Indian actors mostly get cameo roles in international cinema: Poorna Jagannathan

Poorna Jagannathan was happy doing roles in American films and television, but when Bollywood and "Delhi Belly" happened, the Tunisia-born actress was only too eager to try her skills in tinseltown.
Post her Bollywood debut, she shifted base to Mumbai to focus on Hindi cinema. Currently trying to juggle her international commitments (she's shot for "Peace, love and Misunderstanding" with Jane Fonda, and "Thanks for Sharing", which stars Gwyneth Paltrow) and her Bollywood career, Poorna spoke to us about the potential for actors of colour in the international arena, and said that Indian actors usually get typecast in roles that justify their ethnicity, and mostly end up doing cameos only.
She said, "It's shifted slightly, but you're not completely off. So while an Indian girl is still likely to get cast as the doctor, now she's the smart but sexy doctor vs a boring one with no character. That said, it's not an Indian-specific phenomena. My African American actor friends are always saying, "you're so lucky that you get to go in as the doctor, try going in for the hooker all the time."
There's a lot of race stereotyping happening but we all feel like changes are happening slowly. There's more writers of color, there's more producers and directors of color, there's more women in power and that's changing things in the international market.
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