Karan Brar

Karan Brar was born on January 18, 1999 in Redmond, Washington, to parents of Punjabi ancestry. He grew up in the nearby city of Bothell where he attended Cedar Wood Elementary School and later honed his craft at the John Robert Powers and Patti Kalles acting workshops. From a young age Brar displayed a natural affinity for performance, and at just eleven years old he landed his breakout role as Chirag Gupta in the 2010 comedy film Diary of a Wimpy Kid. This early success introduced him to a national audience and demonstrated his ability to blend a genuine American sensibility with a carefully coached Indian accent, a skill he refined with the help of a dialect coach. Following his debut, Brar reprised the Chirag character in Rodrick Rules (2011) and Dog Days (2012), solidifying his place within the popular franchise. In 2011 he was cast as Ravi Ross, an Indian adoptee, on Disney Channel’s Jessie, a role originally conceived for a South‑American boy but reimagined after executives were impressed by Brar’s audition. The series ran until 2015, after which he continued to portray Ravi in the spin‑off Bunk’d. His film work expanded to include the Disney Channel movie Invisible Sister (2015) and a supporting part in the sci‑fi blockbuster Pacific Rim Uprising (2018). Beyond acting, Brar has appeared in commercials for Shell Gasoline, the Seeds of Compassion campaign, and has voiced characters in video games and podcasts. In his personal life, he lived with his parents and sister before moving in with fellow actors Cameron Boyce and Sophie Reynolds in 2019. In a candid November 2023 Teen Vogue essay, Brar opened up about his struggles with PTSD, major depressive disorder, and his bisexual identity, further highlighting his willingness to use his platform for advocacy.