Ajay Kapoor is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, played by Sachin Joab. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 13 July 2011. The actor was cast in the role following a successful audition. The part was initially going to last for about a month, but the producers liked him and the character. They then decided to create a family unit around Ajay and later introduced his wife Priya (Menik Gooneratne). Five months later it was announced that Joab and Gooneratne would be promoted to the regular cast in early 2012, while their on-screen daughter, Rani (Coco Cherian), would be introduced. The Kapoor's arrival marked the show's first family with Indian and Sri Lankan heritage and the first family to be introduced since 2010. Ajay departed on 12 July 2013.
Ajay was raised and educated in Erinsborough and became a lawyer. When he wanted to get involved in public service, he got a seat on the local council, which gave him an instant role with the community. Joab described Ajay as being "pretty positive" and stated that he does everything for his family. Ajay is married to Priya, the principal of the local high school. The couple had to get married when they were young because they were expecting their daughter. Both Priya and Ajay unintentionally put their careers before their marriage and Joab thought that they had forgotten about living in the moment. Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis) began a rivalry with Ajay shortly after his arrival. When Ajay rejected his offer to help with his re-election campaign, Paul started to look for ways to destroy and discredit him.
Casting Joab told DJ Nihal from the BBC Asian Network that his agent got him the audition for Neighbours. The actor had to ask his agent if he needed to put on an Indian or Arabic accent for the part, but was told to speak in his natural Australian accent. Joab stated that the audition for Ajay "just turned out to be like any other audition" and the part was initially going to last for about a month, but the producers really liked him. They later decided to introduce his wife, Priya (Menik Gooneratne), to create a family unit. Joab made his first screen appearance as Ajay during the episode broadcast on 13 July 2011.
On 7 December 2011, Daniel Kilkelly from Digital Spy reported that Joab and Gooneratne would be promoted to regular cast members in early 2012. He also revealed that Coco Cherian had joined the cast as Ajay and Priya's on-screen daughter Rani. The Kapoors became the first family to be introduced to Neighbours since the Williams' arrived in 2010. The show's then executive producer, Susan Bower, stated "I'm delighted by how the Kapoors have been introduced. Viewers already know them because of their role in the community and link with other characters, and their cultural background is secondary." Bower added that having a family of Indian and Sri Lankan heritage join the neighbourhood was very exciting.
Development
Characterisation Ajay is a family man, who was raised and educated in Erinsborough. He became "an ambitious lawyer" and had a successful career in finance, but he felt a "calling" to public service. A writer for Joab's official website stated that Ajay decided "a seat on the Erinsborough council was the right place to begin a career in the community which he always felt connected to." Ajay's job as a local councillor gave him an instant role and connection to other character within the neighbourhood. Joab said Ajay was usually "a pretty positive guy" and admitted that he does everything for his family, but he forgets about being with them. Joab branded Ajay "very family-orientated" said he would not stand by for "anything which strayed from the truth." The actor thought that despite Ajay's eclectic interests, the character was quite similar to himself. When asked how he was like his character, Joab told a Channel 5 website writer that while Ajay was the better drummer, they both love their families and know how important they are. The actor wanted Ajay to be remembered for his passion and the fact that he "always lived by the truth."
Marriage to Priya Kapoor Ajay "had" to marry Priya when they were both young because she was expecting their daughter, Rani. Gooneratne revealed "They had to be a family at an age when their peers were out having fun, then they were establishing their careers, now it's buying a house. There hasn't been a lot of down time." During an interview for Channel 5's Neighbours website, both Gooneratne and Joab agreed that Priya was the boss in the relationship as she makes all the difficult decisions. The actors also stated that the couple had "unintentionally" put their careers before their marriage, leading to cracks appearing. Joab commented that because they are busy with life, Ajay and Priya had forgotten about living in the moment. Gooneratne also stated "Priya is the one that keeps it together, and when Ajay makes decisions without her involvement, she doesn't like it."
In July 2012, Ajay purchases Number 24 Ramsay Street without consulting Priya. Joab told an Inside Soap writer that Ajay and Priya had been talking about settling down in Erinsborough for a while, but buying Number 24 was "a pretty spontaneous decision" and it was not "a wise move" for Ajay to buy a house without discussing it with his wife first. Ajay also upsets new neighbour Lucas Fitzgerald (Scott Major), who planned to buy the house. Joab explained "It was never his intention to upset Lucas - that's not Ajay's style. He sees it as an opportunity for his family to be part of the neighbourhood in which they already work." Joab added that Ajay has "a knack" of turning things around with Priya. Gooneratne later commented that Ajay and Priya had lost their way due to their lack of communication.
