Actors Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Supriya Ganesh have hit back at a social media troll who described them and fellow Indian actors Charithra Chandran and Shabana Azeez as fitting a “kamwali bai (maid) phenotype.” The troll had also called them “the most common faces used for Indian representation” in an X post, which drew strong reactions from the actors and many internet users.
Supriya Ganesh, known for her role as Dr. Samira Mohan in the The Pitt, called out the post as colourist, classist, and casteist. She stressed the need to stand against such negativity and support those who share her background.
Actors speak out against troll
Supriya Ganesh wrote, “Hey, so this is supremely ****** up, and I truly hope you deal with your self-hate. Colourist, classist, garbage take (sic), adding, “And casteist, but are we ready to talk about that (sic)?”
She concluded firmly, “And I’m always going to talk back about this s*** because I’m never going to let women and folks who look like me feel bad about themselves, never going to shut up.”
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, who stars as Devi Vishwakumar in Netflix’s Never Have I Ever, also replied with, “Womp Womp cry harder. It must be hard to look at four baddies constantly (sic).”
Support from social media users
Many social media users defended the actors. One commenter stated, “Leave everything else aside; these girls are far more successful than you. Twitter may be your only source of income, and this hate the food of your ego while these girls are actually thriving (sic).” Another wrote, “Just say you’re jealous (sic).” A third added, “Congrats on going viral for being a racist and colourist. The only achievement in your life, I suppose (sic).”
Charithra Chandran is known for her role as Edwina Sharma in Bridgerton Season 2. Shabana Azeez has gained international recognition for her role as medical student Victoria Javadi on The Pitt, appearing in several Australian films and TV series.
The exchange highlights ongoing discussions about the representation and stereotyping of Indian actors in Hollywood.
