Talk:Kunal Nayyar

Nationality

He quite clearly states that he's Indian and not British in this interview - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwWZwBC_4bk

The article currently states that Nayyar is "an English comic actor of Indian origin". Yes, he was born in Britain, but an article [1] tells that he was raised in New Delhi, India (his family moved there when he was only five years old). So, wouldn't it be better to say that he is "an Indian comic actor born in England"? ,,n (talk) 00:19, 28 November 2009 (UTC)

I wouldn't worry yourself about this too much. Mr Nayyar is bound to have checked his own Wikipedia page at some point or other, he would be more than able to change the detail himself. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 188.222.149.102 (talk) 11:26, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

No he if he was born in England than he is English. But his nationality is Indian. I was born in the USA but grew up in Australia. I am an Australian of American origin. My family moved there when I was four. Very similar, but I am not Australian by any marker except I grew up there.

UK Nationality isn't by birth alone (whereas US and Cdn are) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 104.246.130.230 (talk) 16:36, 10 July 2020 (UTC) 99.48.255.4 (talk) 03:18, 25 September 2011 (UTC)Bea Bryant

That might be the dumbest thing I have ever read. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.236.226.27 (talk) 01:45, 21 October 2011 (UTC)

I suggest we leave his nationality out of the lede and just state that he is an actor. Does anyone have a source in which Nayyar states his nationality?Wkharrisjr (talk) 11:13, 1 May 2012 (UTC)

The IMDB article given in "External Links" names him an "Indian actor". Since he grew up in India and he is of indian descent I think it's fair to call him "Indian". Nxavar (talk) 12:37, 21 June 2012 (UTC)

"No he if he (sic) was born in England than he is English" makes no sense at all! English is an ethnicity not a nationality. If you are born in England you will most likely have British citizenship, but you do not become 'English' any more than a dog being born in a stable becomes a horse! It would appear that he is British, but ethnically Indian. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.145.139.130 (talk) 17:13, 23 September 2013 (UTC)

Nationality/ Ethnicity/ (Race) /Ancestry / Citizenship. I think the term that should be used here is Chtizenship. What is his citizenship? And he might also have dual citizenship. I would not be surprised if eventually he obtains American (USA citizenship). Having been in the USA for several years and working in the USA, that would become an option he may take. Yes, for the country you are born in you can have citizenship there, you might also have dual citizenship if you parents citizenship is of another country - and treaties/ laws allow this. Wfoj3 (talk) 15:44, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

Wikiproject London issue

Kunal Nayyar was born in London but left when he was four years old for India. On top of that he is obviously of Indian, not of English ancestry. These four years are not enough for connecting him to London's history/identity. Including this page to Wikiproject London is an exaggeration. Nxavar (talk) 23:24, 26 June 2012 (UTC)

I will never cease to be amazed by the need for wikipedians to get so het up on concepts of nationality and national identity! Why can't we replace the standard wikipedia "nationality" claims with three facts: 1) Where was the subject born 2) Where does the subject live now 3) What passports does the subject hold. This will stop the petty squabbling and people claiming "Kunal once spent 3 weeks in Madrid and therefore is part Spanish". Good grief. 80.6.35.235 (talk) 18:35, 20 July 2012 (UTC)

Best known for

Saying Nayyar is best known for her role on TBBT is perfectly fine, as she is most notable for that role. I'd like to seek some more input on this though. Calidum ^{Talk To Me} 04:17, 3 June 2014 (UTC)

Calidum, that he is "best known" or "most notable" for a particular role is an opinion and unsourced, and even if it is correct it really isn't appropriate for you to revert an edit that wasn't vandalism with just a default edit summary. The IP has a point, even if he/she is expressing it poorly. Nikkimaria (talk) 04:27, 3 June 2014 (UTC)

Didn't he show up on Sesame Street?

Didn't the guy show up on Sesame Street when Grover and him were talking about robots?They used his real name.. Navexelac (talk) 14:34, 29 July 2014 (UTC)

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"Youssef Zidan" listed at Redirects for discussion

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Semi-protected edit request on 19 May 2023

Change Kunal Nayyar's nationality from British to British-Indian 76.153.37.83 (talk) 20:14, 19 May 2023 (UTC)

 Not done: see MOS:NATIONALITY Cannolis (talk) 21:12, 19 May 2023 (UTC)

Add film to filmography

It is confirmed that Kunal Nayyar will be reprising his role as Guy Diamond in Trolls Band Together (2023). Thomasthedarkenguine (talk) 22:02, 13 August 2023 (UTC)

 Done Valereee (talk) 13:12, 23 August 2023 (UTC)

Nationality

I think the nationality in the should be changed. Why? MOS:CONTEXTBIO states that "we do not add ethnicity ("Jewish-American") or country of birth ("Russian-born American"). These details can be introduced in the second sentence if they are of defining importance." So, I propose a change to the lead section from "British-born Indian actor" to just "Indian actor". What do you think? RMXY (talk) 09:52, 19 October 2023 (UTC)

This comes up again and again (mostly in the form of undiscussed edits by drive-by editors; but see also three inconclusive discussions above). I tend to agree: "Indian actor" is fine, with his birth in the UK and career in the US mentioned at appropriate places further down the page.

