6 Tamil-origin actors who made it big in International web shows

A handful of Tamil actors have made a few guest appearances in Hollywood movies over the years. From Rajnikanth’s Bloodstone, an English movie that released in 1988 to Dhanush’s Extraordinary Journey of Fakir, many Tamil-origin actors have starred in popular shows and movies. Here, we take a look at a few of them.

Geraldine Vishwanathan, Simone Ashley, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Mindy Kaling, Aziz Ansari and Poorna Jagannathan

A handful of Tamil actors have made a few guest appearances in Hollywood movies over the years. From Rajnikanth’s Bloodstone an English movie that released in 1988 to Dhanush’s Extraordinary Journey of Fakir, many Tamil-origin actors have starred in popular shows and movies. Here, we take a look at a few of them.

Simone Ashley in Sex Education- Netflix

We all know Olivia Hanan, part of The Untouchables in the cult hit series on Netflix Sex Education. Olivia Hanan’s role is played by Simone Ashley a.k.a Simone Ashwini Pillai, born to Tamil Indian parents in Camberley. Her other works include Bridgerton Season 2 in which she is said to be playing the main role.

Geraldine Vishwanathan

Suresh Viswanathan, Geraldine’s father is of Indian Tamil descent. Geraldine rose to fame with her roles in Miracle Workers. In the mini-series, she acted along with the Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe as angels trying to prevent an immature God from blowing up the earth. Geraldine also played the lead role in the second and third seasons of Miracle Workers. She has also lent her voice to Tawnie, a character in the infamously realistic BoJack Horseman.

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan

We know her as the high school kid who craves attention and fame in the acclaimed comedy-drama Never Have I Ever. Maitreyi plays Devi Vishwakumar, an awkward young girl who wants to be cool, like every other teenage kid. Her biggest enemy is her mother Nalini, who interferes with her plans of being a ‘cool kid’. She was announced as a Breakout Actor in Time 100’s most Influential people in 2021. Mindy Kaling had chosen her for the role of Devi.

Aziz Ansari

Aziz Ismail Ansari is an American actor born to Tamil parents in Columbia. He is an actor, director, comedian, director and producer. Before we saw him as the protagonist of the Netflix comedy-drama Master of None we have heard his voice as Squint in Ice Age; Continental Drift. In Master of None, Aziz plays Dev Shah, a thirty-year-old actor. In 2018, Aziz won Best Actor in Television series-Musical or Comedy in Golden Globes for his acting in the series

Mindy Kaling

Mindy Kaling or Vera Mindy Chokalingam is an American actor who played Kelly Kapoor in the hit comedy series The Office alongside Steve Carrell and John Krasinski. She is also a writer, director and producer. She is also the protagonist of The Mindy Project in which she plays Mindy Lahiri, a gynaecologist who struggles to keep her personal and professional lives separate. She is also the co-creator of Never Have I Ever.

Poorna Jagannathan

Poorna Jagannathan plays Dr Nalini Vishwakumar in Never Have I Ever. She plays a deeply superstitious, conservative yet caring mother to the protagonist, Devi. The strained relationship of Nalini and Devi often provides comic relief and at times will make you emotional. Poorna Jagannathan and the show have been criticised for the extreme stereotypical and casteist remarks of the character Nalini.

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