Every character that I play, even if it's a homemaker, there is an inherent, innate strength in her - you can find strength in every facet of a female personality. It doesn't just come from the physical strength of a woman.

It's okay to be you. You don't have to try to be anybody else. Whatever you are, however you are, it's fine. Nobody's perfect.

I was very sure I did not want to be the stereotype of what Indian people are seen as, which is Bollywood, and henna. That’s all great! It’s what we are, and I love it. I love saris; I love music; I love henna; I love dancing, but that’s not all we are.

I like bad boys, and I like to take them home to my mom.

I don't think a lot of people in America understand what Indians are. And that's our fault, a little. We tend to forget our roots a bit. As kids we think, If I'm too Indian, I'll be put in a box, and people will think of me as different. They'll think I'm weird, because I eat Indian food or my name is difficult to pronounce.

As a girl, I am this stupid, emotional, very loyal, sort of believe-in-values-and-principals sort of girl.

First of all, feminism is not man-hating, not man-berating. It is not saying we are better. It is just saying we want the same opportunities, and we want to be able to make decisions on our own without being judged for them. We want the same freedom men have enjoyed over the years, so I think that's the place where we are. And it's completely not mutually exclusive at all for how you want to look, how you take care of yourself, how you want to be, what you want to look like.