# Karan Brar
**Karan Brar** (born 1999) is an American actor best known for playing Chirag Gupta in the *Diary of a Wimpy Kid* film series and Ravi Ross on the [Disney Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-channel) sitcom *[Jessie](https://www.edgepedia.org/jessie-2011-tv-series)* and its spin-off *Bunk'd*. His role as Ravi made him the Disney Channel's first series-regular Indian character.[1](https://abhaydandekar.transistor.fm/162)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1999, Redmond, Washington, United States[2](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/karan-brar.html) |
| Breakout film role | Chirag Gupta in *Diary of a Wimpy Kid* (2010), reprised in *Rodrick Rules* and *Dog Days*[3](https://bi.org/en/famous/karan-brar/) |
| Signature TV role | Ravi Ross on *Jessie* (2011–2015, 98 episodes) and the spin-off *Bunk'd*[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3557613/) |
| Awards | Young Artist Award three years in a row, for *Diary of a Wimpy Kid*, *Jessie*, and *Dog Days*[2](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/karan-brar.html) |
| Voice work | Mason in *Mr. Peabody & Sherman*; Prince Zandar in *Sofia the First*; roles in *Mira, Royal Detective*, *Animaniacs*, and a 2023 episode of *Family Guy*[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3557613/) • [3](https://bi.org/en/famous/karan-brar/) |
| Personal life | Came out as bisexual in December 2023; in a relationship with actor Josie Totah since 2025[2](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/karan-brar.html) • [5](https://los40.com/2025/01/13/de-conocerse-en-jessie-de-disney-channel-a-ser-pareja-real-josie-totah-y-karan-brar/) |
## Early life and start in acting
Brar grew up in the Seattle area, in [Redmond, Washington](https://www.edgepedia.org/redmond-washington), in a Punjabi family; he was raised bilingual, speaking English and Punjabi.[2](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/karan-brar.html) • [6](https://www.bsckids.com/2013/04/jessies-karan-brar-talks-working-on-set-and-diary-of-a-wimpy-kid-exclusive-interview/) Sports dominated his elementary-school social scene, and after failing to find one he was good at, his father suggested he visit a local theater. "One day, I went in, took a class, and really started falling in love with it," he told YSBnow in 2016.[7](https://www.ysbnow.com/exclusive-cover-story-karan-brar/) He studied acting at Cedar Wood Elementary School with John Robert Powers and Patti Kalles, and trained with a dialect coach to develop the Indian accent he used in his first film role.[2](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/karan-brar.html)
## Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Jessie
**Film debut.** At age 11, Brar was cast as Chirag Gupta in the 2010 film adaptation of [Jeff Kinney](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeff-kinney)'s novel *Diary of a Wimpy Kid*, and he reprised the role in the two sequels, *Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules* and *Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days*.[3](https://bi.org/en/famous/karan-brar/) On the set of the sequel, fellow cast member Peyton List referred him to a manager and agency in Los Angeles, and the agents told him about a new Disney Channel series, *Jessie*. He auditioned for the role of Luke, received four or five callbacks, and was instead booked as Ravi, a character written for him after the fact. "I got a call a week later saying, 'You booked the role of Ravi,' and Ravi was created," he recalled.[7](https://www.ysbnow.com/exclusive-cover-story-karan-brar/)
**Ravi Ross.** *Jessie* ran from 2011 to 2015, with Brar appearing in 98 episodes as one of the adopted children of the wealthy Ross family, opposite [Debby Ryan](https://www.edgepedia.org/debby-ryan), Peyton List, Cameron Boyce, and [Skai Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/skai-jackson).[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3557613/) • [6](https://www.bsckids.com/2013/04/jessies-karan-brar-talks-working-on-set-and-diary-of-a-wimpy-kid-exclusive-interview/) His character was a new immigrant to the United States adjusting to his surroundings while holding onto his Indian culture, complete with a pet lizard, Mrs. Kipling.[6](https://www.bsckids.com/2013/04/jessies-karan-brar-talks-working-on-set-and-diary-of-a-wimpy-kid-exclusive-interview/) Brar, whose family is originally from [Punjab, India](https://www.edgepedia.org/punjab-india), described the part as the first series-regular Indian character on the Disney Channel and said he understood its cultural significance.[6](https://www.bsckids.com/2013/04/jessies-karan-brar-talks-working-on-set-and-diary-of-a-wimpy-kid-exclusive-interview/) The accent he used for the role was performed; in interviews and bloopers he speaks with an American accent, and fans have often been surprised to hear his natural voice.[8](https://younghollywood.com/videos/yhstudio/2016/karan-brar-plays-musical-accents.html) He continued as Ravi in the spin-off *Bunk'd* and also directed one episode of that series.