Poorna Jagannathan is an Indian-American actress and producer. She is known for her roles as “Safar Khan” in the HBO miniseries The Night of the Furious (2016), “Menaka Vashist” in the Bollywood film Delhi Belly (2011), “Katie Richmond” in the TV series Big Little Lies (2019), and “Dr. Nalini Vishwakumar” in the Netflix series Never Have I Ever (2020).
Wiki/Biography
Poorna Jagannathan was born in Tunis, Tunisia on Friday, December 22, 1972 (47 years old in 2019). Her star sign is Capricorn. She grew up in Pakistan, Ireland, India, Brazil, and Argentina and did most of her schooling in these countries. She also studied at Sardar Patel Vidyalaya School in New Delhi. She attended the University of Brasilia in Brazil and obtained a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in theater from the University of Maryland, College Park. She pursued a Master of Fine Arts degree at the Actors Studio School of Theater at Pace University. However, she dropped out after a year and continued to learn acting from Elizabeth Camp, a teacher she met during her college studies.
appearance
Height: 5′ 6½”
Eye color: Black
Hair color: Black
Family and Race
She is from a Tamil family and is a South Indian American. Her father, Krish Krishnan, is an Indian diplomat. Her mother’s name is Vasantha Krishnan; both her parents are from Chennai.
Poorna Jagannathan and her parents
She has an elder sister named Sharada.
Childhood photo of Poorna Jagannathan and her sister
She is married to Azad Oommen and has one son named Anav Oommen.
Poorna Jagannathan with her husband and son
Profession
Movie
She made her acting debut with the role of “Song’s Girlfriend” in the film She Hates Me (2004).
She played small roles in the American films The Weatherman (2005), Awake (2007) and Peace, Love and Misunderstanding (2011). She made her Bollywood debut as “Menaka Vashist” in the Bollywood film Delhi Baili (2011).
Poorna Jagannathan in a scene from Delhi Belly (2011)
She subsequently played supporting roles in hit Bollywood and American films such as Love Is Destiny (2013), Growing Up Smith (2015), Carrie Pilby (2016), The Circle (2017), Mile 22 (2018), Share (2019) and Alia Is Born (2020).
television
She made her television screen debut in the American super hit TV series Law & Order (2004) as ‘Rehana Khemlani’.
She later appeared in many popular television series such as Rescue (2006), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2006), The Game (2008), Numbers (2009), The Good Doctor (2010), House of Cards (2015), and NCIS: Los Angeles (2016); all in supporting roles. In 2016, she played the lead role of “Saffar Khan” in the series The Night of the Furious.
Poorna Jagannathan in a scene from The Night of the Living (2016)
She has appeared in many popular TV series such as Gypsy (2017), The Blacklist (2017), The Act (2019), Big Little Lies (2019), Defending Jacob (2020), and Never Have I Ever (2020).
In the Theater
She is also a senior theatre artist and a member and board member of The Borrow Group, a non-profit Off-Broadway theatre company in New York City. Deeply moved by the Delhi gang rape and murder on December 16, 2012, she produced and starred in the play Nirbhaya, written and directed by South African director and playwright Yaël Farber. Nirbhaya opened at the Town Hall during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2013. The play is dedicated to breaking the silence on sexual violence against women. The play won the Amnesty International Award, the Scottish Fringe Festival First Prize and the Herald Angel Award in 2013.
Poorna Jagannathan in a scene from Nirvana
Awards and Achievements
- 2014 Kamala Pasand Max Stardust Annual Awards Ceremony
- Verve magazine named her one of the 50 most influential women in India in 2014
- Grazia Magazine Best Dressed Awards 2014
- 2013 Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award
- First Prize, Scottish Fringe Festival 2013
- 2013 Herald Angel Award
- Voted the most stylish Indian woman by Cosmopolitan in 2013 and 2012
- 2012 L’Oréal Femina Award Winner
- In 2012, she was voted as one of the “50 Most Beautiful Women in India” by Femina magazine.
Favorite things
- Drama: Our Town by Thornton Wilder, Amaruba by Yael Farber
Facts/Trivia
- She enjoys watching movies, plays and reading.
- Before starting her career as an actor, Purna worked in the advertising industry.
- From a very young age, she was called “porn.” Speaking about her nickname, she said,
I didn’t even know what pornography was. But you know, it’s been my nickname for years. My Instagram handle is @poornography_. So I just took it — there was no other way.”
- Poorna has graced the covers of Marie Claire, Femina, Jade, and Exotica, and has been featured in numerous publications including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Cosmopolitan, and Grazia.
- She was named by Vogue magazine as one of the eight women changing the face of beauty in India in 2012 and was named one of the most stylish women in 2012, 2014 and 2015.
- She is also a brand ambassador for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
- She loves dogs very much and has a pet dog.
Poorna Jagannathan with her husband, son and pets
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education