Raj Koothrappali

Rajesh "Raj" Koothrappali is a fictional scientist and one of the main characters featured on the CBS comedy series The Big Bang Theory. He was played by actor Kunal Nayyar and introduced in the pilot episode of the show.

Overview
Rajesh Koothrappali was born in India, but grew up primarily in the United States. As an adult, he became a scientist and is one of the top minds in his field. He worked at a research firm in Pasadena, California where he befriended several co-workers including Howard Wolowitz, and Leonard Hofstadter. By extension, Koothrappali became friends with Leonard's roommate, Sheldon Cooper, as well. Howard and he became best friends and their "bromance" took on an almost homosexual quality to it, with each of them acting as if the other was their spouse. Despite this, Raj was actually heterosexual, though he had strong psychological foibles when it came to women, and could only speak to them if he were highly intoxicated. This only applied to women he was attracted to, and was a condition that Raj eventually overcame.

Notes & Trivia



 * Trademark behavior: Effeminate demeanor and overly sensitive.


 * Raj's apartment is over sixty-years-old and was once a factory.


 * Raj's longest lasting relationship to date was with a girl named Emily Sweeney.


 * Raj's parents, Priya and Doctor V.M. Koothrappali still live in India, though Raj communicates with them over Scype from time to time.


 * Own's a pet dog named Cinnamon.


 * The closest Raj ever came to having a homosexual encounter was when he went to Comic-Con and mistakenly believed a man in costume as an Orion slave girl from Star Trek to be a woman. According to Raj, the two had dinner and one kiss - and that was it.