Mindy Kaling’s comedy-of-age Netflix comedy series has found its lead. Newcomer Maitreyi Ramakrishnan has been cast in the lead role of Devi following a worldwide open casting call for the untitled series from Kaling, The Mindy Project co-exec producer Lang Fisher and Universal TV.

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Ramakrishnan of Toronto was selected out of 15,000 responses from around the world to Kaling’s online post about the open casting call. This will be her onscreen debut.

Co-created, co-written and executive produced by Kaling and Fisher, who also serve as showrunners, the Kaling/Fisher Project is inspired by Kaling’s own childhood. It follows the complicated life of Devi, a modern-day first generation Indian American teenage girl. She is an overachieving high school sophomore who has a short fuse that gets her into difficult situations.

Kaling and Fisher executive produce with 3 Arts’ Howard Klein and David Miner and Tristram Shapeero (Turn Up Charlie, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt).

Ramakrishnan is repped by Sandra Gillis of Premier Artists Management in Toronto.

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