Keeping it real

For the young star of Never Have I Ever, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, it’s her you-do-you philosophy that helps her navigate stardom, cyber-trolling and life at large, finds Mihika Agarwal

- Mihika Agarwal

When Maitreyi Ram-akrishnan’s high-school romcom series Never Have I Ever dropped on Netflix in 2020, the then 18-year-old was in quarantine at home in Canada. There were no red-carpet premieres or launch parties. Instead, it all unfolded on social media. Within hours of its release, the Mindy Kaling- and Lang Fisher-directorial stormed Twitter, watch lists and the hearts of millions across the globe. And in turn, Ramakrishnan’s Devi Vishwakumar, in all her arm-haired glory, became one of the most real and relatable Gen-Z characters that the OTT landscape has offered us in recent times. A first-generation immigrant in America awkwardly straddling two cultures even as she navigates adolescence and all that it comes with—sex, love, friendships, rebellion, body image issues and insecurities—Vishwakumar evolves multifold in the first season. But the character arcs are even more remarkable in the upcoming instalment, set to hit screens in July 2021. An excited Ramakrishnan says, “Expect the unexpected.”