Irshad Panjatan

Acting

Irshad Panjatan

Born 1931-09-07 · Hyderabad, India

Irshad Panjatan (born September 7, 1931, in Hyderabad) is an Indian-German actor and mime. Irshad Panjatan began his artistic career in India, initially at the renowned Hindustani Theatre, where he worked as both an actor and a director. As early as the 1950s, he specialized in the art of pantomime—a discipline then scarcely known in India—drawing inspiration from figures such as Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Panjatan is regarded as one of the most significant pioneers of modern pantomime in India and has performed internationally with solo programs since the 1960s. Since the 1970s, Panjatan has lived in Berlin, where he ran a pantomime studio together with his wife, Ingrid, and gave numerous stage performances. From the 1990s onward, he appeared increasingly in German film and television productions. He gained widespread public recognition in 2001 for his role as the Shoshone chief "Listiger Lurch" (Cunning Newt) in Michael Herbig's film *Der Schuh des Manitu*. This was followed by roles in films such as *Kebab Connection*, *Free Rainer – Dein Fernseher lügt*, and *Iron Sky*, as well as guest appearances in television series including *Tatort*, *Der Bulle von Tölz*, *Stubbe – Von Fall zu Fall*, and *Pastewka*. In 2022, he came out of retirement to appear in the film *Träume sind wie wilde Tiger*.

Acting credits

The Physician poster
7.3

England, 1021: Born in a miserable mining town, Robert Cole swears to become a physician and vanquish disease and death. His harsh path of many years, a quest for knowledge besieged by countless challenges and sacrifices, leads him to the remote Isfahan, in Persia, where he meets Ibn Sina, the greatest healer of his time.

The Physician

2013

Iron Sky poster
5.7

In the last moments of World War II, a secret Nazi space program evaded destruction by fleeing to the Dark Side of the Moon. During 70 years of utter secrecy, the Nazis construct a gigantic space fortress with a massive armada of flying saucers.

Iron Sky

2012

Reclaim Your Brain poster
6.7

Frustrated, because he is forced to produce bad TV-shows, a manager of a TV-station, enters the station and manipulates the ratings, to initiate a TV-revolution.

Reclaim Your Brain

2007

Manitou's Shoe poster
6.8

Abahachi, Chief of the Apache Indians, and his blood brother Ranger maintain peace and justice in the Wild West. One day, Abahachi needs to take up a credit from the Shoshone Indians to finance his tribe's new saloon. Unfortunately Santa Maria, who sold the saloon, betrays Abahachi, takes the money and leaves. Soon, the Shoshones are on the warpath to get their money back, and Abahachi is forced to organize it quickly.

Manitou's Shoe

2001

Vijay and I poster
5.0

Wilhelm Wilder (Will) is a talented actor stuck on a New York City children's TV show where he portrays Bad Luck Bunny, a hapless green rabbit. Feeling a failure, he bears his fate with touching self-irony, but grows sulky and petulant when he thinks that his wife, daughter and all his friends have forgotten his 40th birthday. In the confusion following a road accident, all the world believes he is dead. Instead of rectifying the situation, he decides to fulfill a fantasy and attend his own funeral. Here he will learn what everyone really thinks of him. With the aid of his best friend Rad, an Indian restaurant-owner, Will becomes Vijay Singh, a handsome and gentlemanly Sikh, complete with turban and beard. Will confronts a unique problem: everyone likes Vijay, and most of all, he likes Vijay, more than he ever liked himself.

Vijay and I

2013

Marry Me! poster
5.4

Kishori, unmarried and mother to a daughter, and her sister Sonal live in a house in Berlin. The house and a cafe on the ground floor are led by Kishori. All of a sudden, her strict and traditional grandmother comes for a visit from India. She wants to sell the house unless Kishori agrees to marry the father of her daughter, Robert. As Kishori feels obliged to all the befriended inhabitants of the house, including Robert, to keep the house, Kishori und Robert prepare to have a traditional Indian wedding.

Marry Me!

2015

Bullyparade: The Movie poster
5.3

A multi-episode movie based on the skit TV show "bullyparade".

Bullyparade: The Movie

2017

African Race poster
4.7

The scatterbrained archivist of Cologne Cathedral is sent to Africa to retrieve the largest diamond in the world, on which the cathedral once rested and whose absence is now causing the foundations of the building to sink. In his wake, shady characters appear who are also after the precious stone. But there are also helpers who are well-disposed towards the adventurer against his will.

African Race

2008

Six Five Four Three Two poster
NR

A propaganda mass education film on family planning distributed by the Government of India, Ministry of Information, Films Division, pushing the message that two children are enough for one household.

Six Five Four Three Two

1968

Khilonewala poster
9.5

A Khilonewala (Toy seller) comes to sell beautiful hand-crafted toys to children when religious fanaticism turns the atmosphere upside down

Khilonewala

1971

Buddha's Little Finger poster
4.4

A drama set during the failed coup against President Mikhail Gorbachev.

Buddha's Little Finger

2015

Bombay In The Night's Embrace poster
9.0

A news reporter becomes a suspect after a robbery and a homicide aboard an aircraft.

Bombay In The Night's Embrace

1967

Heer Raanjha poster
7.0

Heer Raanjha is a 1970 Indian Hindi-language romantic musical film directed by Chetan Anand. It stars Raaj Kumar and Priya Rajvansh and tells the tragic love story of Heer, a wealthy girl, and Ranjha, who has been banished by his family. The film is often referred to as a Punjabi version of "Romeo and Juliet.

Heer Raanjha

1970

Dreams Are Like Wild Tigers poster
6.5

12-year-old Ranji is new in Berlin. His big dream: Bollywood. A casting call in Mumbai is the chance. However, Ranji has to overcome a few hurdles: Finding friends, making a video, traveling to Mumbai without his parents and - last but not least - believing in himself.

Dreams Are Like Wild Tigers

2021