Tharmeega (what a lovely name) and Ajanthika are Eelam Tamils living in Canada. Actresses with these types of Tamil facial features and complexions should be the stars of Kollywood. We should stop bringing in talent from Kerala, Karnataka, or Mumbai.
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Unfortunately, that won’t occur. They prefer applying brown makeup to North Indian stars to portray village girls from Thanjavur 
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Regrettably, it’s unlikely to change. Throughout the history of Tamil film, light-skinned (often non-Tamil) women have been the favorites, from Padmini and Saroja Devi back in the 50s to current stars like Trisha and Nayantara.
“They lack grooming” 
People will post comments like that, even saying they look like they live on the streets. Even someone like Keerthi Pandian, who is wealthy and relatively light-skinned, faced criticism for her appearance and skin tone after marrying Ashok Selvan… and that was from other women. So, it won’t change until people accept diverse looks. I’m talking specifically about the “elite” crowd.
Don’t just make empty claims; consider TV serials. If the heroine isn’t up to par, it’s our own people who demand a change of face. There was a show on Sun TV where the lead was dark-complexioned, but as time passed, they made her look fair with makeup. Color prejudice is always present. Another instance is Aishwarya Rajesh; given her talent, she could achieve much more, yet she has now transitioned to a lighter skin tone herself.
Watch out, you’ll get replies from folks who confuse ethnicity with nationality, claiming these women “aren’t really Tamil” haha.
Even SK’s “Madhrasi” features a fair-skinned lead. It’s so frustrating. At the launch, SK mentioned she has the kind of traits a man would do anything to protect. What about our local girls? The industry is repulsive. Nimisha Sajayan is our only light at the end of the tunnel. I’m glad she managed to break in.
We have no self-esteem or pride in ourselves. Sadly, we seek Western approval for everything. If Simone Ashley or similar women tried to audition for a movie or even a commercial in India, do you think they’d get the part? At best, they’d be the “before” model in a skin-whitening ad. We need the West to validate our food, cinema, language, and traditions before we accept them. Consider the typical conversation regarding the Thirukkural. People usually point out that a scholar in Germany, Cambridge, or Oxford is studying it, or mention how many languages it’s been translated into, or that some Westerner is familiar with it. Why do we need a translation or a foreigner’s praise to recognize its greatness?
It’s ironic that Hollywood casts brown-skinned Indians while Indian cinema only wants fair-skinned ones. Look at the difference between Param Sundari and Bridgerton (which avoided terrible Indian stereotypes and gave a great portrayal, in my opinion).