Priya Koothrappalli got married in an obvious big fat Indian wedding ceremony. But where was everyone? Where was Raj?
‘The Big Bang Theory’ is over, but fans keep coming with new plot holes here and there; One such missing dots involves Raj Koothrappali‘s sister Priya. She was supposed to be unmarried. But in the latter part of ‘The Big Bang Theory’, she was declared married by her father. Indians are known to have big fat weddings and ‘The Big Bang Theory’ rests on stereotyping cultures. How could they miss this super important event on their show!
Highlights —
- Introducing the already introduced Priya Koothrappali
- When ‘The Big Bang Theory’ missed the big bang event!
- How could the most stereotypical show miss the great Indian wedding!
Introducing the already introduced Priya Koothrappali
Priya Koothrappali (played by Aarti Mann) joined the crew as Raj’s younger sister on the show. She was portrayed as one of the leading attorneys in India.
The boys of the big bang gang were already introduced to her before the series began. Leonard pinky swore not to hit on her on Raj’s warning. However, Leonard slept with Priya. He wanted to join her in India, but Priya knew that her parents would not accept a white guy as her boyfriend.
The audience met her for the first time in season 4 “The Irish Pub Formulation” episode, where she resumes her relationship with Leonard. They both spend the night together and Leonard again wants to take the relationship to another level. She refuses his proposal again stating that they have already talked about it before.
They try to sneak out so that no one sees them together. But, unfortunately, Sheldon catches them red-handed. Leonard asks Sheldon to keep this as a secret. But Sheldon, being Sheldon, concocted a crazy story involving an Irish barmaid. Leonard, confused by Sheldon’s story, confesses that he had sex with Priya. Raj, angry at first, gets relieved on hearing that his sister rejected him.

Later on in the episode “The Cohabitation Formulation”, she openly starts dating Leonard despite protest from Raj. Her demands increase in every episode, and in the end, she asks Leonard to break ties with Penny. He finds it difficult to tell Penny but she understands and agrees to keep distance.
Bernadette, Amy, and Penny gang up to vent about Priya’s controlling behaviour. Even though Penny hated Priya, she regarded Priya as Leonard’s most viable alternative girlfriend. However, jealous Penny, along with Amy and Bernadette collectively called her a bitch.
Leonard eventually opens up to Priya’s parents about their relationship, making them upset. Despite her parents’ dissent, Priya continues the relationship with Leonard on Skype while she is in India, in season 5.
But, Leonard starts developing feelings for Alice (Sheldon’s assistant) and starts feeling guilty for betraying Priya. Sheldon tells him that the idea of morality is vague according to Nietzsche.
And Leonard finally chooses Alice over Priya. Later, Priya comes to know about Alice but forgives him, saying everyone makes mistakes. She reveals that she slept with her ex, making Leonard upset. He breaks up with her on phone and starts dating Penny later on.
When ‘The Big Bang Theory’ missed a big bang event!
Priya is not seen in the tenth season, however, she is mentioned twice. In the episode named “The Brain Bowl Incubation”, Raj mentions to a woman that his sister is a lawyer.
And then in “The Allowance Evaporation”, Raj’s father says that five of his six children are married and self-sufficient, which basically means that Priya is happily married. The episode passes on this information without attributing any significance to it.
Her storyline was completely ignored by the writers, which could have potentially earned them another big bang blockbuster episode.
How could the most stereotypical show miss the great Indian wedding!
Did you ever see Priya Koothrappali getting married on ‘The Big Bang Theory’? Surely your answer is no. Everyone’s wondering where was Raj during all this? In fact, ‘The Big Bang Theory’ missed a potential blockbuster episode showcasing the big fat Indian wedding.
The show is known for stereotyping cultures. The way in which the writers portrayed Indians, it can be stated, without a doubt, that their knowledge of the culture was shallow. People in the West think that every Indian conducts a big fat wedding.
‘The Big Bang Theory’ is known for strengthening stereotypes and, as such, missed a great opportunity by not showing the Indian wedding on their show.
Her father’s statement in the tenth season makes us curious about who Priya married, and where was Raj in all this? Do you think the show missed a chance to show some more fun? Let us know what you feel about Priya Koothrappali in the comments box below.