Ajay later notices that Priya is becoming stressed and assumes it is because her friend, Susan Kennedy (Jackie Woodburne), is demanding her support over various problems. Ajay asks Susan to give Priya some space, but Priya later opens up to him and reveals that she is unhappy in their marriage, causing him "immense hurt". Priya feels guilty about her revelation and attempts to make it up to Ajay, by throwing herself into the preparations for Diwali. Both Ajay and Rani are "thrilled" at Priya's participation and Ajay later decides to accept her apology.
Rivalry with Paul Robinson Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis) tries to form "an alliance" with Ajay, but his offer is rejected as Ajay is not sure what he stands to gain. Paul becomes angry with the rejection and starts looking for ways to destroy Ajay. When Paul learns that Ajay is backing a decision to merge the local police station with one in a nearby suburb, he becomes critical of the plan, believing it to be a bad idea for the community. When he learns that there is a house party nearby, Paul decides to use the event as a way to discredit Ajay. Dennis explained that Paul encourages "a load of random people" to gatecrash the party, so that it gets out of hand. He then pretends to call the police, which delays their response time and allows him to blame the merger of the two stations for the street being trashed. Dennis told an Inside Soap columnist "Paul wrote a story for the newspaper, blaming Ajay for the party getting out of hand - before anything happened on Ramsay Street." Susan Kennedy and Summer Hoyland (Jordy Lucas) discover what Paul has done and they ask him to print a retraction, but he refuses. Summer sees the damage that the situation is doing to Ajay's career and encourages Susan to reveal the truth. Paul later publishes "a hatchet article" about Ajay shortly before the local council election and Ajay "suffers a setback" when he loses his seat. When asked if he was enjoying having Ajay as Paul's new rival, he stated "Definitely - I enjoy it when Paul is toying with someone, and at the moment it's Ajay. It also provides some light relief because not all situations are high drama - Paul's pettiness can add a lot of humour to the story."
On 19 September 2012, it was revealed that Joab and Dennis had been filming a fight between their characters. A Channel 5 website writer commented that Ajay and Paul had had "a rocky relationship" since the lawyer moved into the neighbourhood, but it was the first time the men had come to blows. The actors refused to reveal who threw the first punch and why. Dennis commented "Ahh, you'll have to watch and see. However, I can say that any after-effects were applied by the make-up department, which we were both very pleased about. I think if Sachin punched me for real, I'd be back in a coma; he is a pretty fit guy!" The fight scenes between Ajay and Paul were broadcast three months later. Ajay's "world falls apart" when he learns Priya has had an affair with Paul. Joab commented "Ajay's emotions range between utter shock, heartbreak and temporary insanity." Ajay becomes furious after spotting Paul on the street and when he goes over to him, he takes an "almighty swing", leaving Paul with a black eye.
Departure On 12 March 2013, Seanna Cronin from The Toowoomba Chronicle reported that Joab would be leaving Neighbours. The actor departed the serial after his contract ended in May, so that he could pursue new projects. Joab filmed his final scenes as Ajay on 2 May. Executive producer Richard Jasek stated that the cast and crew would miss Joab and added "The Kapoors have been at the forefront of some memorable storylines, which is testament to Sachin's talent. Like all our characters, we hope there will be opportunities for Ajay to return to Ramsay Street." During an August interview with Digital Spy's Daniel Kilkelly, Joab revealed that the Kapoor family were written out and they were "dumbfounded by the decision", especially as they did not see it coming. Joab explained "It was more of a shock to us knowing that it wasn't just one multicultural actor who was being written out, it was every single multicultural full-time actor on the show – myself, Menik Gooneratne who played Priya, Coco-Jacinta Cherian who played Rani, and Alin Sumarwata who played Vanessa. All four of us were written out in the first year of our full-time contracts, which felt like a massive step backwards in terms of cultural diversity on the show."
Joab told Kilkelly that the producers told him the reason he was being written out was a lack of storyline ideas for his character and a small budget. The actor questioned how there could be a lack of storylines for a character who had lost his wife and was raising a teenage daughter and suggested some ideas to the producers. He commented "Once Priya left, we could have explored whether Ajay would find a new love interest and how Rani would react to that. It would have also been a great opportunity to perhaps explore an interracial relationship for Ajay, which is so relevant in Australia and elsewhere. I think there was lots of potential for new stories." Joab did not rule out a return to the show and said he would come back if he was asked by the current or future production team.
Ajay made his on-screen departure with his daughter, Rani, on 12 July 2013. They left Erinsborough to take care of a sick relative in India. Joab thought the exit was "so low-key" that when it was broadcast in Australia, some viewers believed that the characters would be coming back. The actor called Ajay and Rani's departures "disappointing", but thought Priya's exit was "a great way" to write out a character. Joab also had issues with his character returning to India, since it did not make sense when Ajay had been born and raised in Australia. He tried to get the writers to send Ajay to another part of Australia, but they rejected the idea. The actor added that the writers eventually accepted his idea of Ajay and Rani visit their grandmother in India and then leaving for the UK.
Storylines