Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, known for her role in Netflix's Never Have I Ever, has discussed her new film The Twits, an animated adaptation of Roald Dahl's story. She plays Beesha, a brave orphan who, along with her friend Bubsy, battles the cruel Mr and Mrs Twit.
Ramakrishnan revealed that the film carries deeper social commentary than a typical children's movie. She said: 'Phil and I had a lot of conversations about the underlying messages... there's a lot that we're saying on our social commentary side of things.'
The actress highlighted Beesha's character arc, noting that she nearly becomes a 'twit' herself before realising her mistake. 'She becomes no better, but she realises it and she clocks that she is changing... she doesn't want to live in a world like that,' Ramakrishnan explained.
Despite the dark themes, the film ends with Beesha showing kindness to the Twits without forgiving them. 'It's not, “yay, we're all friends now”... It's Beesha looking at these people and going, “I am so sorry for you... I am giving you kindness because that is the best way forward”,' she said.
Director Phil Johnston, known for Zootopia, described the film as a 'big dumb comedy about the world as I see it now', addressing themes of hatred and empathy in modern society.
