Puja Mohindra – Just a midwesterner

A Chicago native, Puja Mohindra is a recent graduate of the MFA Acting program at A.C.T. (American Conservatory Theater). Puja recently Guest starred on the HBO pilot, ‘One Percent”, produced by Oscar-nominated Michael Tolkin and Emmy award-winning director, Alan Taylor.

Other recent work includes a supporting role in the indie feature comedy, “Touch Wood,” in which she portrayed Sheela, an angsty but lovable high school senior. Puja’s dramatic work can be seen in the upcoming short film, “Kowalczyk,” which is expected to hit the festival circuit next year.

Puja’s most recent work can be seen on the new CBS medical drama, “Three Rivers,” which premieres on Oct. 4, 2009. She recently co-starred on “CSI: Miami,” “Ghost Whisperer,” and the CW show, “Valentine” and recently wrapped work on the new Jerry Bruckheimer pilot, “Miami Trauma,” which got picked up by CBS and will air next year

Puja played high school overachiever, Talia Chatterjee, in the film, “Second Best” written by “Lost” writer, Rupa Magge, directed by Jason Wong, & produced by Justin Bell.

On stage, her favorite credits include playing Belle in A.C.T.’s Mainstage production of “A Christmas Carol,” and the title role in Jean Anouilh’s “Antigone.”

Prior to her move to LA, Puja was a company dancer for Natya Dance Theatre in Chicago and toured across the U.S. & India performing the Indian classical dance, Bharata Natyam. She also was a company member and Artistic Associate for SALAAM Theater in New York City.

Puja is also a writer and is in the middle of writing her first screenplay. Aside from acting, she has a passion for politics, community activism, and beachside bike rides.

ASIANCE: You are working on so many projects as an actress, screenwriter and producer. Can you introduce us to you and your work in the industry? How did you become involved in all of it?

Puja: Of course! Well interestingly enough, I actually thought I was going to be a journalist. I love doing interviews and being on the other side of the table. For me, the work I’m doing is all about story-finding. While I was training to be a journalist, I was doing a lot of acting, dance and writing with the goal of becoming a journalist. I was a really serious dancer with a company in Chicago. I trained and performed an Indian classical dance style called Bharatnatyam which is very theatrical and all about storytelling through dance.

That was my introduction to theater and at the time, I really didn’t see Asian American or Indian American faces or really a lot of faces of color in general on TV or film. I never really thought to do it professionally even though I was doing it in college and high school.

In my last year in college, I did a small show my senior year, a small play and thought it was out of my system. It was fun. I did the acting and it’s out of my system. Then someone had seen me in that show and asked me to be the lead in a production called Jitterbug Perfume. I got addicted.

I compare it a lot to athletes who play a sport in a school environment. And you know how if you’re playing a sport in high school, once you’re done with school you kind of do it professionally or kind of stop doing it all together and I had to face that decision.

I thought I really wanted to do this professionally and that’s how this started. I went to New York to study acting and I had never really had any formal training up until that point. I was working from all places and things in my imagination but never really studied acting.

I went to New York and started doing a lot of theatre there. I worked with an Asian American company called Peeling the Banana, then called Peeling. Now I don’t know if they exist anymore but many of the actors are still in New York working. They were a sketch comedy group.

I worked also with Salaam Theatre, which is a South Asian community theatre. I was a company member and consistently did stuff with them.

I did plays, many off-off Broadway things and then a couple short films. Then, I decided to apply to graduate school and get my MFA at ACT. I spent three years training in the classical theater program which has a whole long list of really established and famous alumni including Denzel Washington, Liz Banks, Annette Benning and Winona Ryder. That was a really great environment to be in. I graduated in 2006 and kind of needed to decide if I would go back to New York or come to LA. I decided to come here and focus on TV and film and have been here the last three years.

It has been really fabulous, of course it hasn’t included as much theatre as I would like but I’ve been able to do a lot of TV and film and apply the writing I love. I define myself as a writer and develop my own projects as well. And as far as the recent news, I appeared on Ghost Whisperer and got to work with Jennifer Love Hewitt. That aired in May. I worked on CSI: Miami which aired in May. The most recent news is I worked on the Jerry Bruckheimer pilot called Miami Trauma and that just got picked up by CBS for a mid-season pilot and will probably be picked up sometime next year.

ASIANCE: You are also working on your own webisode and other more independent projects. Can you talk about them?

Puja: Yeah you know, it’s amazing being here at this time with all the things going on with the internet. It’s still accessible for artists to create their own work. My project developed through a short film I did called Second Best. It was worked on by a writer called Rupa Magge. At the time she was writing for Lost. That film is going to premiere at The First Look Festival at the Director’s Guild of America and it is in the fall of this year. I worked with another actress named Kosha Patel and I would have to say that project is in development. We worked a lot but it’s a lot to juggle between her work and my work and finding time to write. We’ve sat down and brainstormed with writing but have not been able to shoot episodes yet.

