Kumar Pallana

2021-08-18T11:43:20Z

98.32.231.161:

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2016}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Kumar Pallana
| image = Kumar Pallana.jpg
| caption = Kumar Pallana in 2006
| birthname = Kumar Valavhadas Pallana
| birth_date = {{birth date|1918|12|23|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Indore]], [[Indore State]], [[Central India Agency]], [[British Raj|British India]]<br>(present-day [[Madhya Pradesh]], [[India]])
| death_date = {{death date and age|2013|10|10|1918|12|23|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Oakland, California]], U.S.
| occupation = Actor, comedian, vaudevillian
| years_active = 1952–2013
}}

'''Kumar Valavhadas Pallana''' (23 December 1918 – 10 October 2013) was an [[Indian American]] [[character actor]], [[comedian]] and [[vaudeville|vaudevillian]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Modell|first=Josh|url=http://www.avclub.com/articles/rip-kumar-pallana-star-of-several-wes-anderson-mov,104109|title=R.I.P. Kumar Pallana, star of several Wes Anderson movies|publisher=The A.V. Club|access-date=11 October 2013}}</ref> He performed on the [[Mickey Mouse Club]] as a [[plate spinning|plate spinner]] and [[juggling|juggler]].<ref>[http://www.originalmmc.com/circusacts.html Profile at OriginalMMC.com]</ref>

==Biography==

Kumar Pallana was born in [[Indore]], then in [[British Raj|British India]], the third of nine children of a prosperous automobile dealer. He dreamed of a performing career as a boy, although his parents discouraged this in favor of more "respectable" pursuits. In 1931, his older brother, who was active in the [[Indian independence movement]], was arrested by the British and imprisoned for several years. The British authorities seized his family home and the family's economic situation drastically worsened. He left school at age 13 and left home for [[Mumbai|Bombay]] to pursue his dream of being a [[Bollywood]] star. He had presumed he could become an actor simply by walking through the studio gates, but was repeatedly turned away because of his age. He then moved to [[Kolkata|Calcutta]] where he trained as an acrobat, and was an itinerant performer for the next few years, traveling India by foot and bicycle. After his older brother's release from prison, Pallana joined him in Africa, performing across the continent. Pallana moved to the United States in 1946 and spent 20 years performing around the country before settling down in [[Texas]] at his wife's insistence. He subsequently started a yoga studio.<ref name=nytobit>{{cite web|last=Fox|first=Margalit|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/16/movies/kumar-pallana-94-dies-went-from-yoga-to-film.html|title=Kumar Pallana, Who Went From Yoga to Film, Dies at 94|work=The New York Times|access-date=30 August 2016}}</ref>

Pallana was married to Ranjana Jethwa and had two children, son Dipak and daughter Sandhya. His son Dipak created, owned and operated a cafe called the Cosmic Cup (now [https://www.dallasobserver.com/restaurants/the-story-of-cosmic-cafe-a-vegetarian-dallas-institution-9962364 Cosmic Cafe]) in [[Dallas]], where Kumar met director [[Wes Anderson]] and actor [[Owen Wilson]]. Anderson subsequently cast Pallana in his films ''[[Bottle Rocket]]'', ''[[Rushmore (film)|Rushmore]]'', ''[[The Royal Tenenbaums]]'' and ''[[The Darjeeling Limited]]''. Pallana also appeared in the Bollywood movie ''[[Anjaana Anjaani ]]'' (2010) and the acclaimed independent film ''[[Another Earth]]'' (2011). A short documentary, ''KUMAR:MKE'', about Pallana's connection to the [[Milwaukee]] film scene, was released in 2015.<ref name=kumarmke>{{cite web|last=Wild|first=Matt|url=http://milwaukeerecord.com/film/watch-a-short-film-about-wes-anderson-actor-kumar-pallana-and-his-short-time-in-milwaukee/|title=Watch a short film about Kumar Pallana and his unlikely ties to the Milwaukee film scene|publisher=The Milwaukee Record|access-date=30 August 2016}}</ref>

Pallana died on 10 October 2013 at his home in California at age 94.<ref name=nytobit/>

Pallana's daughter Sandhya Pallana worked with him on ''[[The Terminal]]'' and other productions. His son Dipak, also an actor, appeared in films such as ''[[Bottle Rocket]]'', ''[[Rushmore (film)|Rushmore]]'' and ''[[The Royal Tenenbaums]]''.<ref name=nytobit />

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;"
| Year || Title || Role || Notes
|-
| 1952 || ''[[Viva Zapata!]]'' || Soldier || Uncredited
|-
| 1996 || ''[[Bottle Rocket]]'' || Kumar ||
|-
| 1998 || ''[[Rushmore (film)|Rushmore]]'' || Mr. Littlejeans ||
|-
| 2001 || ''[[The Royal Tenenbaums]]'' || Pagoda ||
|-
| 2002 || ''[[Bomb the System]]'' || Kumar Baba ||
|-
| 2003 || ''[[Duplex (film)|Duplex]]'' || Indian Restaurant Owner ||
|-
| 2004 || ''[[The Terminal]]'' || Gupta Rajan ||
|-
| 2005 || ''[[Romance & Cigarettes]]'' || Da Da Kumar ||
|-
| 2006 || ''The Gold Bracelet'' || Dhinubhai ||
|-
| 2006 || ''[[RevoLOUtion]]'' || Kumar ||
|-
| 2006 || ''[[10 Items or Less (film)|10 Items or Less]]'' || Lee ||
|-
| 2007 || ''[[The Darjeeling Limited]]''|| Old man on train ||
|-
| 2009 || ''[[Karma Aur Holi]]'' || DJ Rav ||
|-
| 2009 || ''[[Today's Special (film)|Today's Special]]'' || Shah ||
|-
| 2010 || ''[[Anjaana Anjaani]]'' || Coast guard ||
|-
| 2011 || ''[[Another Earth]]'' || Purdeep ||
|-
| 2011 || ''Hollywood Whores'' || Magic Man ||
|-
| 2011 || ''[[Campus Radio (film)|Campus Radio]]'' || Yogi ||
|-
| 2012 || ''Heavy Hands'' || The Clerk ||
|-
| 2014 || ''[[Hamlet A.D.D.]]'' || Kumar || Posthumous
|-
| 2019 || ''Black Licorice'' || Kumar || Posthumous;<br>Final film role
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*{{IMDb name|657785}}
*[http://www.believermag.com/issues/200303/?read=interview_pallana Kumar Pallana interview]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pallana, Kumar}}
[[Category:1918 births]]
[[Category:2013 deaths]]
[[Category:Male actors from Indore]]
[[Category:Indian male film actors]]
[[Category:Vaudeville performers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian male actors]]
[[Category:Indian male comedians]]
[[Category:Indian male stage actors]]
[[Category:Male actors in Hindi cinema]]

{{India-film-actor-stub}}

IndianPedia - User contributions [en]

Kumar Pallana