Netflix series Never Have I Ever is currently the talk of the town. The popular comedy show has been the one of the most-watched shows on Netflix. The undeniable charm and captivating talent of leading ladies Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Richa Moorjani have earned them a huge fan following from all over the world. The latest addition to their fan club is South-Indian actress Rashmika Mandanna who is heaping praises on both actors after a clip from the recently released show went viral. The clip shows Maitreyi and Richa dancing to Rashmika’s popular song Saami Saami from Pushpa: The Rise.

The sensational song Saami Saami featured Rashmika Mandanna alongside Allu Arjun. The song has now gone viral on a global stage after it got featured in Never Have I Ever. A clip from the series showed Maitreyi and Richa dressed in Indian traditional outfits while displaying their dancing skills.&nbsp;

<h2>What Rashmika Mandanna Said</h2>

As a fan shared the clip on Twitter, Rashmika immediately re-shared it with the caption, “@ramakrishnannn .. stunner! you did sooooo gooooooddddd. sending you full love.”

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
. <a href="https://twitter.com/ramakrishnannn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ramakrishnannn</a> .. stunner! you did sooooo gooooooddddd. __ sending you full love __ <a href="https://t.co/Rprd5GcSc2">https://t.co/Rprd5GcSc2</a>
— Rashmika Mandanna (@iamRashmika) <a href="https://twitter.com/iamRashmika/status/1667100519473598464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

Rashmika’s reaction to the clip is winning hearts on social media. The fans have flooded the comment section with their lovely comments &nbsp;for the Varisu actress. A Twitter user wrote, “Really stunning Rashmika mam you did so goooodddd sending full love to you mam. God bless you.”

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Really stunning rashmika mam you did so goooodddd sending you full love 2 u mam 💕💕 Godd bless you
— Shiva ...{RKO} (@LORD143143143) <a href="https://twitter.com/LORD143143143/status/1667101404694212609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

Another commented, “This is by far the greatest thing that has happened for Never Have I Ever series, who says no?”

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This is by far the greatest thing happened for Never Have I Ever series, who says no?
— ɱıƙɛყ (@Manjiro_mike) <a href="https://twitter.com/Manjiro_mike/status/1667102073543094272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

In the last few years, Rashmika Mandanna has emerged as a talented and dedicated actress. With every new role, she has created an unforgettable impact on the audience. Having said that, the actress rose to new heights after the release of the pan-India film Pushpa: The Rise. As Pushpa 2: The Rule nears its release date, fans are still appreciative of Rashmika Mandanna's performance in the first part of the film, particularly the song titled Saami Saami.

Coming back to Never Have I Ever, the final season of the coming-of-age comedy-drama series released on June 8. The show revolves around Indian American teenage girl Devi Vishwakumar who keeps getting into adverse situations due to her temper and emotions. Apart from &nbsp;Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Richa Moorjani, the show features Poorna Jagannathan, Ramona Young, Lee Rodriguez, Jaren Lewison, and Darren Barnet in pivotal roles.

Netflix series Never Have I Ever is currently the talk of the town. The popular comedy show has been the one of the most-watched shows on Netflix. The undeniable charm and captivating talent of leading ladies Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Richa Moorjani have earned them a huge fan following from all over the world.

