
Poorna Jagannathan
Department: Acting
Biography
Poorna Jagannathan (/ˈpɔːrnə ˌdʒɑːɡəˈnɑːθən/ POR-nə JAH-gə-NAH-thən; born December 22, 1972) is an American producer and actress of Indian descent. She is known for her portrayal of Safar Khan in the HBO drama miniseries The Night Of and for her role as Nalini Vishwakumar in the Netflix teen comedy series Never Have I Ever. Jagannathan also co-conceived, produced, and acted in the play Nirbhaya, considered "one of the most powerful and urgent pieces of human rights theatre ever made," and is regarded as a critical moment in India's history of women's empowerment. Jagannathan was named among the "Top 100 Most Impactful Asians" in America in 2021 and 2022 by Goldhouse. People magazine featured her in their 2024 "The Beautiful Issue", while Verve magazine named her among the top 50 most powerful women in India in 2014. Description above from the Wikipedia article Poorna Jagannathan, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For

Wolfs
2024

The Out-Laws
2023

Goodrich
2024

Delhi Belly
2011

Carrie Pilby
2017

Peace, Love & Misunderstanding
2011

House Comes with a Bird
2022

Thanks for Sharing
2013

I'll Show You Mine
2022

Turtles All the Way Down
2024

Dealbreaker
2005

Awake
2007

Modern Day Arranged Marriage
2005

Growing Up Smith
2017

The Circle
2017

An Actor Prepares
2018

Daisy Winters
2017

Share
2019

Mile 22
2018

The Weather Man
2005

The Dead Center
2019

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
2013

She Hate Me
2004

Alia's Birth
2021

Karma Calling
2009

She Hate Me
2004

Room 104
2017

The Wilds
2020

Deli Boys
2025

Defending Jacob
2020

Taken
2017

The Night Of
2016

Made in Hollywood
2005

Gypsy
2017

Better Call Saul
2015

The Blacklist
2013

Sorry For Your Loss
2018

Law & Order
1990

Rizzoli & Isles
2010

Law & Order: Criminal Intent
2001

Never Have I Ever
2020

Starved
2005

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999

The Act
2019

Messiah
2020

Lanterns
—

NCIS: Los Angeles
2009

Hot Ones Versus
2024

Numb3rs
2005