Karan Brar

Karan Brar
Brar in 2015
Born (1999-01-18) January 18, 1999 (age 25)
Redmond, Washington, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active2010–present

Karan Brar (born January 18, 1999) is an American actor. He portrayed Chirag Gupta in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film franchise and Ravi Ross on the Disney Channel Original Series Jessie and its subsequent spin-off Bunk'd.

Early life

Karan Brar was born on January 18, 1999, in Redmond, Washington, to parents who are of Punjabi ancestry.[1] He was raised in Bothell, Washington, and has an older sister named Sabreena.[2][3][4] Brar attended Cedar Wood Elementary School. He studied acting at John Robert Powers and Patti Kalles workshops.[5][3]

Career

Brar began his acting career at the age of 11, starring as Indian middle schooler Chirag Gupta in the comedy feature film Diary of a Wimpy Kid.[2][3] Brar naturally speaks with an American accent and worked with a dialect coach to perfect his Indian accent for the role.[3][6]

In March 2011, Brar reprised his role as Chirag Gupta in the feature film sequel Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules.[2] In October 2011, it was confirmed that he would also be reprising his role as Chirag for the third installment of the Wimpy Kid franchise, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, released on August 3, 2012.[7] In April 2010, he appeared in the Seeds of Compassion advertorial campaign announcing the Dalai Lama's visit to Seattle, as well as appearing in commercials for Shell Gasoline and Committee for Children.[2][4]

Brar began starring in the role of 10-year-old Indian adoptee Ravi Ross on the Disney Channel comedy series Jessie in September 2011.[2][8] During pre-production of the show, the role of Ravi was originally intended to be a Hispanic boy named Javier from South America, but casting directors were impressed with Brar during the audition process and ultimately decided to recreate the role for him.[9][10][11]

In February 2015, a new Disney Channel series Bunk'd, a spin-off of Jessie, was announced, in which Brar would reprise his role as Ravi Ross.[12] That year, he played the role of George in the Disney Channel Original Movie Invisible Sister.[13] In 2018, he had a minor role in the science fiction film Pacific Rim Uprising.[14]

Personal life

Brar lived in the Los Angeles area with his parents and older sister,[2] until he moved in with fellow actors Cameron Boyce and Sophie Reynolds in May 2019.[15][16] On November 30, 2023, Brar penned an essay for Teen Vogue, detailing his struggles with PTSD and major depressive disorder and coming out as bisexual.[17]

Filmography

Film

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2010 Diary of a Wimpy Kid Chirag Gupta
2011 Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
2012 Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
Chilly Christmas Caps Direct-to-video
2014 Mr. Peabody & Sherman Mason Voice
2018 Pacific Rim Uprising Cadet Suresh
2020 Stargirl Kevin
The F**k-It List Nico Gomes
The Argument Actor Brett
Hubie Halloween Deli Mike Mundi
2023 Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham Sanjay "Jay" Tawde Voice[18]

Television

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2011–2015 Jessie Ravi Ross Main role
2012 Pair of Kings Tito Episode: "I Know What You Did Last Sunday"
2013 Sofia the First Prince Zandar Voice, 4 episodes
2013–2015 Teens Wanna Know Himself 3 episodes
2013–2014 Pass the Plate 11 episodes
2014 Lab Rats Kal Zar Episode: "Alien Gladiators"
Chasing LA Himself 1 episode
Storyline Online
Ultimate Spider-Man Ravi Ross Voice, episode: "Halloween Night at the Museum"
2015–2018, 2021, 2022 Bunk'd Ravi Ross Main role (seasons 1–3), directed 3 episodes
2015 Invisible Sister George Television film
2016 The Night Shift Omed Episode: "The Thing With Feathers"
2018 Youth & Consequences Dipankar Gosh Recurring role
Champions Arjun 1 episode
2019 Schooled Reza Alavi Episode: "There's No Fighting in Fight Club"
Epic Night Lillis 4 episodes
Cleopatra in Space Gozi Voice
2020–2022 Mira, Royal Detective Prince Veer Voice, main role
2023 Family Guy Chase Voice, episode: "Vat Man and Rob 'Em"
2024 Hailey's On It! Sanjay Singh Voice, episode: "I Wanna Dance With My Buddy"

