The Unheard Woman

Poorna Jagannathan ( POR-nə JAH-gə-NAH-thən; born December 22, 1972) is an Indian-American producer and actress. She is known for her portrayal of Safar Khan in the HBO drama miniseries The Night Of as well as for her role as Nalini Vishwakumar in the Netflix teen comedy series Never Have I Ever. She also portrayed Lucky in the Hulu crime comedy series Deli Boys and Zoe Macon in the DC Universe series Lanterns. Poorna also co-conceived, produced, and acted in the play Nirbhaya, which was considered "one of the most powerful and urgent pieces of human rights theatre ever made," and is regarded as a critical moment in India's history of women's empowerment. Poorna was named among the "Top 100 Most Impactful Asians" in America in 2021, 2022 and 2025 by Goldhouse. People magazine featured her in their 2024 “The Beautiful Issue” while Verve magazine named her among the top 50 most powerful women in India in 2014.