While The Big Bang Theory fans cheered for Leonard, Penny, Sheldon, and Amy, Raj stayed single, and never everyone was thrilled. But based on Kunal Nayyar, that ending was exactly the way it needed to be.
In Jessica Radloff’s The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive Insider Story Of The Epic Hit Series, Nayyar defended Raj’s lonely finale with some real heart. “I believed it was very astute that the one one that wanted love so badly realizes perhaps he needs to like himself first. It doesn’t have to come back through another person, and that’s a really lovely strategy to end a personality’s storyline,” he said (via Screenrant). Nayyar also identified Raj’s growth across the seasons, adding, “He grew a lot in those previous few seasons as a personality, and also you saw him turn into less and fewer depending on all of the things he thought he needed, which may be very beautiful.”
Raj’s journey felt bittersweet because, throughout The Big Bang Theory, he had all the time been the hopeless romantic. He dreamed of fairy-tale endings while battling shyness and insecurity. Yet when the ultimate curtain fell, he was alone, still searching. Fans felt the sting even harder knowing Sheldon, of all people, managed to search out lasting love.
Originally, things could have gone a really different way. CBS had plans for Raj to find yourself with Anu, a girl introduced through an arranged marriage storyline in season 12. Early ideas even included a giant Indian wedding. But after the writers sensed an absence of spark between Raj and Anu, they pulled the plug on the connection, and the marriage.
The choice left Raj hanging awkwardly while others got more polished endings. Penny and Leonard’s rushed pregnancy arc still stirred controversy, but at the very least it was an arc. Raj’s sudden return to singleness felt abrupt and, for a lot of, unfair.
The true tragedy was how little time The Big Bang Theory spent crafting a more satisfying path for Raj. Even without marrying Anu, he might have been given a budding romance, a small glimmer of hope that love was just across the corner. As an alternative, the show leaned on the concept Raj’s growth was enough – an concept that sounded beautiful on paper but felt thin in execution.
Still, Nayyar’s take offered a refreshing lens. It showed that Raj’s ending was less about loneliness and more about self-love. In a show filled with science, sarcasm, and slapstick, it was a rare moment of emotional maturity. Raj didn’t need a partner to feel complete. He just needed to comprehend he was already enough.
While The Big Bang Theory can have fumbled Raj’s final arc, Kunal Nayyar’s defense gave fans a softer landing. In a world where every sitcom tie-up demands a fairytale, Raj’s ending reminded everyone that sometimes, loving yourself is the best love story of all.
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