Maitreyi Ramakrishnan: Never Have I Ever S2 will be better than the first

Mindy Kalling’s Never Have I Ever, which premiered on Netflix, was a surprise hit and its protagonist Devi essayed by the 19-year-old Maitreyi Ramakrishnan gets a lion’s share of the credit. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, the young actress opened up about season 2 and also the pressures she has managed to shake off. 

While talking about the upcoming season, which is set to premiere in July, Maitreyi said, “I’m going to put my money where my mouth is: I think season two is better than season one. You’re going to scream at Devi, but you’re also going to want to hug her.”

During the shoot of the first season, which marked her debut as a lead character, the actress understandably had jitters, but that has changed in the sophomore instalment. Maitreyi says, “I kept putting the pressure on myself to represent brown girls everywhere. And I was like, hold on. If I’m not going to put that pressure on a fictional character, why the hell would I do that to myself?”

The actress also talked about her parents, both of whom left Sri Lanka during its civil war. “Like many immigrant stories, it’s never a linear line. My mom travelled all around the world from Dubai to England. My dad went to South Africa, then Montreal, before meeting my mom in Ontario,” she said. 

The young actress will soon be making her feature film debut with the romcom, The Netherfield Girls, which is a contemporary take on Pride and Prejudice.