Kunal Nayyar’s Raj Koothrappali Almost Had A Different Name

In many sitcoms, the main characters change a lot in the early stages as the show finds its feet, and “The Big Bang Theory” was no exception. Penny, for instance, was originally supposed to be a much meaner, more cynical character; in the un-aired pilot of the series, she wasn’t even named Penny at all. Likewise, Raj was a character it took a while for the writers to properly figure out. Not only did he change a decent amount on the show itself, but in the production of season 1, the writers changed his entire name and backstory. As reported in the 2022 book, “The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series,” Raj’s name was initially Dave. 

“Dave” was supposed to be “American-born to immigrant Indian parents,” but as co-creator Bill Prady recalled, “When Kunal [Nayyar] came in and we heard his accent, we said, ‘Let’s say that he’s Indian-born.'” They let the actor himself choose the character’s name, and Kunal went with Rajesh. 

“He picked his first name because India has a lot of regions and ethnic groups, and we wanted to make sure that the last name and first name went together,” Prady explained. “Koothrappali is a Southern Indian name, and so he picked ‘Rajesh.'”

The fact that the writers were so willing to change up major details of Raj’s life is fitting, because Raj very often feels like the least fleshed-out character in the main group. Sheldon, Leonard, and Penny are often considered the core of the series, the three characters who would fundamentally change the whole show’s dynamic if you were to remove any of them, but Raj (and Howard, to a lesser extent) aren’t quite as vital. It’s a common fan critique that Raj feels extraneous, and he often lacks the focus or character development that even late-addition characters like Amy Farrah Fowler got to enjoy. 

Raj is the only character who doesn’t find love by the finale, and looking back at his character arc over the whole series, there doesn’t seem to be as much of a coherent trajectory happening as there is with some of the other characters. Raj’s wardrobe may have many layers, but unfortunately, the character himself doesn’t.

Still, Raj was an important part of the show, and he did eventually get some character growth to work with. He’s originally introduced as being incapable of talking to women except when he’s drunk, but in the season 6 finale he grows past this selective mutism for good. A lot of his late-series development centers around him trying to figure out what he wants from life, which feels like a side effect of the writers themselves not quite knowing what the character wants, either. 

Then again, it’s clear the showrunners took an improvisational approach to all the main characters, not just poor Raj. “There are no steps planned at the moment,” producer Steve Molaro explained in a 2013 interview. “We do our best to let the characters take us where they want to go.”