Anisha Nagarajan
{{short description|American actress and singer}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Evanston, Illinois, US{{Cite web|url = http://www.movieweb.com/news/ben-rappaport-and-anisha-nagarajan-talk-outsourced|title = Ben Rappaport and Anisha Nagarajan Talk 'Outsourced'|date = September 16, 2010|access-date = May 3, 2011|archive-date = September 29, 2012|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120929074842/http://www.movieweb.com/news/ben-rappaport-and-anisha-nagarajan-talk-outsourced|url-status = dead}}
| occupation = Actress
| years_active =
| spouse = Aalok Mehta (m. 2005)
| known_for = Bombay Dreams, Outsourced
}}
Anisha Nagarajan is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles in the Andrew Lloyd Webber theater musical, Bombay Dreams,Rawson, Christopher: "[https://www.newspapers.com/image/91030091/?terms=%22Anisha%20Nagarajan%22&match=1 A 'dream' duo: Two Pittsburgh actors star in musical about Bombay films]" and "'Bombay' Dreams' bubbles with energy." Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 4, 2004, p.B1 (subscription required).Cox. Gordon. "[https://www.newspapers.com/image/709596253/?terms=%22Anisha%20Nagarajan%22 A Bollywood of Bubblegum]." New York, New York: Newsday, April 30, 2004, p. B6 (subscription required). and as Madhuri on the 2010 NBC television series, Outsourced.{{cite news|first=Rob |last=Owen |title=Anisha Nagarajan, gets 'Outsourced' |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10265/1089242-67.stm|work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=September 22, 2010|accessdate=October 14, 2010}}
Early life
Nagarajan's parents are immigrants from India. Her mother, Geetha Nagarajan, is a former developmental specialist at Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic. Her father, Nandu Nagarajan, is a professor at the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh.
Anisha was born in Evanston, Illinois, and was raised in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, before moving with her family to the suburb of Fox Chapel. Anisha grew up performing piano under the tutelage of Natasha Snitkovsky. She performed at Carnegie Hall at the age of ten. She also studied Carnatic Classical music. When she was fifteen years old, Nagarajan spent a year at a boarding school in India, where she choreographed their production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.{{cite web |url=https://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/anisha-nagarajan/ |title=Anisha Nagarajan |publisher= Pittsburgh Magazine |first=Reese |last=Randall |date=March 8, 2011 |accessdate=July 15, 2020}}
She was also a member of the Fox Chapel Area High School choir.Ganster, Kathleen. "[https://www.newspapers.com/image/96427843/?terms=%22Anisha%20Nagarajan%22&match=1 Retiring choral director gets his own musical send-off]." Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 27, 2013, p. N-2 (subscription required). In 2001, Nagarajan was one of ten Pennsylvania students chosen to audition for the Multicultural National Honor Choir in San Antonio, Texas. She was a high school senior at the time."[https://www.newspapers.com/image/90860346/?terms=%22Anisha%20Nagarajan%22&match=1 Student News]." Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 8, 2001, p. 80 (subscription required).
She graduated from Fox Chapel Area High School in 2002, where she starred in musical productions alongside famous playwright and composer, Michael Mitnick. She studied acting at New York University (NYU) after high school at the Tisch School of Arts Drama department. She was cast as the female lead in the Broadway musical Bombay Dreams as Priya during her second year at NYU. She married 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 Rent in Ithaca, New York and The Wiz at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, California. In 2006, she performed in A.R. Rahman's "Bollywood Night" at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.Heckman, Don. "[https://www.newspapers.com/image/192562648/?terms=%22Anisha%20Nagarajan%22&match=1 It's Bollywood, no doubt about it]." Los Angeles, California: The Los Angeles Times, July 18, 2006, p. E2 (subscription required).
She returned to NYU and finished her {{When|date=October 2010}}bachelor's degree at New York University.
Nagarajan was cast as Madhuri, a shy, soft-spoken call center employee in the NBC series, Outsourced. She has also Guest starred on Grey's Anatomy, Code Black, Scandal and Ugly Betty. She created the role of Alice in Mira Nair's Musical adaptation of Monsoon Wedding premiering at Berkeley Repertory Theatre.
Nagarajan is currently performing in Stephen Sondheim's Company on Broadway{{cite web |url=https://www.theatermania.com/broadway/news/full-cast-announced-for-broadways-company_90677.html |title= Full Cast Announced for Broadway's Company, Starring Katrina Lenk and Patti LuPone |publisher= TheaterMania |first=David |last=Gordon |date=February 28, 2020 |accessdate=January 3, 2022}} in the ensemble and understudying for the characters of Joanne and Susan.{{cite web |url=https://www.playbill.com/person/anisha-nagarajan-vault-0000038433 |title= Anisha Nagarajan |publisher= Playbill |accessdate=January 3, 2022}}
Filmography
class="wikitable"
|+ !Year !Film !Role !Notes |
2004
|Bombay Dreams | | |
2006
| | |
2007
|The Trident |Arjun's wife |Short |
2009
| | |
2010
|Madhuri | |
2012
| | |
2013
|Rita |NoraN | |
2014
|Rita Chaudhury | |
2015
|Cynthia | |
2016
|Serana | |
2019
|Dr. Fatima Jha | |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|id=2698490|name=Anisha Nagarajan}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Nagarajan, Anisha}}
Category:American stage actresses
Category:American television actresses
Category:Actresses from Pittsburgh
Category:American actresses of Indian descent
Category:People from Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania