Karan Brar
Born in Redmond, Washington State, USA, on 18th January 1999 to Indian parents, Karan Brar is an American actor – the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” star was raised in Bothell, Washington alongside his older sister Sabreena and attended Cedar Wood Elementary School while studying acting at specialized workshops.
Acting
Karan’s acting career began in 2010, when he was cast as Chirag Gupta in “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”, the comedy feature film based on the Jeff Kinney books of the same name. As Karan speaks with an American accent, he had to work with a dialect coach and practice an Indian accent for the role. In the books, Chirag was a minor character and one of Greg’s schoolmates, characterized by his short stature.
Chirag was the butt of many pranks, such as when his classmates pretended that he was invisible and ignored his presence for days on end, or when they began speaking in whispers so he would think he was losing his hearing. However, his role was enhanced in the film series, as he was one of Greg and Rowley’s closest friends. Karan played Chirag in the first three films, however, the character was voiced by Veda Maharaj in the 2021 animated instalment of the franchise.
The third and last installment of the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” franchise that Karan appeared in premiered in August 2012. During that time, he also appeared in an advertising campaign announcing the Dalia Lama’s visit to Seattle, and did TV commercials for the Committee for Children, and Shell Gasoline.
In September 2011, Karan starred in the Disney Channel comedy series “Jessie”, playing 10-year-old Ravi Ross. In the show’s pre-production stages, Ravi’s character was originally intended to be a South American boy named Javier, however, the casting directors decided to recreate the role for Karan after being impressed by his audition.
Karan Brar aka Ravi (Jessie) pic.twitter.com/IGTNGmQpU0
— malaisante (@malaisante) April 17, 2019
Other stars of the show were Cameron Boyce, Peyton List, Skai Jackson and Kevin Chamberlin. The main character, Jessie Prescott, was a young woman with big dreams played by Debby Ryan. Rebelling against her authoritarian father, Jessie left the military base in Texas where she’d grown up and moved to New York City to work as a nanny for the uber-rich Ross family who lived in Manhattan’s Upper West Side. The heads of the family were Morgan and Christina, jet-setting professionals with four children named Emma, Luke, Ravi, and Zuri. The family pet was a seven-foot Asian water monitor lizard named Mr. Kipling that was later revealed to be a female. Despite their differences, Jessie developed an unbreakable bond with the children in her care, and other supporting characters such as Tony, the building’s young and attractive doorman, and Bertram, the lazy and sharp-tongued family butler.
Each of the Ross children had wildly different personalities. Emma, the oldest, was Morgan and Christina’s only biological child and somewhat self-centered with diva tendencies. She spent most of her time with Zuri and disliked Luke until the second season. Luke, who was born in Detroit, was a videogamer and breakdancer who considered himself a ladies’ man, whereas Zuri was quick-witted and talkative with plenty of stuffed animals and imaginary friends. Last but not least, Ravi – the newest addition to the Ross family – was quiet, intelligent, and well-mannered, thrilled with his new life in the US but always remembering his roots and homeland.
In February 2015, a spin-off named “Bunk’d” was announced by Disney Channe -. Karan reprised his role as Ravi Ross during the show’s first three reasons. In the same year, he played George in “Invisible Sister”, and appeared in episodes of “Teens Wanna Know” and “Pass the Plate”.
Some of Karan’s latest projects include doing voiceover work for “Family Guy”, playing Prince Veer in “Mira, Royal Detective”, and voicing Gozi in “Cleopatra”. With over five million Instagram followers, Karan’s photos all receive thousands of likes and comments, making social media another possible revenue stream for the actor.
Personal Life
Karan lived with his parents and sister in Los Angeles until 2019, when he moved in with Cameron Boyce and Sophie Reynolds. Cameron’s death in July 2019 rocked his friends and family to the core, and Karan was no exception; it took him almost two years to open up about his feelings in an interview, saying: “I think losing Cameron shifted everything in my life on its axis, and that was incredibly destabilizing.”
Cameron was just 20 years old when he was found unresponsive at home, and pronounced dead at the scene. The Boyce family later released a statement confirming that Cameron had died in his sleep of a seizure, “which was a result of an ongoing medical condition for which he was being treated”. Cameron’s body was cremated, with his ashes being returned to his family; following the actor’s untimely death, a non-profit organization named The Cameron Boyce Foundation was founded in Los Angeles. Karan is closely associated to the foundation and often promotes its works on his Instagram profile.
Regarding Karan’s dating life, the Disney star has reportedly been in a relationship with actress Sophie Reynolds since 2016, although some internet sources claim that the couple broke up in 2020. Sophie is known for playing Isabel McKenna in “L.A’s Finest”, and Ashley Parker in “Gamer’s Guide to Pretty Much Everything”; she and her family moved to Los Angeles from Portland, Oregon, when she was 15 years old.
Sophie started dancing at the age of three, training in jazz, ballet, contemporary, tap dance, and hip hop. She was encouraged to start acting by her dancing teachers and soon fell in love with the craft. As of 2023, she plays Ruby in the action comedy TV series “American Born Chinese”. Sophie was equally devastated by Cameron’s death, and is working alongside his foundation to find ways to eliminate Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP), and raise funds for epilepsy research.
In a 2021 interview, Sophie said: “I think Cameron really changed the focus of my life, and his foundation is an extension of that. When he was alive, he made me look at the world in a whole new way, and in his passing I look to keep what he taught me and continue it forward.”
As of mid-2023, Karan’s net worth is estimated at over $2 million.
