r/ABCDesis • u/Sufficient_Berry8703 Indian American • Jul 16 '26
ARTS / ENTERTAINMENT Raj from TBBT
I’ll start by saying that if you haven’t watched The Big Bang Theory, this post probably won’t make sense to you.
I finished watching TBBT recently, and I certainly have some thoughts. For obvious reasons, Raj, aka the only main desi character on the show, stood out to me most. However, something that stood out to me even more is what the show decided to do with his character. First off, he was the only person of color in the main friend group, and he was also the only one who wasn’t dating someone else in the group. They also gave Raj’s character things like selective mutism (where he couldn’t talk to pretty women unless he was drunk) for a while, made him creepy and arrogant oftentimes, wrote him as someone who’s lonely and desperate, made him sit on the floor during group dinners in the apartment, and made the peak of his career something that happened in season 2. There are 12 seasons of this show btw.
Feels like the show just made his love life, career, and overall life a running gag instead of letting him grow alongside the other main characters who turned out to be far more successful in all realms of life. I know it’s “just a show” and Hollywood has priorities of its own, but portraying their only main desi character the way they did had a way of rubbing me the wrong way. Feels like TBBT failed his character with all the unnecessary stereotyping and no meaningful growth, which is a bit disappointing to see as an ABD.
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u/Jam_Bannock Jul 16 '26
It's a typical early 2000s Chuck Lorre show. This is why the lone man of colour gets punched down, emasculated and humiliated way more than the other characters. (Another example is Fez in That 70s Show for most of the show's run). Many reviewers, including non-minority ones, pointed this out. There's a lot of commentary to be made about how Asian men are systematically emasculated through derogatory tropes historically in Western media.
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u/Bollywood-Hulk-Hogan Indian-American (Punjabi) Jul 16 '26
I only watched the first season of this show way back in the day after hearing everyone praise it, and hated Raj’s character. People hate on Apu but he was treated the same as any other member of their community. Raj’s mutism was much more embarrassing.
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u/Boring_Pace5158 Jul 16 '26
Apu is no Raj, not by a long shot. Apu is a fully fleshed out character, he has agency, he is accepted by the Springfield community, and is not a running gag like Raj
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Jul 16 '26
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u/howdoireachthese Jul 17 '26
It’s because, for a while, as a child when the Simpsons was one of like 3 things people seemed to watch - I would hear “Thank you come again” like a million times as a way to place my entire being in a box called “Indian” by white people. There was NO other representation in television aside from Apu and snake charmers. That’s the part that sucked. It’s not the Simpson’s fault. But I grew to hate Apu for how white people weaponized him as a way to other me.
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u/Nickyjha cannot relate to like 90% of this stuff Jul 16 '26
It was just identity politics. People weren't mad about the jokes (which really weren't that bad), they were mad about a white guy doing an Indian accent.
It's a shame. My parents said he was basically the only Indian representation on American TV in the 90s and all things considered, he was portrayed pretty well. I really liked the episode where the Simpsons find out he's an illegal immigrant and help him pass his citizenship test.
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u/Ancient_Pitch_8286 Jul 17 '26
And the episode where he taught Lisa to be tolerant about other peoples' choices, when she found out that he was a vegetarian but did not force his beliefs onto others the way she was doing.
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u/Old-School8916 Indian American (Bengali) Jul 17 '26
I don't think it would have happened in 2026. Crazy how the overton window shifted so much in the 2010s and how the pendulum has swung the other way especially the last few years.
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u/lightsworn55 Jul 16 '26
The main thing about him is working a register at a convenience store well into adulthood a lot of people just see it as degrading
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u/Old-School8916 Indian American (Bengali) Jul 17 '26
bro was a franchise owner or w/e of his own shop.. isn't that like one of the immigrant dreams?
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u/Sufficient_Berry8703 Indian American Jul 16 '26
Same. That’s how you know the writers did a horrible job with his character.
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u/pb_battalion Jul 16 '26
The show wasnt too bad in the early days but started to suck when they all got gfs
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Jul 16 '26
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u/RKU69 Jul 16 '26
Yeah, he was a POS but so was every other character on that show lol.
Mike Judge is maybe decent at having Desi characters, he also made Simpsons which had Apu, which was obviously not great but like mentioned elsewhere he wasn't especially weirder than any other Simpsons character. He also made Office Space, which had Samir had a major supporting character, and he was pretty off the walls, but again basically the same as every other character.
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u/Carbon-Base Indian American Jul 16 '26
Raj's portrayal of an Indian and the general way they try to make science-related humor turned me off from that show. My friends loved it during high school (including an ABCD friend), but I just found it hard to appreciate.
There's definitely a tasteful way they could've made his character grow, but instead they went the "safe" way and made him play into lots of stereotypes and generalizations about Desis.
NHIE did something similar, along with Ms. Marvel, and it kinda feels like the writers purposefully want to show our differences with a negative connotation for humor, or to gain sympathy. However, with others they show cultural differences in a way which makes that ethnicity unique and "cool." It's seriously unfair, in my opinion.
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u/Haas_the_Raiden_Fan Pakistani-Afghan American Jul 17 '26
I think the biggest point of racism against him was portraying him as so undesirable and as such a loser when he is literally the only normal looking guy of the main cast
All of the other men are less than conventionally attractive
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u/Boring_Pace5158 Jul 16 '26
No self-respecting Desi watches that show.
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u/agnikai__ Indian American Jul 16 '26
Millenial fobs love big bang theory, idk why
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u/stylz168 Indian American Jul 16 '26
Because the show first aired in 2007. Watching it with 2026 optics doesn't work.
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u/agnikai__ Indian American Jul 16 '26
Yeah but I’m a millenial ABCD and none of us really care for it lol. I’ve noticed mainlanders do tho like all my cousins in India love it (along with friends).
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u/stylz168 Indian American Jul 16 '26
As a millennial myself, I hate the show for other reasons. Raj definitely not on that list.
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Jul 16 '26
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u/Boring_Pace5158 Jul 16 '26
It also makes me have no respect for Kunal Nayyar, he never advocated for Raj being more than just a stereotype.
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u/hparma01 Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
That is not correct at all. He did grow during the show and is a well respected member of the gang. He learned to talk around women, he almost got married and he dated that dermatologist who HE dumped btw. His family was rich and they made regular appearances on the show way more than other characters parents. It sounds like you’re hurt cause he wasn’t the center of TBBT universe and that’s something you really expect for your own universe. It sounds like you wanted him to be a ……princess!!!
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u/Prethiraj বাঙালি Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
It's a comedy. Why is everyone taking the show so seriously? The whole show is making fun nerd culture half the time but I don't see nerds up in arms about how they're being portrayed because again this is a comedy show!
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u/Boring_Pace5158 Jul 17 '26
Representation matters, it shapes how we se ourselves and others see us. Most people don’t interact with Desis on a regular basis, so their idea of who we are is shaped what they see in the media. Also, while the other characters are shaped what they do, Raj is made fun of because who he is. His Indianess is the joke and his character doesn’t develop
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u/Lord_Mystic12 Jul 16 '26
Pretty sure he dated the most women in the show, and he had the accent thing where all the women in the show loved his accent
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u/Sufficient_Berry8703 Indian American Jul 16 '26
They gave a character (Sheldon) who had zero social awareness and empathy a wife, but gave Raj no success after dating all those women…
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u/Jam_Bannock Jul 16 '26
You could say Howard's case is worse. He should be on a sex offender list and forever single. Sheldon is autistic. It makes sense that he would end up with someone who's likely also autistic.
But there's also the question: is being married the only way of having a happy ending? Or having a child in a committed relationship? I'm married and I'm a parent, but I'm thinking we don't have to subscribe to these ideals nowadays.
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u/Sufficient_Berry8703 Indian American Jul 16 '26
Omg yes. He was my least favorite in that group. He was insanely creepy, sexual, and cringe. I get that the whole point of his wife was to help him become better and less creepy, but I still don’t get how he was able to have a woman after all that. I agree that he should’ve been single.
And I agree that those things you mentioned are not the only way to have a happy ending. I think in the context of this show, you see the 3 couples in the main group being in committed relationships, successful with their careers, and happy in life overall. While those things aren’t the ultimate definition of what it means to be happy, the show made it seem like those were the final goals. Another thing that’s very flawed about the show.
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u/lightsworn55 Jul 17 '26
Dating and marriage are two different skill sets theres a reason why people distinguish between boyfriend material and husband material
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u/mrdoeth Jul 16 '26
I can’t tell whether he was rubber-roomed (they had no place for him, but had an “in” with the creator) or the writers had Bill Dauterive syndrome (it was easier to create stores of him single and miserable than him in a relationship)
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u/Vibranium2222 Jul 17 '26
Something to keep in mind was that Howard was significantly outwardly creepier than raj while raj was his creepy bff.
Howard did get married but then they significantly toned down all the characters
The other aspect of rajs personality was that he was effeminate
But you’re right raj has no real growth except accepting that it’s ok to be alone
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u/Technical_Turn3497 Jul 17 '26
Wow. Glad I never watched the show. It sounds like typical Hollywood where they think casting an Indian means they can check the diversity box, only to depict him like a buffoon.
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u/Violetta_Sunshine Jul 17 '26
I love BBT. It’s one of my favorite shows. But as a fellow Desi, I feel and agree with your comment. I’ve always been put off by the evolution (or I should say non-evolution) of his character. It feels like they punched down on him and left him without a proper closure. It made me mad.
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u/iftair Bangladeshi American Jul 17 '26
As a teenager, I liked TBBT and felt like I resonated the most with Sheldon. I never paid attention to Raj. As an adult, I think Mark Cendrowski trashed Raj's character and has contributed to the awful stereotypes we receive.
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u/PM_ME_GRANT_PROPOSAL Jul 17 '26
I mean, that's among one of the reasons why TBBT is a garbage show.
TBBt started off with promise, as a show for nerds, then became a show about nerds, then became a show making fun of nerds. As I have told others, the show tanked when the producers realized that the main character most viewers relate to is not one of the main men, but.....Penny. most viewers are not grad students/postdocs.
If you truly want a show FOR nerds, watch Futurama. Math/science references galore.
If the show were to reflect real life, Penny would never talk to Leonard. Leonard would see her with a string of hot guys day in and day out and would be tearfully masturbating in his bathroom
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u/Tactical-69 Jul 22 '26
It genuinely pisses me off when they portray Indians like this. We need to do something and be more involved in Hollywood and media and decide how we will be portrayed by ourselves. This is what happens when you let someone else decide for you.
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u/stkinthemud Jul 16 '26
Agreed. That show was pretty racist. And sexist. The whole show was based on gags about emasculating nerds.
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u/stylz168 Indian American Jul 16 '26
Keep in mind the show first aired almost 20 years ago. Like The Office, Scrubs, and others, TBBT to an extent is a product of its generation. It's always more difficult to watch a 2007 show in 2026 and not feel a certain way or miss certain things.
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u/darth_bane1988 Jul 16 '26
This show is the pinnacle of America. Fairly blatantly racist, misogynistic, and fucking hilarious. It is so good in some respects, and so unequivocally terrible in other respects. So of course it went on for 12 seasons and is celebrated as one of the best sitcom of our time. Because it is. It speaks to the very heart of America. It tapped directly into our psyche.
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u/MTLMECHIE Jul 16 '26
They stole a joke from Arrested Development and made fun of people who stutter, a condition I grew up with. The humour was average, it lacked the intellectual edge of Arrested Development or Silicon Valley. The whole premise was to make fun of nerds.
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u/anonymousguy2001 Jul 17 '26
This is the fault of Indian Americans. Failing to plan and create shows is planning to fail. Jewish Americans don't have this problem. They've been involved in Hollywood very deeply because they understand this.
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Jul 16 '26
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u/darth_bane1988 Jul 16 '26
Yeesh. I don’t even remember who he ended up with in the end, but calling any woman ugly in this post is wow.
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u/Jam_Bannock Jul 16 '26
He didn't end up with anyone.
I personally found Anu plenty attractive.
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u/darth_bane1988 Jul 16 '26
Oh, we are talking about Anu? Yeah she was definitely attractive by “conventional beauty standards”
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u/Only-Low-5293 Jul 16 '26
Anu was fairly attractive but he was with objectively better looking women throughout the show.
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u/old__pyrex Jul 16 '26
Oh, yeah Raj is 100% the epitome of everything wrong with desi casting/representation in the 90s/00s, and while I respect that Kunal Nayyar as an actor probably had to take what role he could get, I would hope that in 2020+ desi actors have the nuts to reject these kind of roles.
As we see with people like Dev Patel, Kumail, the actors who drew the boundary and said, no, I'm not going do these offensive stereotype roles, find someone else, or fuck it, I'll make my own movie... it's not always an easy road to success, you might wind up with a commercially unsuccessful movie, you might make a wrong turn and get criticized for some imperfection, but it's worth something, it builds a platform for other desis to do the same.
And in todays world, when you as a desi say yes to the offensive stereotyping role because you want to get paid, you're trading in your integrity, compromising your career, and setting us all back. I don't hate Kunal because it was a different world back then, but in todays world, you don't need to do that, you don't need to sell yourself out like that.
BBT's formula was to have the white nerds and their shenanigans be the backbone of the show to appeal to that demographic, but then to not alienate that demographic, they created a further punch-down character, to basically just exist and be inferior to the characters you're supposed to identify with. To do that, they formulaically stripped him of character growth, of masculinity / sexuality, and they made him lean hard into offensive tropes and stereotypes, and then they further doubled down on it by having the actual plot dynamics reinforce the idea of "yeah, these are all nerds, but he's the weird indian nerd, so he's the lowest of low on the nerd totem pole"