Podcast

Podcast
Year Title Role Notes
2021 The Beautiful Liar Evan 7 episodes

Awards and nominations

Awards
Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2011 Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a Feature Film – Young Ensemble Cast
(with Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, Devon Bostick,
Alex Ferris, Chloë Grace Moretz, Laine MacNeil and Grayson Russell) 		Diary of a Wimpy Kid Won [19]
2012 Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a Feature Film – Supporting Young Actor Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules Nominated [20]
Best Performance in a TV series – Supporting Young Actor Jessie Won [20]
2013 Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a Feature Film – Supporting Young Actor Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days Nominated [21]
Best Performance in a Feature Film – Young Ensemble Cast
(with Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, Peyton List, Laine MacNeil
Connor & Owen Fielding, Devon Bostick and Grayson Russell) 		Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days Won [21]
Best Performance in a TV Series – Supporting Young Actor Jessie Nominated [21]
2014 NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Program (Series or Special) Jessie Nominated [22]
2018 Young Entertainer Awards Best Young Ensemble – Television Series
(with Skai Jackson, Peyton List and Miranda May) 		Bunk'd Won
2019 Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Male TV Star Bunk'd Nominated [23]

References

  1. ^ An intimate conversation with Karan Brar and Sophie Reynolds about The Cameron Boyce Foundation. Retrieved May 2, 2024 – via YouTube.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Karan Brar - "Ravi Ross"". DisneyChannelMedianet.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d "Eastsider Karan Brar, age 11, has key role in 'Wimpy Kid'". The Seattle Times. March 18, 2010. Archived from the original on March 23, 2010. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  4. ^ a b "Bothell's kid: Brar scores acting success with 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' films". Bothell Reporter. April 8, 2011. Archived from the original on October 7, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
  5. ^ "Karan Brar's Official Website". KaranBrar.com. Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  6. ^ "Director's Commentary". 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules' DVD. June 21, 2011. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  7. ^ "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on September 25, 2011. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
  8. ^ "Interview: Disney Channel's "Jessie" cast tells all". DaemonsTV.com. September 30, 2011. Archived from the original on October 9, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  9. ^ "Disney's New Show 'Jessie' Casting Starring Roles". New Faces. May 23, 2011. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2011.
  10. ^ "An interview with Cameron Boyce from "Jessie"". PopCulturePassionistas.com. September 28, 2011. Archived from the original on July 8, 2019. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
  11. ^ "An Interview with Karan Brar from "Jessie"". PopCulturePassionistas.com. September 27, 2011. Archived from the original on July 8, 2019. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
  12. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 25, 2015). "Disney Channel's 'Jessie' Ending Run, But Spinoff Series Set With Stars Peyton List, Karan Brar & Skai Jackson". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  13. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (February 27, 2015). "'Jessie' Star Karan Brar to Co-star in Disney Channel Original Movie 'Invisible Sister'". Variety. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  14. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (October 18, 2016). "Pacific Rim 2 Casts Karan Brar; Neil Brown Jr. Joins Marlon Wayans In 'Naked'". Deadline. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  15. ^ Brar, Karan (May 14, 2019). "oh and btw we're roommates now". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  16. ^ Thevarajah, Gayathiri (April 26, 2012). "Karan Brar Makes Waves In The World Of Disney". Anokhi Magazine. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  17. ^ "How I Found Myself". Teen Vogue. November 30, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  18. ^ "'Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham' Sets Voice Cast (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. December 6, 2022. Archived from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  19. ^ "32nd Annual Young Artist Awards". YoungArtistAwards.org. Archived from the original on August 8, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  20. ^ a b "33rd Annual Young Artist Awards". YoungArtistAwards.org. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  21. ^ a b c "34th Annual Young Artist Awards". YoungArtistAwards.org. Archived from the original on April 3, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
  22. ^ "NAACP Image Awards 2014: Television". Archived from the original on March 24, 2014.
  23. ^ Howard, Annie (February 26, 2019). "Kids' Choice Awards: 'Avengers: Infinity War' Tops Nominees; DJ Khaled to Host". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
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