Mindy Kaling responds to criticisms over the change in Velma's race in upcoming show

Mindy Kaling, American actor and producer, recently responded to the backlash that she received over her upcoming HBO Max animated Scooby-Doo spinoff, Velma. The character's race, which has primarily been portrayed as 'White' over the years, has now been changed to 'South Asian' for the upcoming show. News of the change was not well-received by some fans of the show and Velma's character, to which Mindy says she's "surprised".

Mindy Kaling on Velma being South Asian

Mindy Kaling recently appeared on the talk show Late Night with Seth Meyers and responded to all the criticisms about Scooby-Doo's character of Velma which she plans to play soon. The actor and writer mentioned how following the announcement that she would be voicing the beloved character, the responses were positive. She said, "When it was announced that I was going to do the voice of Velma, people were very supportive and happy on Twitter, and so I felt great." 

However, the actor was quick to reveal that the positivity soon changed to criticism after it was revealed that the nerdy Mystery Inc character who has always been imagined as White, would be South Asian. She mentioned that people weren't happy with the decision, and that they explicitly expressed it on social media.  "There was a lot of, like, ‘So not Velma!’ That kind of tweets," adding, "‘Not the classic Velma that I’m always thinking about!" 

Mindy Kaling, best known for her work in The Office and The Mindy Project, talked about how she was surprised that the change in the character's race instigated harsh reactions like these. Seth Meyers even joked about the fact that Velma was usually a forgotten character, and that she herself might be surprised at finding out that this many people cared. Mindy then spoke about not being able to understand why people couldn't accept a smart and nerdy character like Velma as Indian. The actor further stated: 

I just couldn’t understand how people couldn’t imagine a really smart, nerdy girl with terrible eyesight, and who loved to solve mysteries, could be Indian. Like, there are Indian nerds. It shouldn’t be a surprise to people.

The upcoming series, which was announced in Feb 2021, will be an adult animated take on Velma, which will also be the title. According to Deadline, the show will explore the character's origin story. The original series featuring the beloved character debuted in 1969, however, making the character's race South Asian is a fresh move. 

IMAGE - AP/ SCOOBY DOO INSTA