Indian American actors Kal Penn and Pooja Kumar star on the latest episode of the highly-rated crime series "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" on NBC.

The two award-winning actors played brother and sister on the new episode aired Tuesday. It follows the rape case of a college student and the involvement of a women's clinic.

The new episode, "Outsider," is notable since the South Asian heritage of the characters does not play a central role in the story.

Now in its eighth hit season, "Law & Order: SVU" features a group of detectives who investigate sex crimes in New York City and remains one of the network's top-rated programmes.

Kal Penn also features as a villain in Fox's Emmy-winning action series "24".

He plays a guy who is somehow involved with the Islamic guru running the neighbourhood mosque and might be the key to a terrorist plot.

First aired in November 2001, "24" covers the events of a 24-hour period in the life of federal agent Jack Bauer, played by Kiefer Sutherland, as he tries to prevent one or more domestic terrorist attacks, set largely in Los Angeles.

On March 9, his next feature film "The Namesake" from director Mira Nair will open in theatres in the United States. Later this month, Penn will reunite with co-star John Cho to begin filming the sequel to the 2004 cult comedy hit "Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle."

Actress Pooja Kumar follows her "Law & Order: SVU" episode with the lead role in the upcoming feature film "Hiding Divya" starring opposite Madhur Jaffrey which will screen at international film festivals later this year.

Kumar has won the Screen Actors Guild Emerging Actor Award and is a former Miss India USA.