Netflix series Never Have I Ever is currently the talk of the town. The popular comedy show has been the one of the most-watched shows on Netflix. The undeniable charm and captivating talent of leading ladies Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Richa Moorjani have earned them a huge fan following from all over the world. The latest addition to their fan club is South-Indian actress Rashmika Mandanna who is heaping praises on both actors after a clip from the recently released show went viral. The clip shows Maitreyi and Richa dancing to Rashmika’s popular song Saami Saami from Pushpa: The Rise. The sensational song Saami Saami featured Rashmika Mandanna alongside Allu Arjun. The song has now gone viral on a global stage after it got featured in Never Have I Ever. A clip from the series showed Maitreyi and Richa dressed in Indian traditional outfits while displaying their dancing skills. What Rashmika Mandanna Said As a fan shared the clip on Twitter, Rashmika immediately re-shared it with the caption, “@ramakrishnannn .. stunner! you did sooooo gooooooddddd. sending you full love.” . @ramakrishnannn .. stunner! you did sooooo gooooooddddd. __ sending you full love __ https://t.co/Rprd5GcSc2 — Rashmika Mandanna (@iamRashmika) June 9, 2023 × Rashmika’s reaction to the clip is winning hearts on social media. The fans have flooded the comment section with their lovely comments for the Varisu actress. A Twitter user wrote, “Really stunning Rashmika mam you did so goooodddd sending full love to you mam. God bless you.” Really stunning rashmika mam you did so goooodddd sending you full love 2 u mam 💕💕 Godd bless you — Shiva ...{RKO} (@LORD143143143) June 9, 2023 × Another commented, “This is by far the greatest thing that has happened for Never Have I Ever series, who says no?” This is by far the greatest thing happened for Never Have I Ever series, who says no? — ɱıƙɛყ (@Manjiro_mike) June 9, 2023 × In the last few years, Rashmika Mandanna has emerged as a talented and dedicated actress. With every new role, she has created an unforgettable impact on the audience. Having said that, the actress rose to new heights after the release of the pan-India film Pushpa: The Rise. As Pushpa 2: The Rule nears its release date, fans are still appreciative of Rashmika Mandanna's performance in the first part of the film, particularly the song titled Saami Saami. Coming back to Never Have I Ever, the final season of the coming-of-age comedy-drama series released on June 8. The show revolves around Indian American teenage girl Devi Vishwakumar who keeps getting into adverse situations due to her temper and emotions. Apart from Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Richa Moorjani, the show features Poorna Jagannathan, Ramona Young, Lee Rodriguez, Jaren Lewison, and Darren Barnet in pivotal roles.

'A stunner': Rashmika Mandanna on Maitreyi Ramakrishnan's Saami Saami dance

Indian-American actress Richa Moorjani, who is popular for playing Kamala Vishwakumari in the Netflix show 'Never Have I Ever', joined WION for an exclusive conversation from Los Angeles. Like many other Indian Americans, Richa too had an unique experience of a brown girl, who grew up in the US.

Here are the excerpts of the interview: &nbsp;

How did you get the role of Kamala in 'Never Have I Ever'? What were you doing before this role came to you?

I have been in Los Angeles for about 10 years. I moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting full time. It took about seven or eight years to land a role like Kamala. Before that I was auditioning and doing small roles in other projects, but this was obviously the biggest role I got to do. It's been a long process with a lot of learning. &nbsp;

Mindy Kaling had put out an ad for the role of Kamala, Devi and Nalini. It was a global casting search. I basically submitted a self-taped audition, just like Maitreyi did for Devi and that's how I was called in for a callback and got the role. It was a dream role for me. There's been a lot of ups and downs but I am glad that I had the journey before getting a chance of 'Never Have I Ever'.

So we learned from social media that you are a trained Kathak dancer. &nbsp;Tell us more about your journey as a dancer

Yes, my teacher is here in the U.S., her name is Srimati Anuradha Nag. She is a disciple of Pandit Birju Maharaja. I started learning Kathak at the age of five. I have also been trained in India, with Maharaj ji's company, and it's been about twenty-five plus years now. &nbsp;

 
What was it like to grow up as a brown girl in the US? &nbsp;

I actually grew up in a very... in a community with a lot of other South Asian people so I wasn’t the only brown person in my school, I actually had a lot of desi and Indian friends growing up. My family had a large circle of South Asian family friends, and a big extended family here so I'm very blessed in the sense that I never felt disconnected from my culture while growing up. I grew up doing Indian classical dance, and my parents also are musicians, they also do Indian music so the culture was very much a part of my life while growing up here. But of course, at the same time, growing up here versus growing up in India is very different as a brown person and I definitely felt the pull between the two cultures often while growing up, and even now its something that I have to navigate. But I feel really blessed to come from such a rich and beautiful culture. The fact that the arts are such a huge part of our culture I think it is part of the reason that I decided to become an artist. &nbsp;

Did you come to India often? &nbsp; 
 
I went to India almost every year while growing up. My grandparents lived in Varanasi, that's the dad's side of my family and my mom's side of the family lives in Bangalore. So I'm half South Indian, half North Indian. I spent a lot of time in India. Either in the summers or winters, we would come to India and spend a lot of time there. &nbsp;

Coming back to 'Never Have I Ever,' right now as we speak, you have a completely different accent from the one you had back in the show. &nbsp;