I've looked at his memoir, and here are some more-or-less relevant quotes.

"I am Indian" (p. 36); "... my Indian brothers and sisters ..." (p. 37); "I am Indian" (p. 66); "... when we [Indians] were oppressed by the British ..." (p. 67); "Indians don't usually like cinnamon because we are not exposed to the scent much" (p. 78); "I am a Hindu" (p. 80); "I'm Indian" (p. 103); "they needed someone who was Indian and funny, so at the very least I had one out of two" (p. 159); "I'd had one scene on NCIS playing an Iranian terrorist with a crooked mustache. Indian. Iranian. We all look the same." (p. 179); "I was back home for Christmas in New Delhi" (p. 208).

And a couple of quotes re his British birthplace: "I was born in England and I could pull off a British accent pretty decently. (I don't have a British accent. I can just do one. All Indians can; we are taught the 'Queen's English' in school.)" (p. 86); and [re a later visit to the UK] "For the first time in years I went to a country where I actually had a valid passport. For once, I breezed through immigration." (p. 168).

I think it's pretty clear he self-identifies primarily as Indian. GrindtXX (talk) 20:38, 22 October 2023 (UTC)

I think it's pretty clear you can't self-identify your nationality. Quote: 'and [re a later visit to the UK] "For the first time in years I went to a country where I actually had a valid passport.' Fun fact: British passports are held by British nationals. 82.21.19.72 (talk) 20:52, 7 November 2023 (UTC)

Hi @GrindtXX and @RapMonstaXY - discussion back in the mid-2010s seemed inconclusive on whether or not he had British nationality as it is not typically obtained by bright like in the United States. Other discussions seemed to assume that he must be "Indian" because of his parents and where he grew up, but the fact of the matter is, as the IP user above pointed out, he has a British passport, unless either of you have reliable proof that he's renounced his British passport for an Indian one. AFAIK, Indian laws do not allow or recognize dual nationality. Furthermore, unless I'm mistaken, one must be a British citizen/national to hold a valid British passport.

Nayyar retains a British passport and will vote in the European Union referendum, although he claims not to have made up his mind which way.[2]

I was born here—in Hounslow [west London]—but we moved to New Delhi when I was three, so I’ve got British citizenship.[3]

As for his identity, he has also stated that he is a "world citizen" and expressed how he has been "in the middle" of not being Indian/British/American enough, even if he does identify with New Delhi/India. ", [4]:

‘I’m this world citizen stuck in the middle’, Nayyar adds, “I am not Indian enough to be Indian, not American enough to be American and not British enough to be British. It’s like being a child of nowhere. That said, my heart belongs to India. I’ll always be a Delhi boy.”

Adding on to his "world citizen" comment, he has property in and travels between the U.K, the U.S and India.[5] [Nayyar and Kaur's] newly finished home in Delhi stand apart from [their] other properties in London and Los Angeles.

Going by his passport and birth, I don't see what's wrong with calling him a "British actor", no more than the likes of Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt have agreed on consensuses to be called "British" actresses despite their notability and identification with India and Indian cinema. If not that, then I'm also fine with just omitting his opening sentence nationality altogether since it seems to be a recurring and contentious issue. Clear Looking Glass (talk) 05:11, 23 January 2024 (UTC)

I would support your concluding option, to omit this altogether from the lede sentence – which is how the article currently stands. Per British nationality law, "prior to 1983 [Nayyar was born 1981], all individuals born within the British Islands ... received British citizenship at birth regardless of the nationalities of their parents". We know he retains a British passport, so the evidence that he is technically a British citizen seems solid. However, he identifies as either Indian or (as you have shown) a "world citizen", and we should take those views into account. He would probably be eligible for Overseas Citizenship of India, but we have no evidence that he has ever applied for that. There's clearly no simple classification, and I think it's best to omit this from the lede, and to go into detail where appropriate in the body of the article. GrindtXX (talk) 15:07, 23 January 2024 (UTC)

He is british-indian. So write it now. 149.7.162.53 (talk) 07:55, 28 January 2024 (UTC)

Birthplace

On a separate issue to the above, in his autobiography and all interviews he claims to have been born in Hounslow, but in the article we say he was born in Hammersmith, citing FreeBMD. These two settlements are both in west London, but about 8 miles apart. The London Borough of Hounslow does have, at its eastern extremity, a very short border contiguous with the (former) Hammersmith Registration District, so it's possible that, for some reason, his parents were living in Hounslow, but he was actually born and registered in Hammersmith; but it seems equally possible that the Hammersmith registration entry is a misidentification, and refers to a different Kunal Nayyar. Do we have any additional evidence one way or the other? GrindtXX (talk) 15:21, 23 January 2024 (UTC)