Karan Soni, an Indian-American actor and comedian, gained immense popularity after voicing the Indian Spider-Man variant in Sony’s latest superhero masterpiece, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The animated feature broke many records at the box office on the first weekend and continues to do so. Its ability to transcend the genre by creating and leaving fans in awe of an expansive universe of superhero spiders is only one factor in its acclaim; with the introduction of the Spider-verse, Across the Spider-Verse also took advantage of the chance to shift its emphasis to diversity and multiculturalism.
Fans are introduced to Spider-Man(s) from across the world hailing from diverse backgrounds. One of the fan-favorite web-slingers is the long-haired and witty Indian Spiderman Pavitr Prabhakar (Karan Soni), who only makes a brief appearance, but takes over some of the most entertaining scenes in the movie. He hails from another dimension, and lives in Mumbattan (Mumbai + Manhattan), a city on Earth-50101. Karan Soni has voiced the character, and is getting due recognition for his talent. However, Soni first came to prominence for playing Dopinder in Deadpool films. Here are 10 of Soni’s best films and TV shows to catch more of the Indian Spider-Man’s talent.
10. Betas (2013-2014)
Created by Evan Endicott and Josh Stoddard, Betas starred Joe Dinicol and Karan Soni as dating app developers in Silicon Valley who are looking for an investor. Amazon offered the first three episodes of Betas for free on November 22, 2013, with each subsequent episode released weekly thereafter. Even though the show only lasted one season, it was well-received by critics and fans. Karan Soni played the character of Avinash “Nash” Dagavi in one of his early roles, and brought millennial humor and charm to his part.
9. Blunt Talk (2015-2016)
In Jonathan Ames’ American sitcom Blunt Talk, Karan Soni plays the part of Martin Bassi, a recurring character in season 2. He serves as the assistant and chauffeur to the protagonist Walter Blunt (played by Patrick Stewart). Through his character, Martin Bassi added a comedy aspect to the series, and his interactions with Walter Blunt generated several amusing moments. The comedy-drama series premiered on Starz on August 22, 2015, and was canceled after 2 seasons.
8. Deadpool film series (2016-present)
Karan Soni’s portrayal of Dopinder, a taxi driver who becomes caught in the mayhem of the titular anti-hero, Deadpool, has gained him a place in mainstream cinema. Starting with Deadpool in 2016, Soni was surprised to get a bigger role in Deadpool 2 and is now set to appear in Deadpool 3 in 2024. Throughout the movies, he supports Deadpool as a somewhat-hesitant ally, and moviegoers have praised his comedic timing. His chemistry and dynamics with Ryan Reynolds have made him a fan-favorite character in the Deadpool film franchise.
7. And Then There Was Eve (2017)
And Then There Was Eve is a 2017 drama film directed by Savannah Bloch, starring Tania Nolan, Rachel Crowl, Mary Holland, Karan Soni, and John Kassir. The film follows a successful photographer Alyssa (Nolan) falling in love again after her husband goes missing. Karan Soni plays the role of Zain in the film and stands out with his sincere acting. Though the film is not very popular, it’s worth a watch to catch Soni in a different role than his usual comedic flicks.
6. Miracle Workers (2019-present)
Miracle Workers stars an ensemble cast comprising Daniel Radcliffe, Steve Buscemi, Karan Soni, Geraldine Viswanathan, and Jon Bass in all four seasons. It is an anthology comedy television series created by Simon Rich for TBS. Karan Soni portrays Sanjay Prince, Lord Chris Vexler, The Gunslinger, and TI-90 /Tai, in Miracle Workers‘ four seasons, respectively. The ensemble cast has made the show a great success with positive reviews from both viewers and critics.
5. Office Uprising (2019)
On July 19, 2018, Sony Crackle hosted the world premiere of the Lin Oeding-directed horror comedy Office Uprising. It features Brenton Thwaites as Desmond Brimble, a corporate office employee for one of the top weapons manufacturers in the world in the main role. Karan Soni stars as his best friend Mourad, who, together with Desmond and Samantha (Jane Levy), must survive an office full of homicidal coworkers when an energy drink created by the military turns them into violent psychopaths. All three actors deliver enjoyable performances, but Soni particularly elevates the comedy in the film.
4. Corporate Animals (2019)
The 2019 film Corporate Animals is a black comedy directed by Patrick Brice, which follows a group of co-workers participating in a team-building exercise which goes wrong and forces them to survive a cave-in. As a member of the ensemble cast, Karan Soni plays the role of Freddie, one of the workers who has been left imprisoned in a cave following a terrible tragedy. He has a natural gift for comedy, and despite the lack of a well-written script, Soni provides humour to the group dynamics. The performances of the actors was well-received despite the clear lack of a compelling plot.
3. Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019)
Karan Soni has also appeared in the loose adaptation of the 2016 video game Pokémon Detective Pikachu. Ryan Reynolds stars as the voice and facial motion capture of Pikachu with Justice Smith as Tim Goodman, Pikachu’s partner and the only person capable of hearing him speak. Soni plays the role of Tim’s friend Jack, who is also a Pokémon trainer and encourages Tim to catch a Cubone. Though Soni’s role was not extensive, it’s amazing to see how he brings authenticity to his characters no matter how big or small the role is.
2. 7 Days (2021)
7 Days features Karan Soni opposite Geraldine Viswanathan as Ravi and Rita respectively, who meet through a dating app called Arranged, a website for America-based Indians. The film follows their unusual love story as they get trapped together for 7 days, set in a backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. Soni has also written the screenplay for the film alongside his boyfriend Roshan Sethi, who directed the film in his directorial debut. 7 Days was received positively by the critics who praised the chemistry between Ravi and Rita. Soni added a delectable warmth to the movie, and Viswanathan’s charm provided a counterbalance.
1. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
Karan Soni finally received the well-earned promotion from serving as a superhero’s driver, to becoming one. Soni provided the voice for Pavitr Prabhakar in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, who sticks out among the film’s abundance of spider appearances. As the most recent addition to Sony’s Spider-verse, he is the Indian Spider-Man and has garnered a great deal of adoration. Soni has previously provided the voices of numerous animated characters, including those from Trolls World Tour, Mira, Royal Detective, and Strange World. However, Across the Spider-Verse is finally giving due recognition to Soni’s skills on a larger scale.
