Imagine you’re watching your favourite American television show and a desi Indian origin actor shows up on your screen! Well, we can imagine that moment of pride and joy on your face.
From Priyanka Chopra to Lilly Singh, many actors of Indian origin are featuring on American television shows. Get set to know more about the brilliant actors who are making their mark in international showbiz.
Here's a few of them for you:
Priyanka Chopra
Her journey is just so remarkable. She came from Bareilly to Mumbai to participate in the Miss India contest and later won the Miss World crown! Not only in India, but she gained popularity in the US for her role as Alex Parrish on the ABC show Quantico. In 2016, she was named in Time's new 100 Most Influential People issue alongside the likes of Mark Zuckerberg and Leonardo DiCaprio.
She was appointed India's official UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for child rights in 2010. The global star also started The Priyanka Chopra Foundation for Health and Education, which currently covers educational and medical expenses for children in India. She recently got married to Nick Jonas in a fairytale wedding. Their adorable pictures continue to regale and thrill their fans.
Lilly Singh
Indian origin YouTube sensation and a Canadian born to Indian parents, Singh gained fame for her YouTube channel Superwoman, launched in 2010, which today boasts 14.5 million subscribers. Lilly Singh is also set to become the only woman and LGBTQ person to host a late night show on a major US network. According to Forbes, she was among the top paid YouTubers in 2017. Her book How to be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life was a New York Times No 1 best-seller.
Kunal Nayyar
We have been watching long-loved astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali for years on The Big Bang Theory. Kunal was born in Hounslow, London and he belongs to Punjabi origin. Though, he was brought up and completed his schooling in New Delhi.
He was also seen in shows like Prison Break and The Mindy Project. In 2015, Forbes magazine listed him third among the world’s highest-paid television actors with earnings of USD 20 million after the success of The Big Bang Theory.
Padma Lakshmi
She is an author, activist, chef, model and TV host. Born in Chennai, Lakshmi has been the host of the US cooking competition programme Top Chef since season two in 2006, for which she received an Emmy nomination in 2009 for Outstanding Reality Host.
She co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America and is a recipient of NECO Ellis Island Medal of honour. Recently, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) announced her as its newest Goodwill Ambassador.
Mindy Kaling
An actress, comedian, writer and producer, Mindy played Kelly Kapoor in The Office sitcom from 2005 to 2013. She also received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series in 2010. She gained much attention for creating, writing, producing and starring in The Mindy Project comedy series.
After starring in the all-woman heist film Ocean’s 8 last year alongside Hollywood stars Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett, her public presence and profile was raised considerably. Her new movie Late Night hits theatres in June and she just announced that she's working on a comedy for Netflix. According to some media reports, Priyanka Chopra may be working with Mindy Kaling in her next Hollywood project.
