Rajesh Koothrappali

Rajesh Koothrappali

Rajesh Ramayan "Raj" Koothrappali, Ph.D. (born October 6) is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by British Indian actor Kunal Nayyar.

Rajesh is Howard Wolowitz's (Simon Helberg) best friend, which Nayyar calls a 'bromance', although the relationship is frequently made awkward by Raj's metrosexuality. Raj works as an astrophysicist in the Physics Department at Caltech. His principal characteristic is selective mutism which does not allow him to talk to women unless under the influence of alcohol.