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Kunal Nayyar of “The Big Bang Theory,” made is New York stage debut last week in the New Group’s Off Broadway premiere of Jesse Eisenberg’s play “The Spoils.” Nayyar plays PowerPoint-loving Nepalese immigrant Kalyan, the roommate of protagonist Ben (Eisenberg). The play’s storyline follows the sad-sack, unpopular Ben as he sets out to derail the impending marriage of his high school crush.
“The Spoils” is the third play written by and starring Eisenberg to appear on New York stages in recent seasons, following “Asuncion” and “The Revisionist.” It also stars Annapurna Sriram, who plays Reshma, Kalyan’s high-maintenance girlfriend – described as an earnestly ambitious sort chasing an MBA and the American Dream. In its review, The Entertainment Weekly said “The Spoils” isn’t just a moral play, it’s also a comic one, and that’s when it’s at its best.
The 34-year-old actor is best known for his work as Dr. Raj Koothrappali on “The Big Bang Theory.” He is the voice of Vijay on the Nickelodeon animated series “Sanjay and Craig” and recently recurred on TBS’ “Sullivan & Sons.” Other screen credits include “Dr. Cabbie”, “Ice Age: Continental Drift” and “Consumed.” His theater credits include “Huck and Holden” and “Love’s Labor’s Lost” at the U.K.’s Royal Shakespeare Company.
Born in Delhi, Nayyar grew up in New Delhi, where he attended St Columbus School, and played badminton on the school team. In 1999, Nayyar moved to the U.S. to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Business (Finance) from the University of Portland. Working on his degree, he started taking acting classes and appeared in several school plays.
After participating in the American College Theater Festival, Nayyar decided to become a professional actor. He then attended Temple University in Philadelphia, where he received a Master of Fine Arts in Acting.
After graduating, Nayyar found work doing American television ads and plays on the London stage. He first gained attention in the for his role in the West Coast production of Rajiv Joseph‘s 2006 play “Huck & Holden,” where he portrayed an Indian exchange student anxious to experience American culture before returning home. In 2006, Nayyar teamed up with Arun Das to write the play Cotton Candy, which premiered in New Delhi to positive reviews. Nayyar made a guest appearance on the CBS drama “NCIS” where he played Youssef Zidan, an Iraqi terrorist
In 2011, he co-hosted the “Tribute to Nerds” show with co-star Simon Helberg at the comedy festival Just for Laughs. The following year Nayyar voiced Gupta in “Ice Age: Continental Drift,” and also completed the shooting of his first film “Dr. Cabbie,” in Toronto, produced by Bollywood actor Salman Khan.
Nayyar married Miss India 2006 winner Neha Kapur in December 2011.
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