Sitcoms have featured some truly great mother-daughter relationships, from Gilmore Girls' Lorelai and Rory to Modern Family's Claire and Haley. But Nalini and Devi Vishwakumar have one of the most nuanced and entertaining mother-daughter relationships seen on recent TV.
Although Never Have I Ever is stocked full of likable characters, including protagonist Devi, Nalini stands out among them. She isn't the main character, but there are many things about her that make her just as important to the show as is her daughter — and just as cool.
10 Nalini Wants To Grow As A Parent
Nalini is a strict parent and has rigid rules that Devi must follow, such as keeping the bedroom door open when boys are over and having her textbooks blessed by a priest. Despite this, it is clear that Nalini wants to grow as a mother.
This is best exemplified when she takes the advice of Dr. Chris Jackson, her colleague and later love interest, and decides to say yes to Devi more often. Nalini's first yes is agreeing to persuade Aneesa's mother not to move her daughter to another school. Nalini is rewarded by Devi, who describes the conversation as "the WWE Smackdown of Indian moms," before thanking her mother profusely.
9 Nalini's Outfits Are On Point
From her flashy yellow satin blazer to her long flowy coats, Nalini always looks sophisticated, confident, and well-put-together. Occasionally, she wears a more traditional sari dress, such as during the scattering of Mohan's ashes and when she, Devi, and Kamala attend puja.
Nalini is a professional, confident, independent woman, and her choice of clothing reflects her outlook on life. This shows Devi what a strong and powerful person her mom is.
8 Nalini Is Hilarious
Nalini has a sharp wit that is unrivaled among other characters in the show, making her one of the funniest female sitcom characters in recent years. Even though she can be overbearing, Devi's mother is able to employ her witty sarcasm and one-liners on a regular basis, such as when she asks why Kamala is dressed like a "sexy flight attendant from Mars."
Another example is at the hospital after Devi is bitten by a coyote. Paxton is already there when Nalini arrives, and her response to the information he gives her about Devi's condition is biting: "Oh, really, she's in stable condition? How are her vitals? Tell me more, Dr. Walking HPV Infection."
7 Nalini Has A Compelling Relationship With Chris
In the second season, Nalini starts to become friendly with her dermatology rival, Dr. Chris Jackson. Initially a source of annoyance in her life, Chris soon reveals himself to be warm and thoughtful, and it's clear that they have feelings for one another.
However, Devi effectively puts a stop to things when she is caught stalking them on a date, falls into Chris' hot tub, and causes embarrassment all around. Nalini calls things off with Chris, even though she told Devi that it gave her a break from the pain of Mohan being gone. It's possible that Never Have I Ever's forthcoming season 3 may answer some questions about Nalini and Mohan's future.
6 Nalini Parents Devi By Herself While Coping With Loss
Parenting is an extremely difficult job, and Nalini has to do it alone while grieving the loss of her husband. Yet she remains a dependable and stoic presence in her daughter's life.
Nalini has to be both the good cop and the bad cop. Mohan was the fun parent, the one Devi clicked with most. Now Nalini is left to continue dishing out the punishments when Devi misbehaves, but she also will prematurely end her daughter's grounding once in a while, and always provides her with a "delicious box of confectionaries" to take to friends' houses, ensuring that she fills both roles when she can.
5 Nalini's Commitment To Family
Family is clearly very important to Nalini. When she briefly considers relocating the family to India and takes a preliminary trip there, she invites her lonely, plant-collecting mother-in-law to return with her to California, so that she can live in a house in which her son has lived. Similarly, Nalini welcomes her niece Kamala into her home, who stays there while studying for her PhD, and goes out of her way for a visit from Kamala's potential future husband.
Nalini also puts her daughter first. She decides to stop seeing Chris largely because of how much it upsets Devi, who is still struggling immensely with the loss of her father and sees her mother's actions as betraying him.
4 Nalini's Work Ethic
Nalini has a large, loyal client base, which is worth $100,000 — at least in her estimation. She is a dermatologist, meaning she must have completed a four-year undergraduate degree, four years in medical school, and then several years in either internships or residency before she even had clients of her own.
It is implied that Nalini spends a lot of time at work, as she often asks Kamala to babysit, and the only time viewers see Nalini do something for herself, for pleasure, is when she takes Mohan's old moped out for a drive along the beach. It could be inferred that she has had to work harder to keep the house running since Mohan's passing.
3 Nalini Knows When To Apologize
No matter how bitter the disagreement is between Nalini and her daughter, it will always conclude with an apology... eventually. Nalini has said some cruel things in the heat of the moment — just before Mohan died, she said Devi wasn't her daughter (figuratively speaking). However, Nalini is always able to admit when she is wrong, an admirable trait that she demonstrates on several occasions.
Devi goes to stay at Ben's house after an argument with Nalini in which she says she wishes her mother had died rather than Mohan. Nalini is the one who takes the first step and goes to apologize, and this is when she suggests that they should scatter Mohan's ashes together.
2 Nalini Is Brave
Even though it was Mohan's idea to relocate the family to America, Nalini stood by him, and moving across the world is a brave thing to do. She sets an example to Devi with her bravery and self-care in day-to-day life, such as by attending therapy sessions, which is not something everyone feels comfortable doing.
Going on her first date after the loss of her husband is also an extremely courageous thing to do — especially if Nalini had known that the date would have been gate-crashed.
1 Nalini Is Empathetic And Has A Soft Side
Behind her stern and composed visage, Nalini shows compassion and warmth. When Ben comes to her office and starts crying because of issues with his father, she invites him to their house for dinner, much to Devi's displeasure.
Nalini's empathy is on full display during the climactic scene of season 1 when Devi joins her mother and cousin to scatter Mohan's ashes. Devi arrives in tears and apologizes for saying she wished her mom had died. Nalini holds her daughter's face and tells her how much she cares about her: "I love you. You're my only child. You're my whole family." It's an emotional scene and one that demonstrates the depth of Nalini's character.
source https://screenrant.com/never-have-i-ever-nalini-best-character/
0 comments: