Right after The Big Bang Theory ended, Raj actor Kunal Nayyar played a convicted murderer in a Netflix series. He made this decision deliberately.
Nayyar rose to fame over 12 seasons of The Big Bang Theory, playing the role of nerdy astrophysicist Dr. Rajesh “Raj” Ramayan Koothrappali. When the popular sitcom ended in 2019, the star went on to play an unusual role in a Netflix series – a murderer. He made a conscious decision to do so in order to quickly distance himself from the lovable TBBT image.
After The Big Bang Theory: That was Kunal Nayyar’s dark Netflix role afterwards
There is a crime anthology on Netflix that brings together different seasons from different countries. In the UK version, Criminal: United Kingdom, Kunal Nayyar takes on a role as a convicted murderer in episode 4 of season 2. It was his first series appearance after the finale of The Big Bang Theory. His character, named Sandeep Singh, wants to offer the police a deal to reduce his prison sentence. In return, he wants to provide information about two missing people.
TBBT star Kunal Nayyar explained his reasons for playing a murderer after the sitcom
In an interview with Metro in 2020, the Raj actor explained why he specifically chose the role in the Netflix anthology:
It was definitely [a conscious decision]. It wasn’t like I was like, ‘Oh, I’m just going to do this kind of work,’ but it was the right thing at the right time. It was definitely what I wanted to do. Also, physically, I’m so recognizable by my voice, I’m so recognizable by my face… it was important to do something that would completely break the barrier.
If you want to watch the episode with the Raj star as the murderer, all you need is a Netflix subscription. Here you can stream the fourth episode of season 2 of Criminal: United Kingdom, titled “Sandeep”. With this provider, you can also stream all 12 seasons of The Big Bang Theory in a flat rate.
