Roger Narayan
Indian Kannada film actor
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Raj Narayan is an actor who works in predominantly Kannada and English-language films. He is known for playing the titular role in Hola Venky! and starring in U Turn (2016).
Career
Roger Narayan studied engineering at BITS Pilani before deciding to pursue his passion of becoming an actor. He subsequently learned acting in several institutions.[1][2] He changed his stage name from Raj to Roger so that he would not be cast in stereotypical Indian roles.[1] He started off as a child artist in Kannada films before played supporting roles in several English films and television shows before debuting as a lead actor with the quirky Indian English film Hola Venky! (2014), which was shot in India.[1][2] He garnered recognition for his role in the Kannada film U Turn (2016) as a sub-inspector of police.[1][3] He played the role of an iyengar in The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015) and starred in 417 Miles, another multilingual venture.[3] He starred in Humble Politician Nograj (2018) as a NRI politician.[4] In a review of the film, a critic noted that "Roger Narayan is a perfect fit as Arun Patil".[5] Roger Narayan made his debut as an antagonist in the Kannada film Chambal (2019).[6][7][8]
Partial filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Jeevana Chakra | Krishna | Kannada | Child actor |
| 1988 | Sangliyana | Kumar | ||
| 1993 | Aakasmika | Raja | ||
| 2010 | Keeping Up with the Guptas | Kumar | English | |
| 2011 | Happy Feet Two | Indian penguin | voice role | |
| 2012 | The Test | Marcus | ||
| 2014 | Hola Venky! | Venky | ||
| 2015 | The Man Who Knew Infinity | Iyengar | ||
| 2016 | U Turn | Nayak | Kannada | |
| 417 Miles | Srinivas | English | ||
| 2017 | Vismaya | N/a | Kannada | Lyricist for "Kaaki Shirt-Ina" |
| 2018 | Humble Politician Nograj | Arun Patil | ||
| 2019 | Chambal | |||
| Punyakoti | Kalinga | Sanskrit | voice role | |
| 2022 | DNA | Akash | Kannada | |
| 2023 | Diamond Cross | [9] | ||
| 2025 | The Devil | |||
Television
- All television shows are in English, unless otherwise noted.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | House | Pundit | Episode "Simple Explanation" |
| Better Off Ted | Jim | Episode "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" | |
| The Young and the Restless | Novich | 3 episodes (season 1) | |
| 2010 | Miami Medical | Mukesh | Episodes "Pilot" and "88 Seconds" of season 1[a] |
| How I Met Your Mother | Babaka | Episode "Blitzgiving" | |
| Victorious | Dr. Bornstein | Episode "Rex Dies" | |
| 2012 | Weeds | Bandhi | 2 episodes |
| Incredible Crew | Mr. Narayan | Episode "Pancake Genie" | |
| 2014 | NCIS: Los Angeles | Roger Ali | Episode "Allegiance" |
| 2015 | The Leftovers | Bhagat | Episode "A Matter of Geography" |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Outcome | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 64th Filmfare Awards South | Best Supporting Actor | U Turn | Nominated | [10] |
| 2018 | 6th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Debut Actor | Nominated | [11] | |
| 2019 | 8th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Actor In A Supporting Role | Humble Politician Nograj | Nominated | [12] |
Notes
- While his role in the episode "Pilot" is credited, his role in the episode "88 Seconds" is not credited.