Editor’s Note: Spoilers ahead for Deli Boys, Season 1

Summary

In an interview with Collider, Poorna Jagannathan shares how Lucky’s now iconic mouthwiping scene in the Deli Boys premiere was inspired by a real-life moment she witnessed.

Lucky’s loyalty runs deep as seen in Episode 6, where her tragic past is revealed and helps set up a revenge-fueled arc as she vows to protect Raj, Mir, and the family business.

Jagannathan teases Lanterns as a bold take on the genre, where every character walks the line between hero and villain, adding depth to the DC universe.

Hulu’s Deli Boys is a high-energy crime comedy that throws two unsuspecting and very naive brothers, Raj and Mir (played deliciously by the winsome duo, Saagar Shaikh and Asif Ali), into the chaos of their late father’s secret drug empire. While the show delivers sharp humor, thrilling stakes, and a fresh cultural lens on the immigrant experience, one of the best characters anchoring the pair is the non-nonsense, Lucky Aunty, played by Poorna Jagannathan. From her very first appearance in the half-hour sitcom now streaming on Hulu, Lucky is an undeniable force, embodying both maternal care and ruthless efficiency. One moment, she’s wiping Raj’s mouth like a doting mother after he has a face full of blood (and brains), and the next, she’s making it clear she’s in control of the family business while snapping their enemies in half.
In an interview with Collider, Jagannathan got candid about her role and how “humbling” it was to play a fully fleshed-out South Asian woman with a backstory rather than a side character on the margins. As the series pulls back Lucky’s layers, including a devoted sixth episode that digs into her storied and tragic past, it’s her killer instinct that sets the stage for what’s next as Jagannathan admits, “Lucky’s favorite accessory is revenge, so she’s all in,” by the end of that explosive and twisted finale.
One of ‘Deli Boys’ Bloodiest Scenes Came From an Inspired Moment

“This is a week before filming, and I was like, ‘Absolutely. Got it.’ It was such a gift.”

Image via Hulu

From the moment Lucky Aunty storms into the first episode, she makes it clear that she’s not just a bystander in Raj and Mir’s inheritance drama. In fact, she’s the one keeping the operation intact, as we examine from the premiere during the FBI raid on DarCo’s Philly office. But the chaotic energy of the brothers discovering their father’s secret business is only heightened by Lucky’s commanding presence, stepping in to wipe Raj’s mouth mid-conversation after blowing Humza’s brains out at the ABC Convenience Store and ordering them around like they’re still children.
As Jagannathan tells us, that moment wasn’t just played for laughs. It was directly inspired by a real-life interaction she witnessed just a week before filming. “There was an Indian Parsi woman with her two grown-ass sons — we’re talking, like, working young men in their late 20s,” she recalls. “One of them had seen Never Have I Ever, so we started talking, and this amazing Parsi woman… just picked up a napkin and cleaned her son’s mouth. This is a week before filming, and I was like, ‘Absolutely. Got it.’” That interaction became the foundation for one of the show’s funniest and most telling moments, capturing just how much Lucky still sees Raj and Mir as two grown children.

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But Lucky isn’t just a nagging maternal figure, she’s also the enforcer who ensures Raj and Mir don’t get themselves killed. As the season unfolds, her dynamic with the brothers becomes a fascinating push-and-pull between nurturing and sheer exasperation. “I’m a South Asian mother, so I can say this: We infantilize the shit out of our boys. It’s just what we do,” Jagannathan laughs while sharing the experience that was such a “real gift” to her. “I don’t have a girl, but I infantilize him and all his friends and anyone who walks through that door.” That instinct to overstep boundaries, to nurture even when it’s not needed, defines Lucky’s approach as she’s constantly balancing between care and control — or in this case, telling them they don’t need to be down to their underwear when packing their own cocaine. “She’s a nurturer and a killer, so it’s just that tension between that.”
How Lucky’s Loyalty Speaks to That Explosive ‘Deli Boys’ Finale

“I’ve spent so many years where the character is the backstory.”

From start to finish, we get to learn a lot about Lucky Aunty’s relationship with Mir and Raj, but Episode 6’s “Jersey Boys” opens up a very nuanced layer to who she is and her unwavering devotion to Baba. As Jagannathan offers a striking performance as a woman securing her place in the family business, it’s clear to see how Lucky has been an active player from the start, while molded by a childhood that left no room for hesitation or weakness. It’s this that drives Lucky to protect the family, as Jagannathan says. “Her tie to Baba, her loyalty to Baba, her mission to protect the boys like they were her own. She doesn’t have a maternal bone in her body, but she really tries. In the backstory, what you see is her loyalty to Baba, but also how she’s completely a cold-hearted killer and will take that step even as a young girl. So, there’s a girl with a lot of potential to run a cocaine ring.”
This episode not only highlights Lucky’s fierce loyalty but also sheds light on the deeper layers of her character, something Jagannathan cherishes. “I find it so humbling to be able to play a character that also has a backstory. It’s so humbling. I’ve spent so many years where the character is the backstory. She’s in the back of the story; she’s in the sidelines of the story,” she says. “To be here, a fully fleshed character; a character I’ve never played before, a character that is not really portrayed ever on film and TV, to be able to portray that and then give her so much dimension that she has a backstory, that is truly humbling.”
As the “Jersey Boys” episode lays bare her inner conflict, like that of her struggle between the warmth she extends to Raj and Mir and the ruthless nature that has kept her alive all these years, it’s also a huge indicator of how she will 100 percent be by the boys’ side after the season finale where they discover Ahmad Uncle (Brian George) put a hit on Baba (Iqbal Theba). “Lucky’s favorite accessory is revenge, so she’s all in,” Jagannathan smiles. “Someone’s out to get them, and I’m not having any of it. These boys couldn’t be stupider, but I will protect them, and I will get to the bottom of it. Lucky does anything to protect her domain, her cocaine ring, the boys, her family, [and] her pod. Going after Ahmad is just one of the many things that she’s excited about.”
Poorna Jagannathan Spills More ‘Lanterns’ Details

Image via John P. Johnson/HBO

Beyond Deli Boys, Jagannathan is stepping into the world of DC with Lanterns, a highly anticipated series from showrunner Chris Mundy alongside executive producers, James Gunn, Peter Safran, and Damon Lindelof that promises to bring a fresh perspective to the superhero genre. Following Green Lanterns, Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) the pair are said to investigate a dark, Earth-bound mystery with intergalactic implications. Described as a detective story akin to True Detective, the show features a strong script that makes the sci-fi genre accessible.
While much is kept under wraps, Garret Dillahunt and Kelly Macdonald also star. But with Jagannathan playing a key supporting role, the actress could tease her excitement without spoiling too much.
“The script sparkles,” she says. “The script is unlike anything I’ve read before in terms of how it positions this world.” With the inclusion of iconic characters like Sinestro as she shares, the series aims to redefine traditional hero-villain dynamics. “It has all the characters you love, but every character is presented as a hero and a villain. Every single character is afforded that dimension, and I couldn’t be prouder of being part of this universe.”
That duality is what sets Lanterns apart from typical comic book adaptations, which often lean into clear-cut morality. “You know comic book movies can be reductive. This world can be very reductive. You can spot ‘the villain’ from a mile, you can spot ‘the hero’ from a mile,” Jagannathan explains. “To be able to walk that tightrope between those two things we have inside us is not usually done in the genre.”
Deli Boys is now streaming on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ worldwide.

Deli Boys

Release Date

March 6, 2025

Network

Hulu

Writers

Michelle Nader