American actress Aarti Mann is best known for playing Priya Koothrappali in The Big Bang Theory. Aarti played Priya for 12 episodes during the course of the fourth and early fifth seasons.
She has continued to perform after her appearances on The Big Bang Theory, returning to the drama genre, which is her favorite. She has had guest appearances on Grey’s Anatomy, Leverage, Suits, Scandal, and NCIS: New Orleans.
Background Info
On March 3, 1978, Aarti Majumdar was born to Indian-American parents in Connecticut. She, along with her brother and sister, are her family’s first members to be born in the United States. Obstetrics and gynecology is her mother’s area of expertise as a physician. Her father was a doctor as well.
Her family relocated to Pittsburgh when she was a small girl, and her mother attended the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center before earning her degree. In the end, the family made Pittsburgh’s Point Breeze area their home.
Aarti, a Shady Side School alumnus, did not perform at all while she was a high school student, in contrast to many other budding actors. She was admitted to study film directing at New York University.
Aarti didn’t start acting in front of the camera until she was a college student. To try it out, she would persuade her acquaintances who were producing movies to offer her some tiny roles.
Acting Career
Aarti continued acting after she received her degree. In a Volvo automobile commercial, she played her first national role. Her first acting role was not until 2006, though. In the movie The Memsahib, she had a supporting part. The relationship between a westerner and an Indian changes in the 1850s and the 2000s in the film.
As a result, she was cast in a role on The Future Dead. Even though she only appeared in three episodes of the show, she had the opportunity to direct two of them because she served as the second unit director. Aarti appeared in an episode of the popular TV program Heroes in 2009.
Big Bang Theory
In 2010, Aarti was cast in the Emmy Award-winning television series Big Bang Theory as Priya Koothrappali. The two buddies agreed not to approach Priya when they first met her on the show, but Leonard ended up sleeping with her.
Priya can’t go home with a white man, therefore Leonard wants to go back to India with her. Priya returns to California and picks up their connection with Leonard during season four.
Aarti was initially a little uneasy because she had never performed comedy before. Johnny Galecki, who played Leonard, occasionally deviated from the script for chuckles, which didn’t help. Producers instructed Aarti to play it straight and without excess.
She frequently portrayed the straight woman in the comic combo. Fans didn’t like the character because of this and the conflict between Priya and Penny, Leonard’s ex-girlfriend on the show.
After 10 episodes in season four, Priya returned to India when Leonard revealed their connection to her parents, who disapproved. Throughout season five, Leonard and Priya attempted to maintain their relationship via Skype, but in the end, Leonard moved on and the show ended without Aarti.
Aarti stated she had a great time producing the show and had planned to come back before it was cancelled in 2019, but that was not to be.
Post Big Bang Theory
Aarti chose to return to her roots in drama after her starring role on The Big Bang Theory. She appeared in an episode of the television program Leverage in 2012.
Her journey to making cameos on well-known TV series over the following five years began with that. She appeared in episodes of Never Have I Ever, Scandal, NCIS: New Orleans, Grey’s Anatomy, and Suits.
She also retreated behind the camera at this point. She co-wrote and directed the short film Siempre in 2016. The short film Augury, which she also wrote and directed, is currently in post-production.
What is Aarti Mann doing now?
Aarti continues to appear in supporting roles in numerous television programs. Aarti portrayed the CIA in the debut episode of the TV show The Recruit in 2022. The Donor Party, a movie starring Aarti, will be released in 2023.
Also, she is returning to comedy. She will appear in an untitled production in late 2023 alongside Alec Baldwin and Kelsey Grammer.
Aarti and her husband Purvesh Mankad reside in Los Angeles. The chief financial officer at Cover Technologies is Purvesh. For her stage name, Aarti added an additional N to the initial portion of his last name.
Nikita is the name of the couple’s only child. Her younger brother Nishad is a journalist, while her older sister Kruti also works in the entertainment business. When she was a senior in high school, her father passed away.
