Suraj Sharma

Suraj Sharma was born and raised in New Delhi, India. His father, Gokul Churai, is a software engineer and a professional chess player, while his mother, Shailaja Sharma, is an economist. With no prior acting experience, Sharma was selected for the lead role of Pi in Ang Lee’s 2012 film “Life of Pi.” He attended the audition at the request of his younger brother and was chosen from approximately 3,000 hopefuls due to his expressive eyes and innocent demeanor. Following the film’s success, which received four Academy Awards, Sharma’s performance earned him critical acclaim, including a BAFTA Rising Star Award nomination and wins for a Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Youth in Film, an MTV Movie Award, and a Saturn Award. After “Life of Pi,” Sharma initially returned to St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University, to study philosophy.

Sharma later pursued a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, indicating his commitment to a career in filmmaking. In 2014, he returned to acting with a role as Rinku Singh in the sports biopic “Million Dollar Arm” and took on a recurring role as Aayan Ibrahim in season 4 of the Showtime series “Homeland.” His career has since broadened to include both Hollywood and Indian productions. He co-starred in the Indian comedy-drama “Umrika,” which premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, and appeared in the Mongolian-American adventure film “Burn Your Maps” in 2016. Sharma made his Bollywood debut in 2017 with “Phillauri,” followed by roles in “The Hungry” and the short film “The Lost.”

From 2018 to 2020, Sharma took on a series regular role as Rakesh Singh in the CBS comedy-drama “God Friended Me.” He also appeared in the American science fiction black comedy “Happy Death Day 2U” in 2019 and the drama film “The Illegal.” More recently, he joined the main cast of the “How I Met Your Mother” spin-off series, “How I Met Your Father,” which premiered in 2022. He also lent his voice to animated series such as “Pantheon” and “Star Wars: Visions.” His journey reflects a dedicated progression from a breakthrough debut to a diverse and sustained acting career across various platforms and genres.