Published on: Dec 06, 2025 07:44 pm IST
Menik Gooneratne features in Apple TV’s new sci-fi series Pluribus, where she plays Laxmi. Many on social media have reacted to her scene.
Pluribus, the new show from Breaking Bad-creator Vince Gilligan, has been the toast of social media for the past few weeks. In the show, Sri Lankan-Australian actress and writer Menik Gooneratne plays the role of Laxmi. In the latest episode of the show, her Hindi accent during a tense moment has drawn a lot of reactions on social media. Many shared that the Hindi accent sounded off, while others said it is exactly the point because she has stayed away, and that is the reason it has become accentuated.
How the internet reacted
A user posted on Threads, “Massive Hollywood productions, but they can’t find one Indian actor who can speak in Hindi? What is she even saying?” In response, someone wrote, “Just saw this scene and yup, very powerful characterization /setup ruined by the dialogue. Surely they could have let the actor speak in an Indic language they’re comfortable with? Not like this needed subtitles.” Another agreed and wrote, “In most cases, American casting will claim ‘the best actor wins the role’, but with Indian casting, the sentiment is always ‘no one will know the difference’. No shade to Menik Gooneratne who is doing her best but this is just plain lazy on the part of the producers.”
A second user disagreed and wrote, “I guess a Sri Lankan who grew up in India speaking Hindi for a while and moved abroad would probably sound like her.”
Many users echoed this sentiment. Another commented, “This is Sheldon Cooper’s level of bad Hindi pronunciation.” A user said, “Could’ve cast Radhika Apte. It’s so hard to watch her & not cringe, she’s a first-gen Indian trying an Indian accent.”
About the show
The sci-fi drama follows Rhea Seehorn, who plays Carol Sturka, a miserable best-selling author of a series of pirate-themed speculative historical romance books. She is one of the 13 people in the world who are immune to the hive-mind alien virus that has taken over the Earth’s population. The Apple TV+ original premiered on November 7 with two episodes, followed by weekly drops that will wrap up the nine-episode season on December 26.
