Archie’s Panjabi tadka

The Indian origin actor, on her ‘shocking’ Emmy win.

A complete shock - that’s how 38-year-old Archie Panjabi - the first Indian origin actor to win the Emmy award for Best Supporting Actress - describes her feeling on winning the award.

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Panjabi, who won for her portrayal of a private investigator in the show, The Good Wife, says, “I was up against five established actresses... The best way to describe it, is to compare it to a child’s first trip to Disneyland!”

The role of Kalinda in The Good Wife has been described as being ‘perfect’ for Panjabi: she is fearless in her figure-hugging clothes, stiletto boots and leather jackets. And is she as ambitious as her character? “I knew what I wanted to do for my entire life, from nursery to university. I’ve always been geared towards wanting to act. If that makes me ambitious, then the answer is yes.”

Her parents emigrated to London from India before she was born and in previous interviews she has mentioned family arguments about acting. So did she ever feel thwarted by her ethnicity, in shows that are dominated by whites? “Sometimes my ethnicity is relevant, other times not. I definitely get the best of both worlds. My character’s ambiguous sexuality is more important than
her background,” she concludes.
-Guardian