auntie.
Although the new Onyx Collective comedy focuses on Pakistani American brothers Mir (Asif Ali) and Raj (Saagar Shaikh), the duo would be completely helpless without Lucky, played by Poorna Jagannathan. Jagannathan steals every scene she’s in, mostly because of her commanding presence and comedic timing — but also due in no small part to her wardrobe.
“Lucky is all shoulders,” Jagannathan said in an interview with Variety. “She just carries the world on her padded shoulders…The fashion reference that [costume designer] Cailey Breneman put on the mood board are these actresses called Zeenat Aman and Parveen Babi. These are ’70s Bollywood actresses that just broke boundaries and are sexy as fuck and just fantastic.”
Jagannathan is still relatively new to comedy, though she has played comedic roles in shows like “Never Have I Ever” and movies like “Delhi Belly” and “Wolfs” prior to “Deli Boys.” Still, she admits she needed help getting the rhythm of American comedy down.
“I would have the writers, including [“Never Have I Ever’s”] Lang Fisher record the lines for me so that I could hear the comedy,” she said. “Because I’m not American and I didn’t grow up on American comedy, so the timing is a little different from Indian comedy…It’s hard, and I didn’t trust myself.”
That lack of trust is in herself is surprising, given the fact that she has some of the funniest moments in “Deli Boys.” But more than comedy, Jagannathan said that a key aspect of joining “Deli Boys” was better representations for South Asians in American media.
“How do you move us South Asians from the punch line to the plot line? I am really in it for the community,” she said. “I try and do every role with an Indian accent, because our accent has been made fun of so much over the years.”
“Deli Boys” is now streaming on Hulu/Onyx Collective
