What is the name, background and ethnicity of the actress who plays Raj’s sister Priya on “The Big Bang Theory”? —Charles Dix, Stewartsville, Mo. Aarti Mann, 36, a first-generation Indian American, was born in Connecticut and raised in Pennsylvania, and plays Priya Koothrappali on “The Big Bang Theory.”. Of landing the role as Raj’s sister, she says, “It is like winning the opportunity to go to the acting Olympics.