Mindy Kaling's Never Have I Ever [1] has become a runaway hit, and along with the show, so have its stars like Richa Moorjani, [2] who plays Devi's cousin Kamala. There were many things about the first season that personally resonated with me being an Indian woman, and I know I wasn't the only South Asian who was excited to finally see some sort of representation of our culture on TV. With the second season now out on Netflix, I spoke with the actress to learn more about her role on the show and her character's onscreen style.
"What we wear tends to have a huge impact on the way we feel and the way we are seen out in the world . . . especially as an immigrant or woman of colour living in the US."
"We see Kamala in a lab coat for half the time in season two, but underneath, she's always dressed impeccably, thanks to our fabulous costume designer Salvador Perez [3]," Richa told POPSUGAR. "Kamala has always been the type of woman who doesn't put much effort into her style and doesn't try to be trendy, but she's always put together. I love that she naturally switches between western and Indian casual (like wearing a simple tunic at home) and that even when dressed in western clothes, there was always an element of her culture present, whether that be through ethnic print on the fabric or accessories."
Since the start of the hit Netflix show, there were many memorable stories for the actress, including her very first fitting with the show's costume designer. "I remember that at my very first fitting for Kamala, Salvador was so wonderfully collaborative and open to my suggestions and ideas," Richa said.
"Initially, the idea was for Kamala to wear mostly American clothes, but I suggested that especially when she's at home, she could wear casual, flowy Indian pants or tops to incorporate her culture, which is also how I often dress at home for comfort. It truly feels like a blessing to be a part of a show with such a synergistic environment and where I have the opportunity to add value and authenticity to my character by infusing my real-life cultural background."
As for what has been her favourite outfit to wear on the show this season, the outfit may actually surprise you. "Definitely the cosplay outfit (custom made by Salvador) when Kamala, grudgingly, goes to a video-game convention with her nerdy, sexist lab mates! It's hilarious and painful at the same time to see her in that outfit, and we had so much fun putting that look together behind the scenes. I also loved the beautiful yellow tunic by Anita Dongre worn by Kamala when they went to spread Mohan's ashes at the end of season one."
". . . our way of dressing can be a way for us to express ourselves, to integrate into new environments, and to establish our bicultural identities."
As the season progresses, you can tell how fashion helps tell Kamala's story and show the character's growth. "What we wear tends to have a huge impact on the way we feel and the way we are seen out in the world," Richa revealed.
"Especially as an immigrant or woman of colour living in the US, our way of dressing can be a way for us to express ourselves, to integrate into new environments, and to establish our bicultural identities. The fact that Kamala is always fusing her cultures together through her style reflects how she is a woman who values both her heritage and her American identity while also never trying to impress anyone. In the scene where Kamala finally stands up for herself and literally smashes a beaker in her sexist boss's face, she's wearing a black leather jacket that gave her an extra badass and powerful look."
You can see how her character's style has influenced her personal style IRL as well. "I would say that Kamala's style is almost a reflection of my style and vice versa," Richa said.
"It is fun to play characters who dress completely different than you in real life, but there's also something very special about feeling like you and your character are style twins. I actually wear a gold bangle on one of my wrists in real life all the time given to me by my great-grandmother (an accessory that many South Asian women wear variations of), and Salvador let me wear it on set as a character choice for Kamala. Little details like that made me feel even more connected to my character."
As for any fun styling tips she picked up from the wardrobe department while filming, Richa said: "Kamala tends to wear a lot of layers, like a cute blazer over a simple top, which can be very convenient when I don't have much time to decide what to wear, so I've started doing that!"
The actress, along with her costar Poorna Jagannathan [4], loves to support South Asian designers. "On the show, both Poorna and I wear a lot of Anita Dongre. I love her brand because of its sustainability mission. Another South Asian female-owned brand I love is Amaré, which makes sustainable vegan leather purses and bags. Their whole mission is to raise awareness about endangered animals, and their bags are handcrafted by artisans in Italy using eco-friendly, plant-based materials. A couple of other South Asian designers I am a big fan of are Papa Don't Preach by Shubhika and Prabal Gurung."
With her South Asian heritage being such a big part of her fashion choices on and off screen, I had to ask Richa about her gorgeous wedding looks. "I always knew I wanted to wear a traditional-looking red lehenga to my wedding ceremony," Richa said.
"My mom and I spent two weeks together in Delhi doing all the shopping for not just my outfits, but everyone in my family's and my husband's outfits. We went to all of the top designer showrooms, and honestly, nothing impressed me for how expensive they were (and besides the fact that I felt like everyone wore the same outfits from the same two to three designers). Finally, we went to this little hole-in-the-wall-type showroom in Chandni Chowk called Om Parkash Jawahar Lal, which has been around for decades, and I fell in love with one of their pieces that inspired my outfit. I loved the temple design on the skirt, which was so unique, and I had never seen anything like it. They custom-made my final outfit with all of the specifications and details I wanted it to have, and it turned out to be everything that I had hoped for."
As Never Have I Ever [5] blurs the lines between Richa's real-life style and her character's, we see Indian heritage being represented in a more meaningful way. And just as Kamala finds her voice in the second season, Richa, too, is finding her own footing in Hollywood — and she's just getting started.