How It Feels Joining The Big Bang Theory's Cast For The Final Season, According To Rati Gupta
Fans of The Big Bang Theory know that Raj has had a long, long (loooong) road to love on the hit sitcom, but Season 12 has seen lovelorn Raj finally get close to a woman, Anu, who might lead to his happily ever after. Actress Rati Gupta, who plays Anu, spoke to CinemaBlend's own Nick Venable about joining the comedy for the last season, and when asked if it was more comforting or discouraging to land the most popular TV comedy knowing it was just for the final season, revealed that her casting has come with some mixed feelings.
From the outside looking in on the situation, it would be easy to assume that getting cast on television's most popular comedy would be all upsides, but Rati Gupta made it clear that there are actually two sides to getting such a gig. To start, though, she's clearly glad to be a part of The Big Bang Theory and be able to come in to a well-established show, bring something new and fun to the table and make an impact that couldn't possibly get old in her one season on screen. As Gupta noted, a lot of the pressure is off of her shoulders in trying to help show Anu grow or keep her interesting and a character that fans can look forward to for several seasons. But...
As Rati Gupta explained, if you get your hands on a character you love and love playing on a popular show, it would kinda suck to only be able to live in that world for one season. Just like she doesn't have the pressure of trying to keep Anu intriguing season after season, she also doesn't get to grow with her and explore different sides of her personality the way her new co-stars have with their characters over the past 11 plus seasons. Even with this sort of minor downside to landing her part on The Big Bang Theory, it's clear from watching her on the show that Gupta enjoys playing Anu. Plus, it doesn't hurt that she isn't kidding when she says that she's got a cool character on her hands.
Gupta debuted in Episode 3 of this season and immediately made an impression. Raj has dated a (small) variety of awkward weirdos over the seasons, which made quite a bit of sense seeing as how he's certainly a bit of an awkward weirdo himself. But it's been clear for some time that he needs someone very different to help round out his life.
That someone seems like it could really be Anu; she's way more confident then Raj's typical woman (and Raj, for that matter), open, opinionated, independent, ambitious and fun, but still down to Earth enough to deal with Raj's quirks and the shenanigans that he usually gets into with his friends.
Also, we can't discount the fact that the well-connected hotel concierge got fed up with dating at the same time as Raj and allowed her parents to set up their (now postponed) arranged marriage. Otherwise, these two never would have met.
So, how does Gupta feel about bringing another memorable character to The Big Bang Theory? Here's what she had to say:
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But, Rati Gupta has earned the attention she's getting as Anu, and we've seen that she can hold her own against the entire cast of characters. It was especially nice to see her character bonding with Bernadette and Penny in an episode and showing off the connections she's made through her job. And, we've seen her fit right in with the rest of the gang during events like a paintball excursion and Penny and Leonard's Halloween party, showing that Gupta and Anu were perfect additions. Speaking of the other ladies in the cast and their sure-minded characters, Gupta has thoughts on what Anu is adding to the party:
Truer words may have never been spoken. We all know how confident Penny, Amy and Bernadette are, even if it mostly only comes through in their jobs (Amy) or their personal lives (Penny), but they are all characters who stand up for themselves and what they want, and Anu has been shown as someone who does the same thing. When Raj tried to call off their arranged marriage, Anu actually flipped the traditional script by proposing to him (on one knee, no less) in the restaurant they were in. Later, when Raj got angry because he found out she still talked to an ex-boyfriend and told her to cut off communication, she refused and broke up with him. There's no stopping Anu from going after what she wants or doing what she believes is right for her, and it's hard not to love that.
So, while Rati Gupta is enjoying being able to bring a lot to the table as Anu, she's also excited about another aspect of her character:
It's exciting for fans of The Big Bang Theory, too! Keep in mind that Season 12 isn't over yet, and we've still got a few weeks to watch how the growing relationship between Rati Gupta's Anu and Raj will turn out. You can catch all their romantic ups and downs when the final season continues on CBS, Thursdays at 8 p.m. EST.
Covering The Witcher, Outlander, Virgin River, Sweet Magnolias and a slew of other streaming shows, Adrienne Jones is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend, and started in the fall of 2015. In addition to writing and editing stories on a variety of different topics, she also spends her work days trying to find new ways to write about the many romantic entanglements that fictional characters find themselves in on TV shows. She graduated from Mizzou with a degree in Photojournalism.