Other than that I have been really busy with another project called Undertakings, which is a full-length film that I will shoot with a whole ensemble cast of actors in August. It’s going to be a two-week shoot and is being produced by a man named Mark Maccora who actually went to Sundance in 2008. He has a lot of experience and hopefully this project will go to Sundance again. I would say this project has been occupying the bulk of my time, these TV appearances and the webisode. I would say it is in development but basically it’s a lot of comedy between me and the other actress Kosha. It is two girls living in L.A. and their life and friendship, with funny things happening along with their adventures together.

ASIANCE: Having worked in Hollywood and also in the more independent web sphere, do you think the platform of the internet has given a more interesting twist to the industry?

Puja: I definitely think the internet is an abundant showcase for any audience. But when you’re a minority writer, your story is on the margin and it’s wonderful to see the community and diversity in film. But we’re still a young community, coming of age and into a higher visibility. So all the things people have to jump through to get their story told, the internet is kind of this democratic showcase for anyone and everyone to get their material out there. In that way I think it democratizes the whole endeavor of producing and directing and acting.

When I started acting, it went through my head that I am an Indian-American girl from Chicago. I don’t know anyone in L.A. or New York. How would I ever have a career? Or how would I ever pursue this work? I think all people spend a big chunk of their career in the beginning, just trying to figure out how to get their foot in the door. I even talked to a woman yesterday who is an older Indian actress and doesn’t even know where to start, how to get an audition, how to find out about them.

Whereas with the internet, you are really empowered to create your own projects and showcase them to the world. So yes, I think it has really changed in terms of bringing these endless opportunities for Asian Americans and everyone to share their stories. You don’t even have to be in L.A. You just have to have your camera, your imagination, your story and all of a sudden you are in the mix to tell the stories you want to tell.

ASIANCE: Has it been easy or difficult seeking out the roles you want?

Puja: It’s interesting because one thing you realize when you are here and it’s definitely different from New York but it’s very interesting, is to see how race and culture and ethnicity play out in this work. When you are a musician, your music is your work and that can cross so many boundaries. When you hear beautiful music, you don’t think what the color of the person’s skin or ethnic background is. That’s why acting is so different because they use their face, emotion and their bodies as their instrument.

That’s why what you look like, what your skin color is, what your voice sounds like, all your voice experiences, is your signature as an artist. So for me, my experience has been, which I didn’t realize before coming here, is that you as an artist are thinking what people’s ideas are of South Asians or Asian Americans as a collective. And in terms of Indians, it is interesting to see what Hollywood defines as South Asian. When they’re looking for an actor, or even since I’m from Chicago, what they want as a character from the Midwest. What do they think of Chicago? I am from Chicago but am yet to play a die-hard Cubs fan. Hollywood doesn’t see a Midwesterner as Indian!

For me it has been really trying to see what the industry sees as South Asian. That kind of brings up the question of what it means to be Indian. Obviously, TV and film has this idea of what it means to be Indian. I have seen a lot of ‘colorism’ in that way. The flip side about it, which is amazing, is Hollywood has definitely widened their definition of what it means to be American. It is really starting to include the wide and beautiful diversity of cultures that we have and the majority of things I read for and majority of things I have done have not been for an Indian character but just a regular American girl.

I think it’s such an inspiring and beautiful thing that the definition of what it is to be an American is including someone like me, someone like you. I turn on the TV all the time and see Asian American actors, Latino actors and they are not necessarily playing someone from Mexico or India or China but regular American people and characters. And that makes sense because, at least for me, I was born and raised here so that would make a lot of sense to play an American character. So I think that has changed a lot since the last couple years.

ASIANCE: What is your typical day as an actress, writer, and producer…all your roles in the industry in L.A.?

Puja: I would say my typical day (which really helped me being here in LA because there is so much going on, and actors can be creating their own project, or be busy trying to get in other people’s projects), what’s really helped me as an actor is defining my goal and having really specific goals. What I’m working on now is I really want to be a star on Grey’s Anatomy. That’s one of my favorite shows. Every day I try to do something that gets me closer to that possibility. I really want to star in a Sundance film. I want to star in something that is going to Sundance and I want to book a part in a studio feature this year. So these are three goals that I’m working on.

I’m working on them all the time and I think every day for me, a typical day is taking action towards those goals. Sometimes it’s finding out that this studio picture that I read about in the trades has been greenlit and is going forward and there is a director attached.