Well, I'm happy that you thought that it was my real accent that means I sounded authentic and that's what my goal was. I know there have been many depictions of 'the Indian accent' in Hollywood, and we all know as Indian people that there is no ONE single Indian accent. Everyone in India, outside of India, who comes from there has a different sounding accent, we have so many different dialects depending on where you are from.&nbsp; 
First of all I worked with a dialect coach, and I watched, lots and lots of hours on YouTube of people with the accent that I was trying to go for, and practice with my family and practice with people. I spoke in that accent at home. I did everything possible to make sure I was being authentic. &nbsp;

 
You mentioned on being both North Indian and South Indian. Can you elaborate on that? &nbsp;

Yea, you know I feel really lucky to come from different parts of India because I got a chance to celebrate my Kannada roots and my Banaras roots also and there's a lot of overlap and a lot of similarities. My parents are both Hindus, so a lot of rituals and religious customs might be similar but there are also a lot of differences. The language, the food, or the way we dress in different parts of India that I'm from I get to celebrate that and that's so exciting for me. &nbsp;

What were the celebrations like back at home, and which one was&nbsp;your favourite? &nbsp;

Holi is my favourite celebration and it is celebrated all over India. Everyone has their own unique way of celebrating not just Holi but all of the holidays and I think it's really wonderful that my South Indian family celebrates Diwali differently from my North Indian family. Or they make different foods. But for me, the most fun I have is on Holi. &nbsp;

How did your parents meet? Were they first-generation from their families in the US?

Yeah, so my dad moved here in California when he was in his 20s to complete his PhD and my mother actually moved from Mysore to the US when she was seven so she stayed here for most of her life. So when my dad moved here he started a Bollywood music band with his friends at his college and he was looking for a female lead singer my mom was a singer so she auditioned for his band and became the lead singer and that's how they met and fell in love and got married. They still have the band. &nbsp;

How did you meet your husband? What drew you towards him?

We met about five to six years ago on an app called Dil Mil, it was an app started obviously by an Indian person and it was for South Asian people looking for other South Asian people, so that's how my husband and I met. You know I loved that he just seemed very humble, he seemed like a very down-to-earth person not flashy and he didn’t click selfies of himself in front of the mirror or wasn’t wearing any flashy suits like he seemed like a very simple person which looked very attractive to me. This was before 'Never Have I Ever'. &nbsp;

 
You have also been an active advocate for mental health. When did you realise its importance? &nbsp;

I don’t think I ever suddenly realised it, it has always been important to me. I have known people in my personal life that suffer from mental illness and my mother is a therapist. So mental health has always been a subject, a topic that our family has discussed very openly. I think that is wonderful because we all know in our culture and all over the world, mental health is still a very stigmatised topic and we don’t really talk about it. That's why it has always been very important for me in my work. &nbsp;&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Indian-American actress Richa Moorjani, who is popular for playing Kamala Vishwakumari in the Netflix show 'Never Have I Ever', joined WION for an exclusive conversation from Los Angeles.

