Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, known for her roles in Netflix's Never Have I Ever and the upcoming film Best of the Best, has revealed her deep-rooted connection to Nintendo gaming.
Growing up, Ramakrishnan was primarily exposed to Nintendo consoles like the DS and GameCube, as games such as Call of Duty and GTA were off-limits. Her favorite titles from that era include Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Kirby Superstar Ultra, Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Super Princess Peach, Pokémon Pearl, Luigi’s Mansion, and Super Paper Mario.
Ramakrishnan described her journey with Super Smash Bros., noting that she was initially quite unskilled. "I was really, really bad as a kid. But I kept playing," she stated. "And I slowly started understanding, like, wait, you don't have to spam things. It's not random. You can actually choose moves and combos. There's a method and strategy to this. Once I learned that, I started getting way better and then started beating my cousins all the time."
Her dedication to the game is evident, as she revealed that Kirby is her first tattoo. She even expressed confidence in her abilities, saying, "I could kick your ass without using down-B once." Ramakrishnan also elaborated on her strategic use of Kirby's down-B move, explaining, "I actually love to use down-B as a fake-out, because I stop it midway and do something else, and then boom, you're done."
Beyond fighting games, Ramakrishnan also has a talent for rhythm games, crediting titles like Just Dance with contributing to her preparation for Best of the Best, a movie centered around a Bollywood dance club.
During a recent appearance, Ramakrishnan showed a particular fondness for older gaming hardware, selecting the original Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64. She examined the cartridge with a sense of reverence, noting her appreciation for the game's origins, despite not being alive when it was released in 1999.