Anisha Nagarajan
Encyclopedia
Anisha Nagarajan; is an American
actress and singer. She is best known for her roles in the Andrew Lloyd Webber
theater musical, Bombay Dreams
, and as Madhuri on the 2010 NBC
television series, Outsourced
.
, originally from the state of Tamil Nadu
. Her mother, Geetha Nagarajan, is a former developmental specialist at Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic. Her father, Nandu Nagarajan, is a professor
and academic at the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh
. She has one brother, Arjun.
Anisha Nagarajan was raised in the Squirrel Hill
neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
, before moving with her family to the suburb
of Fox Chapel. She spent a year at a boarding school
in India when she was 15 years old before graduating from Fox Chapel Area High School
in 2002. She enrolled at New York University
(NYU) after high school. She was cast in the Broadway musical Bombay Dreams
as Priya during her sophomore year at NYU. She married her husband, actor Aalok Mehta, who co-starred in the musical.
in Ithaca, New York
and the The Wiz
at the La Jolla Playhouse
in San Diego, California
. She is currently finishing her bachelor's degree
at New York University.
In 2010, Nagarajan was cast as Madhuri, a shy call center employee in the NBC series, Outsourced
. The role is her largest television credit to date. She had previously appeared in a guest role on the ABC television series, Ugly Betty
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress and singer. She is best known for her roles in the Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
theater musical, Bombay Dreams
Bombay Dreams
Bombay Dreams is a Bollywood-themed musical, with music by A. R. Rahman, lyrics by Don Black and the book by Meera Syal and Thomas Meehan,and produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The London production opened in 2002 and ran for two years...
, and as Madhuri on the 2010 NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television series, Outsourced
Outsourced (TV series)
Outsourced is an American television sitcom set in an Indian workplace. It was based on the John Jeffcoat film of the same name and adapted by Ken Kwapis and Universal Media Studios for NBC. The series originally ran from September 23, 2010 to May 12, 2011...
.
Early life
Nagarajan's parents are immigrants from IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, originally from the state of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
. Her mother, Geetha Nagarajan, is a former developmental specialist at Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic. Her father, Nandu Nagarajan, is a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
and academic at the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
. She has one brother, Arjun.
Anisha Nagarajan was raised in the Squirrel Hill
Squirrel Hill
Squirrel Hill is a residential neighborhood in the east end of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The city officially divides it into two neighborhoods, Squirrel Hill North and Squirrel Hill South, but it is almost universally treated as a single neighborhood...
neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, before moving with her family to the suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Fox Chapel. She spent a year at a boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
in India when she was 15 years old before graduating from Fox Chapel Area High School
Fox Chapel Area High School
Fox Chapel Area High School is a public school located in O'Hara Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA. It was recognized and honored with the title of "New American High School showcase site" in 1999 under the New American High Schools initiative.-Mission statement:-Accolades:In 2006...
in 2002. She enrolled at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
(NYU) after high school. She was cast in the Broadway musical Bombay Dreams
Bombay Dreams
Bombay Dreams is a Bollywood-themed musical, with music by A. R. Rahman, lyrics by Don Black and the book by Meera Syal and Thomas Meehan,and produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The London production opened in 2002 and ran for two years...
as Priya during her sophomore year at NYU. She married her husband, actor Aalok Mehta, who co-starred in the musical.
Career
Nagarajan appeared in a number of regional theater productions following Bombay Dreams, including the Hangar Theater production of RentRent (musical)
Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...
in Ithaca, New York
Ithaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
and the The Wiz
The Wiz
The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the context of African American culture. It opened on October 21, 1974 at the Morris A...
at the La Jolla Playhouse
La Jolla Playhouse
La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre-in-residence on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. -Background:...
in San Diego, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. She is currently finishing her bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
at New York University.
In 2010, Nagarajan was cast as Madhuri, a shy call center employee in the NBC series, Outsourced
Outsourced (TV series)
Outsourced is an American television sitcom set in an Indian workplace. It was based on the John Jeffcoat film of the same name and adapted by Ken Kwapis and Universal Media Studios for NBC. The series originally ran from September 23, 2010 to May 12, 2011...
. The role is her largest television credit to date. She had previously appeared in a guest role on the ABC television series, Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...
.