South Asian Women & Media Episode 2: From Ravi to Devi: Indian American Representation, Stereotypes, and the Immigrant Life
How American TV series have gone from degrading to embracing Indian culture and the Impact that it has had on teens in modern society 
Krithikha Bharathy Mohan (past co-EIC), edited 2/14/2026

Disclaimer: This article is meant to raise awareness, and no hate is projected towards any of the actors mentioned.

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Growing up not necessarily averse to my culture, but indifferent to it, to later valuing my heritage, traditions, and language is a defining moment in almost every Indian teen’s life. And, to those who are yet to experience that feeling, I encourage you to be ready to embrace that moment, because culture is something that knows no time. For years, the only Indian character on a TV show was Ravi from Bunk’d, a character constantly lampooned by his peers, to an entire series based on an Indian girl my age, Devi from Never Have I Ever. There has been a seemingly small but meaningful evolution in the entertainment industry. I am forever grateful for it, because it played a pivotal role in shaping my love for my culture. But, also, it allowed me to relate to a TV show character of my ethnicity for once, without the overly caricatured brown-people stereotypes.

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The entertainment industry—specifically television, but also social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube—are one of the most prevalent sources of content in modern-day society. Television was the place I often went to find solace and pass time. However, I soon realized that my favorite characters from popular-culture TV shows were never the brown kid. There weren’t many series that included Indian characters in the first place, but when they did, those personas never stood out to me. They didn’t feel like characters I could truly relate to or admire. Here are a few examples: Disney’s Jessie and Bunk’d, starring Karan Brar as “Ravi Ross”, and another show he acted in, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, where he played “Chirag Gupta”; Kunal Nayyar a.k.a “Raj Koothrappali” from The Big Bang Theory, and even cartoons like The Simpsons that included Indian character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon or Baljeet Tjinder from Phineas and Ferb. These are only some examples, but remain the most prominent, showcasing the widespread trend of Indian stereotyping in films. Indians, and other diverse Asian ethnicities alike, are frequently portrayed through a reductively generalized lens—a USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative analysis of the 100 top-grossing films of 2019 found that 67% of Asian and Pacific Islander primary and secondary characters fit “stereotyped tropes”.

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Let’s unpack that stereotype. Based on analyzing over 27 films, including sitcoms like Cory in the House, I was able to conclude that the most common generalizations were, to put it mildly… demeaning. The “nerd”, the “uncool” kid, the one who packs spicy, smelly food and spends his/her entire lunch studying for their SATs or upcoming math test. Oh, and their parents will kill them if they don’t become a doctor, lawyer, engineer, or win every school and academic-related award—especially the spelling bee, which in reality has very little significance to one’s abilities, but is an accurate representation of most Indian American kids today.

Now, I’m not undermining these stereotypes and saying that they don’t exist. Because that would be a false narrative. In fact, I’d say this stereotype matches about 1 in every 3 Indian kids in the U.S. today. However, it is the portrayal and treatment of the character by their peers that raises concern for me. While there is a slight exaggeration in these stereotypes as well, the wider problem is the standardization of such portrayals. If a film, such as Jessi, showcases a scene where Ravi is bullied over his smelly Indian food, “unusual” accent, and deep admiration for computer science, what kind of message does this send to the thousands of other Indian kids watching from the other side of the TV screen? Or, more importantly, what does it say to the millions of kids of other races who could then accept the idea that it is fine to blatantly toss around stereotypes at the Indian kid in their classroom? If stereotyping is plainly accepted in the media, what are the children of this generation supposed to think of the real world? If the media is meant to be an accurate representation of our daily lives, what is stopping them from taking these stereotypes to the next level and inflicting them on the brown people they know? These kinds of questions are what look beyond the entertainment itself, and inquire about the future of a society built upon casual “light-hearted” racism.

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There’s nothing wrong with being labelled as “smart”, but the word itself is often overlooked and takes on a negative connotation in many of these films. Rather than exalting the brown characters for their intellect, they were constantly tantalized for their differences, thus making the idea of being smart something that people should conceal behind an overly Americanized identity, rather than proudly embrace. “Intelligent” and “studious” are words that were once idolized alongside brilliant minds like Albert Einstein, Marilyn vos Savant, and K Visalani. But, when it comes to Indians, or any character portrayed as a “nerd” or “geek”, the film industry has reduced that to a source of antipathy and bullying.

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To maintain equity, though, I have also analyzed more present TV series, such as the heavily renowned Never Have I Ever, starring Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, an Indian-American actress who plays the main lead, “Devi”. She plays a teenage girl with a traumatic past, having to deal with the trauma of her father’s sudden death, all while navigating the many complexities of high school, such as her studies and dream to get accepted into Princeton, fluctuating social status, a love life, and friendships.

