Kumar Pallana

Kumar Valavhadas Pallana (23 December 1918 – 10 October 2013) was an Indian character actor and vaudevillian.[1] He performed on the Mickey Mouse Club as a plate spinner and juggler.[2]

Kumar Pallana
Kumar Pallana in 2006
Born
Kumar Valavhadas Pallana

(1918-12-23)23 December 1918
Indore, Indore State, Central India Agency, British India
(present-day Madhya Pradesh, India)
Died10 October 2013(2013-10-10) (aged 94)
Oakland, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1952–2013

His son, Dipak Pallana, created, owned and operated a cafe called the Cosmic Cup (now Cosmic Cafe) in Kumar’s home town of Dallas, Texas, where Kumar met director Wes Anderson and actor Owen Wilson. Anderson subsequently cast Pallana in his films Bottle Rocket, 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.[3]

Pallana died on 10 October 2013 at his home in California at age 94.[4]

Family

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 and The Royal Tenenbaums.[4]

Filmography
YearTitleRoleNotes
1952Viva Zapata!SoldierUncredited
1996Bottle RocketKumar
1998RushmoreMr. Littlejeans
2001The Royal TenenbaumsPagoda
2002Bomb the SystemKumar Baba
2003DuplexIndian Restaurant Owner
2004The TerminalGupta Rajan
2005Romance & CigarettesDa Da Kumar
2006The Gold BraceletDhinubhai
2006RevoLOUtionKumar
200610 Items or LessLee
2007The Darjeeling LimitedOld man on train
2009Karma Aur HoliDJ Rav
2009Today's SpecialShah
2010Anjaana AnjaaniCoast guard
2011Another EarthPurdeep
2011Hollywood WhoresMagic Man
2011Campus RadioYogi
2012Heavy HandsThe Clerk
2014Hamlet A.D.D.Kumar

References
  1. Modell, Josh. "R.I.P. Kumar Pallana, star of several Wes Anderson movies". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  2. Profile at OriginalMMC.com
  3. Wild, Matt. "Watch a short film about Kumar Pallana and his unlikely ties to the Milwaukee film scene". The Milwaukee Record. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  4. Fox, Margalit. "Kumar Pallana, Who Went From Yoga to Film, Dies at 94". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
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