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3557613/) • [9](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/karan-brar/credits/3030126182/)
## Film, television, and voice work after Disney
Brar's 2018 projects marked a move beyond his Disney roles: he played Cadet Suresh in [Legendary Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/legendary-entertainment) and [Universal Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/universal-pictures)' *Pacific Rim: Uprising*, a physically demanding, stunt-heavy part for which he trained with a personal trainer for months before and during shooting, and he appeared in the YouTube Red teen dramedy *Youth & Consequences*.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3557613/) In 2020 he played Kevin Singh in the Disney+ film *Stargirl*, appeared in [Adam Sandler](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-sandler)'s *Hubie Halloween* for Netflix, and was in *The F**k-It List*.[3](https://bi.org/en/famous/karan-brar/) • [10](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/stargirlproductionnotes_fe0f24d1.pdf)
His voice-acting credits include Mason in *Mr. Peabody & Sherman*, Prince Zandar in *Sofia the First*, and roles in *[Mira, Royal Detective](https://www.edgepedia.org/mira-royal-detective)*, *[Cleopatra in Space](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleopatra-in-space)*, *Animaniacs*, *Solar Opposites*, *Hailey's On It!*, and a 2023 episode of *Family Guy*.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3557613/) • [3](https://bi.org/en/famous/karan-brar/) He has also appeared on stage; in the 2024–25 season he played Maneesh at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., in his theater debut in the play *Data*.[11](https://www.arenastage.org/globalassets/tickets/202425-season/03-data/fy25-data-program-book-web.pdf)
## Personal life and advocacy
Brar came out as bisexual in December 2023.[2](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/karan-brar.html) In a *Teen Vogue* essay published November 30, 2023, he wrote about the gap between his public and private personas, his grief after the 2019 death of his best friend and *Jessie* co-star [Cameron Boyce](https://www.edgepedia.org/cameron-boyce), and a period of heavy drinking that ended in a severe breakdown. After experiencing suicidal thoughts, he admitted himself to an inpatient treatment center, where he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder; he wrote that his depression had since been in remission.[12](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/karan-brar-how-i-found-myself) He discussed the same experiences, including depression, anxiety, and grief, on the Man Enough Podcast in 2021.[13](https://podcasts.apple.com/gr/podcast/karan-brar-becoming-someone-i-love/id1571480224?i=1000540352998)
He serves on the advisory board of the Cameron Boyce Foundation.[1](https://abhaydandekar.transistor.fm/162) His other philanthropic work includes serving as a celebrity ambassador for the Thirst Project, a youth water organization, and he has spoken about wanting to reduce stigma around mental illness.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3557613/) In January 2025, he and actor [Josie Totah](https://www.edgepedia.org/josie-totah), who had a recurring role on *Jessie* as Stuart Wooten, confirmed their relationship in a TikTok video; the two had met as children during the show's first season.[5](https://los40.com/2025/01/13/de-conocerse-en-jessie-de-disney-channel-a-ser-pareja-real-josie-totah-y-karan-brar/)
## References
1. [Trust Me I Know What I'm Doing, episode 162: Karan Brar (Abhay Dandekar, May 23, 2023)](https://abhaydandekar.transistor.fm/162)
2. [Karan Brar – Age, Bio, Family, Famous Birthdays](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/karan-brar.html)
3. [Karan Brar, Bi.org](https://bi.org/en/famous/karan-brar/)
4. [Karan Brar, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3557613/)
5. [De conocerse en 'Jessie' a ser pareja real: Josie Totah y Karan Brar, LOS40 (January 13, 2025)](https://los40.com/2025/01/13/de-conocerse-en-jessie-de-disney-channel-a-ser-pareja-real-josie-totah-y-karan-brar/)
6. [Jessie's Karan Brar Talks Working on Set and Diary of a Wimpy Kid – Exclusive Interview, BSCkids (April 10, 2013)](https://www.bsckids.com/2013/04/jessies-karan-brar-talks-working-on-set-and-diary-of-a-wimpy-kid-exclusive-interview/)
7. [Exclusive Cover Story: Karan Brar, YSBnow (April 17, 2016)](https://www.ysbnow.com/exclusive-cover-story-karan-brar/)
8. [Karan Brar Plays Musical Accents, Young Hollywood (2016)](https://younghollywood.com/videos/yhstudio/2016/karan-brar-plays-musical-accents.html)
9. [Karan Brar List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/karan-brar/credits/3030126182/)
10. [Stargirl production notes, Disney (2020)](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/stargirlproductionnotes_fe0f24d1.pdf)
11. [Arena Stage 2024–25 season program book](https://www.arenastage.org/globalassets/tickets/202425-season/03-data/fy25-data-program-book-web.pdf)
12. [Karan Brar: How I Found Myself, Teen Vogue (November 30, 2023)](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/karan-brar-how-i-found-myself)
13. [Karan Brar: Becoming Someone I Love, The Man Enough Podcast (November 1, 2021)](https://podcasts.apple.com/gr/podcast/karan-brar-becoming-someone-i-love/id1571480224?i=1000540352998)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Child and youth screen performers › Child performers born 1986 to 2000*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license