She shot Hamza. Like, in the head. Not the blockbuster spy of the Dhurandhar movies, to be clear, but a lowly operative in the opening episode of Deli Boys. Poorna Jagannathan is good fun in Hulu's comedy, playing Lucky aunty — sassy, surefooted consigliere to a desi Philadelphia criminal empire.
Created by Abdullah Saeed, the 2025 series followed two witless American-Pakistani brothers as they inherited their father’s clandestine cocaine business. The second season returns on May 28 — Indian viewers can stream it on JioHotstar — and Jagannathan, returning in luxury fur coats and eyeing a promising romance track, commands an even more central presence.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Jagannathan, who is one of the leading South Asian performers on international TV, with acclaimed turns in The Night Of, Never Have I Ever and Ramy, spoke about living Lucky, deepening representation, and her role in the forthcoming DC superhero series Lanterns.
Excerpts from a conversation:
Lucky aunty is, as you’ve called it, a mix of “Tony Soprano meets The Real Housewives of Orange County” meets that one edgy South Asian maasi or khaala in the family. It’s difficult to box her into a category. What made the character fresh and exciting for you?
Ha! Yes, it’s exactly that. She’s a character you’ve never seen on American TV, and the fact that I get to play this unhinged cocaine queenpin is truly one of the highlights of my career. This character is also firmly based on Michelle Nader, our showrunner, who used to be in organised crime in Philly! But I love that with this character, I get to cut across genres. There’s drama, vulnerability, so many stunts, a lot of comedy, and on top of that comedy, an absurd amount of physical comedy.
How does Lucky’s track evolve in Season 2?
Lucky gets to boink! She instantly falls in love with another weird and unhinged gangster, casino king Max Sugar, played wonderfully by Fred Armisen. She goes against her instinct and trusts someone. And the fallout from that is devastating. At the end of Season 2, she realises being the maternal figure for these two dumbasses is actually not a burden, but exactly where she wants to be.
That's quite accurate. Lucky is edgy, glamorous, foul-mouthed, terrifying, and also maternal. You’ve played mothers of all kinds, from the warm, witty Nalini in Never Have I Ever to the mysterious older mom in Ramy and the devoted mother of a framed man in The Night Of.
Being a mother in real life is my primary identity. There’s nothing that will ever come close. But I was always worried I wasn’t a typical mom. I’d see all this imagery of what I thought a mother should be, and I never was that. I’ve always had a foul mouth. I always stayed open to any adventure and just took my kid everywhere. I always had a very particular and dark sense of humour and always took projects that reflected that, like Delhi Belly. And I’ve stayed true to my sensibilities, exploring what it’s like to be a mother in all its dark and light avatars.
The show is deeply rooted in Pakistani-American culture, but embraces everything. Do you feel the writing of South Asian characters on American TV is now evolving beyond the point of simple representation?
It’s only evolving because creators of colour have evolved it, especially South Asian creators of colour like Mindy Kaling and Abdullah Saeed (creator of Deli Boys). Mindy Kaling wanted to see herself and her mom reflected in Never Have I Ever. Abdullah grew up with a single mom who is so sweet but also so savage, and he created Lucky in her image. Creators of colour demanding to see themselves authentically on screen is what’s driving the change.
You held on to an advertising day job for a long time, until 2016. Your career doesn’t follow the typical “overnight success” narrative.
I think I’ve understood the real meaning of passion by having to wait decades for my career to take off. I love being an actor, and sometimes that meant being in an acting class and that’s it. I think the years of waiting still had so much hard work behind them. I worked so hard on my craft even when I’m not on a project. I think people often underestimate the high degree of discipline this profession requires, and I acquired that discipline during the wait.
You’ve had interesting stints in Bollywood films like Delhi Belly and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. Can we expect to see you in something from Bollywood again soon?
I’d really love to.
Is there a recent Indian film, show, or performance that blew you away?
Shefali Shah in Delhi Crime is one of the most inspiring performances I’ve seen. Props to Tanuj Chopra (director of Season 2 and 3 of Delhi Crime) as well.
What can you tell us about the world of Lanterns and your role in it?
I can say so little. Except it’s the role of a lifetime. Zoe is a cunning character who is used to having men wrapped around her finger; she finally meets her match in this series.