Anil Kapoor was the first major Bollywood star to land a big role on U.S. television, as the president of a fictional Middle Eastern country on the eighth season of Fox’s “24.” More recently, he has played a counter-terrorism agent in the Indian remake of “24.”Priyanka Chopra becomes the first Bollywood star to headline an American TV series with ABC’s “Quantico,” a drama about a group of young FBI recruits who discover that one of them is suspected of masterminding the biggest attack on New York since 9/11.Kunal Nayyar, third from left, has played astrophysicist Raj on CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory” since its premiere in 2007. Nayyar grew up in New Delhi, India, before moving to the U.S. for college.Mindy Kaling created and starred in “The Mindy Project” for three seasons on Fox, which was later picked up by Hulu. Kaling, who previously appeared in “The Office,” is an actress, writer, and comedian from Cambridge, Massachusetts.Archie Panjabi plays a secretive private investigator on CBS’ “The Good Wife” and won a Primetime Emmy Award for her role in 2010.Dev Patel played a blogger on HBO’s “The Newsroom,” which concluded in 2014. He first gained recognition with his role in “Slumdog Millionaire.”Nimrat Kaur portrayed Tasneem Qureshi, a Pakistan intelligence officer, in season 4 of Showtime’s “Homeland.” She had prior experience as a model and theater actress in Mumbai.Aziz Ansari played the underachieving government employee Tom Haverford on all seven seasons of NBC’s “Parks and Recreation.” He grew up in South Carolina.Aasif Mandvi serves as a correspondent on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” and also appears in HBO’s “The Brink.” He grew up in England before moving to the U.S. in his teens.Kal Penn is best-known as half of the titular duo in the “Harold & Kumar” stoner comedies. The New Jersey native has also had recurring roles on “House” and “How I Met Your Mother.”
These remarkable actors continue to reshape the landscape of American television, bringing diversity and new narratives that resonate with audiences. Their work not only entertains but also paves the way for future generations of artists.