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Devi is many things—smart, charismatic, funny, studious—but also my personal favorite: messy. Never Have I Ever surfaced away from the common stereotype that “Asians are perfect.” American films have a tendency of glazing over the Indian/Asian character as a one-track, rule-following goody-two-shoes who would never dare to get a tardy or anything below an A. Devi follows most of these “rules”; however, following her dad’s sudden death, she struggles to stay grounded in many parts of her life. She makes a couple of mistakes, even leading to her suspension from school in one episode. This bold filmmaking move allows viewers to understand the importance of making mistakes, as it teaches Devi many valuable life lessons about the kind of person she wants to be beyond high school. Also, she soon learns that not everything is rooted in perfect grades and education. Spoiler: she still gets into Princeton. I mean, she is “That Asian,” after all, so it was OBVIOUSLY expected. But the important part is that she does it all while navigating several impediments that the film perfectly depicts. They do not reduce her character to the overly simplified ideal of perfection, but rather a smart, driven Indian girl who is prone to making mistakes, breaking some norms, and facing every challenge life throws her way with relentless effort before her eventual breakthrough.

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Something to also realize from this film is that portraying one race or ethnicity requires thorough research on the intricacies of their culture, common stereotypes, and differentiating between which of those are actually true and which are just media-driven narratives. As the film was dedicated to showcasing the reality of an Indian girl’s life in America, it was taken on by a team of dedicated creators, including Indian American co-creator and executive producer Mindy Kaling, as well as American co-creator Lang Fisher, and Indian American director Kabir Akhtar. Together, this team of filmmakers created a film that values Indian culture through a lens that also truly depicts the challenges faced by teenagers today. Given the balanced portrayals, it is important to note that this is one of the only American films displaying an Indian character that was primarily written and directed by Indians themselves. By this, I am not suggesting that you must be a part of an ethnicity to accurately represent one, but rather to note the significance of truly understanding a culture and its history before putting it on film for millions of people to see. This is because the media has such a powerful role in shaping one’s understanding of different cultures, so if one is attempting to portray a race, they should do it right, with knowledge, deep research, and direct testimonials from the people of that culture.

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I hope to see more films in the future like Never Have I Ever, rooted in the mission of accurate Indian representation in the media. Films dedicated to telling our stories, portraying our lives, and embracing our cultural identities that remain when we move to a country like America, without altering it to the American ideal. I hope that one day, that Indian kid sitting on their couch watching a TV show that is supposedly based on the “realities of their lives” does not only relate to it, but has a comfort show to watch in which the Indian person is their favorite character—the character they’re rooting for, and get excited to see on screen. TV series have gone from the overly gentrified, ridiculed Ravi from Bunk’d, to the strong and resilient Grover Underwood, the most loyal companion of Percy Jackson from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, starring Aryan Simhadri. I like this example especially because Grover’s role isn’t based on his Indianness or identity; not that this was ever a problem, but it normalizes Indians in the media, rather than making it something unusual in the film itself. It’s refreshing to have that be a prominent part of his life, but also just another aspect of his more emotionally deep character. More examples **that show how channels have changed for the better—shifting from accepting and basing films on stereotypes to embracing the value of cultural differences—**include Disney Channel, surprisingly, with the series Spin, all about an Indian-American teen (Rhea). This film and the Percy Jackson series allow for more South Asian representation, rather than basing it on their culture itself. Spin takes on unique cultural elements of Rhea’s life, but does not cross cultural boundaries by using her Indian side as the punchline of the show. Others are The Namesake and Meet the Patels, two films that delve more into Indian heritage and traditions, all while remaining respectful of the cultural differences that aren’t as common in American households, grounding both of the series in self-awareness and accurate portrayal.

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Never Have I Ever director Kabir Akhtar accentuated the show’s industry-wide impact, stating he believes “the door is [now] open for more Indian American shows” following its success, signaling a grand shift towards greater representation. This series is the perfect symbol of portraying Indian culture in the entertainment industry while retaining cultural awareness and sharing a story that values history, change, and identity. Films like these look to embrace, not erase, a culture, while remaining humorous and authentic. If the standards of the movie industry follow this pattern of accurate portrayal and racial understanding, hopefully TV series based on Indian Americans’ lives will be something that doesn’t perpetuate stereotypes, but rather a love for every part of a beautiful culture.

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Author’s Bio: Krithikha Bharathy Mohan is a 16-year-old Indian-American and a driven youth-leader in her community. She is constantly striving for change by advocating for the representation of diverse ethnicities through her literary works. Some of her avocations include writing, public speaking, and digital marketing. She is also the co-founder of the Lotus Literary Paper, where she invests her time bringing awareness to unique, underrepresented perspectives, and spreads her love of Tamil Literature through the organization’s sub-account, thelotuspapertamil_. 

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Quick Note from the Author:

This article represents the transformative impact that the entertainment industry has had in telling our stories, the lives of first-generation Indian Americans, with cultural significance and nuanced representation. I have a deep appreciation for the evolution of the media, and hope to see this same portrayal of our livelihoods in stories, films, and other forms of content. Remember: when entertainment represents cultures accurately, it shifts from mere amusement to a mirror of lived experience. 

That being said, it would mean a lot to our community and us if you could follow thelotuspaper_ on social media. We are a passionate organization striving to better recognize South Asian Women in media, with our latest series featuring their stories. Check it out—and help us share their impact with the literary community

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