Indian American actor, writer, producer, and director Mindy Kaling’s official recognition with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is being celebrated by the desi community connected with the entertainment industry in America. The legendary Walk of Fame for the City of Los Angeles, which is officially managed by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, honoured Kaling with the 2800th star on Tuesday in the category of television. She becomes the first South Asian woman to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
“Mindy Kaling has been a powerhouse for the Indian American community. She’s not just an actor—she’s a writer, producer, director, and now the CEO of her production company, Kaling International. She has reshaped the narrative around Indian representation in Hollywood, creating stories that challenge outdated stereotypes. This honour was long overdue, and she is just getting started. An Oscar could very well be next,” Anip Patel, an Indian American entrepreneur, philanthropist, investor, and media strategist, who is dedicated to elevating South Asian representation in business and entertainment, told the Times of India.
In an official release, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce praised Kaling as an Emmy-nominated writer, Tony Award-winning producer, New York Times best-selling author, director, and actor who has been named one of the brightest voices of her generation.
“The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is honoured to welcome actress, producer, and director Mindy Kaling to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Not only is Mindy funny, but she is also a talented and innovative creator whose contributions to television have entertained audiences around the world,” stated Ana Martinez, Producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremonies. “We are thrilled to honour her with a star on our iconic sidewalk,” added Martinez.
In 2023, the White House honoured Kaling with the National Medal of Arts, the highest civilian honour given to artists by the United States government. Last February, she received the Producers Guild of America’s prestigious Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television.
Patel, who is CEO of CaPatel Investments & Mohan Matchmaking and leads a fund focused on supporting South Asian founders, feels that Kaling’s success comes from her fearless storytelling and her ability to carve out space for herself in an industry that historically lacked South Asian representation. “She took control of her narrative early on, from writing and acting in The Office to creating and producing hit shows like The Mindy Project and Never Have I Ever. Her versatility and business acumen set her apart, proving that Indian Americans can thrive both in front of and behind the camera,” says Patel, who helps South Asian founders scale their ventures and gain mainstream recognition.
At 24, Kaling joined the eight-person writing staff at NBC’s The Office. During her eight seasons at the show, she wrote twenty-three episodes (far more than any other writer) and was nominated for an Emmy—the first for a woman of colour in any writing category. She is the creator, star, and executive producer of The Mindy Project, for which she wrote 24 of the 117 episodes produced over six seasons.
Kaling is widely respected as a champion for diversity in Hollywood and is dedicated to using her projects to tell the powerful stories of strong-willed and ambitious women of colour, and places emphasis on creating writer’s rooms that reflect that level of diversity. She is also seen as one of the biggest trailblazers for Indian Americans in Hollywood. “The fact that she’s the first Indian woman to receive a star on the Walk of Fame is both a celebration and a reminder of how far we still have to go. I believe this is just the beginning for Indian representation at this level,” Patel said adding that more South Asian talent deserves similar recognition. “Others like Priyanka Chopra, Zarna Garg, Kunal Nayyar, and Kal Penn, are likely to break barriers in the years to come,” he said.