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Kumar Pallana

Kumar Pallana

Actor · Died October 10, 2013, aged 94 · Indore, India

Kumar Valavhadas Pallana (December 23, 1918 – October 10, 2013) was an Indian-American character actor. He performed on television on the Mickey Mouse Club, The Ed Sullivan Show, and You Asked for It as a plate spinner and juggler. He is best known for playing significant characters in Wes Anderson's first three movies: Bottle Rocket (1996), Rushmore (1998) and The Royal Tenenbaums (2001). He also acted in Steven Spielberg's The Terminal (2004).

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 23, 1918
Died
October 10, 2013 (aged 94)
From
Indore, India
Works as
Actor
Titles
12 on MovieCove · 17 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 4% in 30 days

What are Kumar Pallana's films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
31%
Bonds
29%
Morality
17%
Survival
14%
Society
5%
Power
4%
Friendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 1 · Dark 2

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 5 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 2

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 4 · Charged 3 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 4 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 2

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 5 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 3 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

2 analyzed roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
3
Melancholic
2
Contemplative
4
Joyful
3
Bittersweet
1
Other
4

How their films linger

Feel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Bittersweet6
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Kumar Pallana's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Pluto TV (3).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Kumar Pallana's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

17 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Snapshot(2019)

    as Kumar

  • Hamlet A.D.D. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Kumar of India

  • Hollywood Whores (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    as Magic Man

  • Another Earth(2011)

    as Purdeep

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Campus Radio (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    as Yogi

  • Anjaana Anjaani(2010)

    as Coast Guard

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • The Gold Bracelet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Dhinubhai

  • The Darjeeling Limited(2007)

    as Old Man

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • 10 Items or Less(2006)

    as Lee

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Romance & Cigarettes(2005)

    as Kumar

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Bomb the System (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Kumar Baba

  • The Terminal(2004)

    as Gupta Rajan

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Duplex(2003)

    as Indian Restaurant Owner

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • The Royal Tenenbaums(2001)

    as Pagoda

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Rushmore(1998)

    as Mr. LittleJeans

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Bottle Rocket(1996)

    as Kumar

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Viva Zapata!(1952)

    as Soldier (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 92nd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 17 titles from 1952 to 2019; peak year 2005.

Biggest box office

The Terminal (2004)

$219M worldwide

Highest rated

The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

The Terminal (2004)

Film career

19522019

Peak 2005 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 1 MovieCove title. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting17 of 17: 17 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score80th

By decade

1950s1 · acting1990s2 · acting2000s8 · acting2010s6 · acting

Billing

usually 10th · top billed in 0% of 9 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Kumar Pallana's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 80th percentile, the median of the 11 of 12 with a score; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 75th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

75thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

78thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

95thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Midcredits score across 11 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th3

Shape of the crowd

6 of their 11 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser6
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · actor

Anjaana Anjaani (2010)

58th percentile spread · 21% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Rushmore (1998)

Midcredits 96th · 84% liked

Reviewers score the acting 77/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles; fans 83, detractors 57. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Kumar Pallana's work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 32 · mildMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 29 · mildMedian of all films: 32
Profanity5 titles17–69 · median 47 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 33 · mildMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 29 · mildMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Kumar Pallana work with?

People who share at least 2 of Kumar Pallana's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Wes Anderson shares the most, 2.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Editors