Indian-American actress Richa Moorjani, who is popular for playing Kamala Vishwakumari in the Netflix show 'Never Have I Ever', joined WION for an exclusive conversation from Los Angeles. Like many other Indian Americans, Richa too had an unique experience of a brown girl, who grew up in the US. Here are the excerpts of the interview: How did you get the role of Kamala in 'Never Have I Ever'? What were you doing before this role came to you? I have been in Los Angeles for about 10 years. I moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting full time. It took about seven or eight years to land a role like Kamala. Before that I was auditioning and doing small roles in other projects, but this was obviously the biggest role I got to do. It's been a long process with a lot of learning. Mindy Kaling had put out an ad for the role of Kamala, Devi and Nalini. It was a global casting search. I basically submitted a self-taped audition, just like Maitreyi did for Devi and that's how I was called in for a callback and got the role. It was a dream role for me. There's been a lot of ups and downs but I am glad that I had the journey before getting a chance of 'Never Have I Ever'. So we learned from social media that you are a trained Kathak dancer. Tell us more about your journey as a dancer Yes, my teacher is here in the U.S., her name is Srimati Anuradha Nag. She is a disciple of Pandit Birju Maharaja. I started learning Kathak at the age of five. I have also been trained in India, with Maharaj ji's company, and it's been about twenty-five plus years now. What was it like to grow up as a brown girl in the US? I actually grew up in a very... in a community with a lot of other South Asian people so I wasn’t the only brown person in my school, I actually had a lot of desi and Indian friends growing up. My family had a large circle of South Asian family friends, and a big extended family here so I'm very blessed in the sense that I never felt disconnected from my culture while growing up. I grew up doing Indian classical dance, and my parents also are musicians, they also do Indian music so the culture was very much a part of my life while growing up here. But of course, at the same time, growing up here versus growing up in India is very different as a brown person and I definitely felt the pull between the two cultures often while growing up, and even now its something that I have to navigate. But I feel really blessed to come from such a rich and beautiful culture. The fact that the arts are such a huge part of our culture I think it is part of the reason that I decided to become an artist. Did you come to India often? I went to India almost every year while growing up. My grandparents lived in Varanasi, that's the dad's side of my family and my mom's side of the family lives in Bangalore. So I'm half South Indian, half North Indian. I spent a lot of time in India. Either in the summers or winters, we would come to India and spend a lot of time there. Coming back to 'Never Have I Ever,' right now as we speak, you have a completely different accent from the one you had back in the show. Well, I'm happy that you thought that it was my real accent that means I sounded authentic and that's what my goal was. I know there have been many depictions of 'the Indian accent' in Hollywood, and we all know as Indian people that there is no ONE single Indian accent. Everyone in India, outside of India, who comes from there has a different sounding accent, we have so many different dialects depending on where you are from. First of all I worked with a dialect coach, and I watched, lots and lots of hours on YouTube of people with the accent that I was trying to go for, and practice with my family and practice with people. I spoke in that accent at home. I did everything possible to make sure I was being authentic. You mentioned on being both North Indian and South Indian. Can you elaborate on that? Yea, you know I feel really lucky to come from different parts of India because I got a chance to celebrate my Kannada roots and my Banaras roots also and there's a lot of overlap and a lot of similarities. My parents are both Hindus, so a lot of rituals and religious customs might be similar but there are also a lot of differences. The language, the food, or the way we dress in different parts of India that I'm from I get to celebrate that and that's so exciting for me. What were the celebrations like back at home, and which one was your favourite? Holi is my favourite celebration and it is celebrated all over India. Everyone has their own unique way of celebrating not just Holi but all of the holidays and I think it's really wonderful that my South Indian family celebrates Diwali differently from my North Indian family. Or they make different foods. But for me, the most fun I have is on Holi. How did your parents meet? Were they first-generation from their families in the US? Yeah, so my dad moved here in California when he was in his 20s to complete his PhD and my mother actually moved from Mysore to the US when she was seven so she stayed here for most of her life. So when my dad moved here he started a Bollywood music band with his friends at his college and he was looking for a female lead singer my mom was a singer so she auditioned for his band and became the lead singer and that's how they met and fell in love and got married. They still have the band. How did you meet your husband? What drew you towards him? We met about five to six years ago on an app called Dil Mil, it was an app started obviously by an Indian person and it was for South Asian people looking for other South Asian people, so that's how my husband and I met. You know I loved that he just seemed very humble, he seemed like a very down-to-earth person not flashy and he didn’t click selfies of himself in front of the mirror or wasn’t wearing any flashy suits like he seemed like a very simple person which looked very attractive to me. This was before 'Never Have I Ever'. You have also been an active advocate for mental health. When did you realise its importance? I don’t think I ever suddenly realised it, it has always been important to me. I have known people in my personal life that suffer from mental illness and my mother is a therapist. So mental health has always been a subject, a topic that our family has discussed very openly. I think that is wonderful because we all know in our culture and all over the world, mental health is still a very stigmatised topic and we don’t really talk about it. That's why it has always been very important for me in my work.

WION Exclusive! Richa Moorjani on 'Never Have I Ever', mental health and South Asian representation

Richa Moorjani, who plays Kamla in the Netflix show 'Never Have I Ever' speaks to WION about her journey as South Asian actress, the years of struggle before she landed a role in the Netflix show. Moorjani also talks about mental health, her origins and more.

Richa Moorjani on 'Never Have I Ever', mental health and South Asian representation

richa-moorjani

Richa Moorjani, News on Richa Moorjani, stories on Richa Moorjani, articles on Richa Moorjani, Richa Moorjani stories at Wion, Richa Moorjani news, Richa Moorjani latest news

richa moorjani

'A stunner': Rashmika Mandanna on Maitreyi Ramakrishnan's Saami Saami dance

WION Exclusive! Richa Moorjani on 'Never Have I Ever', mental health and South Asian representation

Richa Moorjani on 'Never Have I Ever', mental health and South Asian representation