Archie Panjabi Wins Emmy

by Priya Patel – University of Florida graduate

The 2010 Emmy Awards aired on Sunday and along with predictable wins, one of the more surprising awards was for the Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series — to Archie Panjabi in her role for The Good Wife. I was distractingly watching the Emmys while I browsed the Internet but my Indian Radar kicked into gear when I heard that last name. I looked up to see a young, pretty, and slightly familiar looking woman make her way to the stage to give an acceptance speech.

Archie Panjabi is a London-bred actress born to Sikh parents, notable for her appearances in Bend it Like Beckham, The Constant Gardner, and more recently, the television series The Good Wife. The show chronicles the life of Alicia Florrick (played by Julianna Marguilies) a wife and mother forced to start over as a litigator and provider for her two children after her husband is jailed as a result of corruption and a sex scandal. Panjabi joined the cast in its first season airing last year and plays the role of Kalinda Sharma, a private investigator, with a possible lesbian or bisexual subplot. Her performance has been praised but an Emmy win was predicted by critics as unlikely due to the strong popularity of fellow Mad Men nominees.

In the past few years, we’ve certainly seen an influx of South Asian characters in film and television. Kal Penn and Dev Patel have been both been prominent and successful examples along with Aziz Ansari (Parks and Recreation, Funny People), Danny Pudi (Community), Naveen Andrews (Lost), Sendhil Ramamurthy (Heroes), Kunal Nayyar (Big Bang Theory) and plenty more. However, when I try to think of really outstanding female characters my mental list stops short after Mindy Kaling (The Office). Padma Lakshmi (Top Chef), and Parminder Nagra (Bend it Like Beckham and ER). Please let me know if I’m missing some — in fact I’m sure I’m missing some. In my opinion, Mindy Kaling has enough of a funny force field to make up for the lack of brown chicks on television; however, upon seeing Panjabi win tonight, I am reminded of the conspicuous lack of representation of South Asian females on screen compared to our male counterparts.

Women in general already have a tough time in the entertainment industry, competing for roles that pigeonhole them into a superficial and stereotypical side character of wife/girlfriend/mother. Women of color have an even harder time finding a place in what is often a colorless sea of white actors and white roles. But could it just be that not enough South Asian females are interested in the acting profession? I’m estimating it’s a combination of all the above.

So, seeing Archie Panjabi (side note: I am completely loving her first name and possibly stealing it for my first-born) excitedly giving out her gratitude to friends, family, and fans in front of an audience filled with her peers as well as millions of people watching at home made me a little proud and the slightest bit excited for the future. It sounds simplified and maybe cheesy, but one brown face represents a multitude of possibilities. Most of us grow up surrounded with South Asian culture and influence through community, family, and an endless supply of bootleg Bollywood movies. But how many of us have found a familiar brown face on TV during reruns of Full House or Saved By the Bell? Knowingly or not, Panjabi has become a role model to any brown girl looking to make it in LA or join a theater troupe or perform in her third grade play. OK, maybe not that last bit. I believe The Good Wife is directed at a more mature audience. But the point is, Archie Panjabi is a representation of potential and promise and ambition for brown girls everywhere. And for that, I congratulate you, Archie Panjabi.