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Actresses slam racist post targeting South Asian talent in Hollywood
The remark drew criticism for using a term associated with domestic workers, widely seen as classist and caste-coded.
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Malvika Choudhary - Tue, 14, Apr 2026
- 17:13 EDT
- 26
(Top L-R) Shabana Azeez, Charithra Chandran (Bottom L-R) Supriya Ganesh, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan / X/ @indicmawntee
South Asian actors Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Supriya Ganesh pushed back after a viral social media post targeted their appearance and representation in Hollywood with a derogatory remark.
The post, shared on X, featured images of Ramakrishnan, Ganesh, Charithra Chandran and Shabana Azeez, and described them using the phrase “kamwali bai” (a term used in South Asia for a domestic help), drawing criticism for its classist and caste-coded undertones.
Also Read: Maitreyi Ramakrishnan graces Vogue India’s cover
It also referred to them as “the most common faces used by Hollywood to represent Indians,” alongside disparaging remarks about their appearance.
The remark quickly triggered backlash online, with users describing it as offensive and rooted in stereotypes around skin tone, class, and caste within South Asian communities.
Hey so this is supremely fucked up and I truly hope you deal with your self hate. Colorist, classist, garbage take https://t.co/sleZD2MOHT
— Supriya Ganesh (@SupriyaGanesh) April 9, 2026
Ganesh, who plays Samira Mohan in The Pitt, responded in a series of posts, writing: “Hey so this is supremely f**ked up and I truly hope you deal with your self hate. Colorist, classist, garbage take.”
She added, “And casteist but are we ready to talk about that :)”
In a follow-up, Ganesh wrote: “And I’m always going to talk back about this shit because I’m never going to let women and folks who look like me feel bad about themselves never going to shut up :))))))”
She also wrote, “Realising people are probably racist bc it guarantees more engagement on social media, but jfc what is the line when they are literally using a photo of you and you look like your mother, your sister, your friend and people you love????,”
womp womp cry harder. must be hard to look at four baddies constantly https://t.co/6LFAEqj3vI pic.twitter.com/fwjYSs4ZD2
— Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (@ramakrishnannn) April 9, 2026
Ramakrishnan, best known for her lead role in Never Have I Ever, also responded, writing: “womp womp cry harder. must be hard to look at four baddies constantly.”
The episode has renewed scrutiny of how South Asian women are portrayed in Western media, particularly in discussions around beauty standards and representation.
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