I ask myself, “How can I read for that project?” I try to write five pages on the screenplay or go back and revise a scene. Sometimes it’s decided for me, my agent calls me and I have to go on an audition and drop everything I’m doing for that. Then I have to have a really balanced personal life, what everyone needs, like going to the gym, seeing friends and time for rest, travel on vacation and weekends, especially in the summertime. For me there is not one day that is exactly like the one before but every day I’m traveling forward and moving towards those goals. Then I just watch things blossom on their own and not expect anything from the action. That’s great advice I can give not only to actors but anyone working on something. I wasn’t always like that and just defining goals and actions it takes to achieve them, has completely changed my life and my career.

ASIANCE: Do you have any daily beauty rituals you swear by to keep your pretty appearance?

Puja: I wish I had more! The only thing I live and die by is I cannot go to sleep without brushing my teeth or every night washing my face no matter how tired I am. I like to keep things simple and I swear by moisturizer and there is not a day that goes by without it. I am a simple Midwestern girl so I keep it simple. I really think that beauty comes from within and keeping it simple is the best advice I have for anyone. I love makeup but I have come to learn that less is more. I think we’re always changing and being open to who you are. I look at some people and they’re just radiant. I wonder what it is and what they do. I am a very spiritual person and my guru came to town from India and I heard him speak last week. He’s 92 years old. And I’ve heard him speak a million times but I looked at his face and thought, ‘oh my gosh, he doesn’t have a single line.’

I don’t usually don’t notice things like that but his skin was just so radiant and glowing. I thought it was because he has so much inner peace and calmness in him that he just radiates inner beauty. So I feel like maintaining that inner balance is just the best ritual you can have.

ASIANCE: Do you miss your hometown of Chicago and your family?

Puja: Yeah that’s a really good question. I am very close to my family and close to my hometown. The Midwest is known for family values and tightness for a reason. I love New York because you meet so many transplants and everyone is new to the city. I remember so many people made me feel at home but Chicago is the kind of city that people never leave. It’s the kind of place where anywhere I go, I run into someone I know. That is the greatest feeling in the world. I really do miss it a lot and fortunately you can take the girl out of Chicago but can’t take the Chicago out of the girl! I feel people in the Midwest are really down to earth and try to keep it real and I try to keep that with me wherever I am.

I go home and am blessed enough to go every three months so I go home three to four times a year and maintain my friendships and relationships with people still there. I do miss it, but there are so many people from Chicago in LA and it’s like this instant bond

Somebody recently told me in this work it is easy to compare yourself to others but you can’t do that because for one it will drive you crazy. But someone told me when you look at special people, you see what they’ve achieved and accomplished but you don’t see what they’ve given up, what they’ve sacrificed. So that made me really think about what I’ve sacrificed too and I feel like the luckiest person in the world to be living my dreams every day. What I’ve sacrificed is being away from home and parents. I know so many people like me making that sacrifice. I think especially Asian Americans. I have talked to other Indian Americans and most people are raised with a close family and strong values. I don’t want to generalize, but so it makes it harder.

ASIANCE: What else is in store for you? Do you want to elaborate more on the upcoming projects or tell us one more thing you that Asiance readers should know about you?

Puja: First off I see in my fellow Asian American/Indian American artists that the hard work ethic is so related to our values and upbringing. I wouldn’t even characterize it as Asian American thing only but just our generation. We are a generation of immigrants. Both of my parents were immigrants and I feel like those were the people who made it possible to pursue my dreams. We were in an amazing place of privilege to be in the U.S. and I think that’s one of the reasons you see so many successful Asian Americans. I think a lot can be attributed to that.

We see a lot of commitment to getting our stories out there and it is unique to our experience. To me, being a part of this community is special because it is an honor to bring visibility to it and share our stories and be in this unique part of history where we have a biracial president and a unique place in history.

In terms of future projects I mentioned the Jerry Bruckheimer project and I think it will along the lines of ER. I was in one episode in the pilot. With the film Undertakings, it is a great team of writers and focuses on a group of friends, one who gets in an accident. It all centers around the funeral and the celebration of life for their friend. It’s very much an ensemble piece in the vain and style of Mike Lee (Happy Go Lucky). That’s been the whole process of that and it’s been really special to work so closely and collaborate with the group of actors. I’m the only South Asian actor in the film and I play a lesbian who struggles with her relationship and deals a lot with identity. I’m not gay but the more we go along with the film, I realize it must be a prevalent issue in the community.

My screenplay is a romantic comedy and something I am constantly working on, on the side. There is so much!

ASIANCE: It has been so great to get to know the real Puja and your work! [More words of thanks, praise, details etc.]

Puja: Thank you! You asked some really great questions that I have never thought about. I realize certain things in these interviews that do influence my work.

[some more nice words!]

ASIANCE: Thank you so much!