Jaffna District MP Ramanathan Archchuna has urged Sri Lankans to be proud of the international achievements of Tamil-Canadian actress Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and called for an end to racist comments targeting her on social media.
Speaking in Parliament, Archchuna said Sri Lankans should take pride in Ramakrishnan’s success, regardless of their ethnic background, while criticising what he described as racist comments made by some Sinhala social media users about the actress and her work.
He called on Sinhala social media users to stop making such comments and instead recognise the achievements of Sri Lankan-origin people who have gained international recognition.
His remarks come amid a reported online backlash surrounding Ramakrishnan and her latest Netflix film, ‘Best of the Best’. The controversy intensified after the Canadian actress spoke about her Tamil and Sri Lankan roots during the film’s promotion, with some social media pages subsequently calling for negative ratings and reviews of the film. Reports have also documented derogatory comments directed at the actress online.
Ramakrishnan was born and raised in Mississauga, Ontario, to Sri Lankan Tamil parents. She rose to international prominence after being cast as Devi Vishwakumar in the Netflix series ‘Never Have I Ever’. (Newswire)