Mithila Palkar (born 11 January 1993) is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Hindi films and television. Palkar is known for her characters in the television shows Girl in the City and Netflix's Little Things. She rose to prominence in March 2016 with her Marathi version of the "cup song".[1] She has received several awards including a Filmfare Award Marathi and two Filmfare OTT Awards.

Mithila Palkar
Palkar in 2023
Born (1993-01-11) 11 January 1993 (age 31)
Alma materMMK College
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
Years active2014–present

Palkar made her debut in Marathi with Majha Honeymoon (2014), and later in Hindi with Katti Batti (2015).[2]

Early life

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Palkar was born on 11 January 1993 into a Marathi family.[3][4] She initially lived in Vasai with her parents but she and her sister later moved to live in Dadar with her maternal grandparents due to inconveniences of daily commute. She comes from a family with no actors, and her grandfather initially did not approve of her decision to act.[5] Her sister holds a PhD in Neuroscience[6] and lives in Los Angeles.[7] Palkar first acted while in Class VII in an inter-school drama competition. She admits being a "nerd" but was always active in dramatics, dancing and singing during her school days at IES's Modern English School, Dadar. She pursued science in higher secondary but chose to pursue a Bachelors of Mass Media (BMM) at MMK College, Bandra, after that to be involved with films and theatre.[8] After graduating in 2013, Palkar gave her first audition to Quasar Padamsee of Quasar Theatre Productions (QTP). The audition did not get her the role but Quasar gave her a job backstage, managing their theatre festival, Thespo.[9] Palkar has previously trained in Hindustani classical music (by the Marathi singer Varsha Bhave),[1] in Kathak, and took a crash course in acting at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in Los Angeles.[8]

Career

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Palkar made her acting debut in the 2014 Marathi short film Majha Honeymoon, which was showcased at the 16th Mumbai International Film Festival.[2] Her first success in the Indian film industry was in June 2014, when she successfully auditioned for the role of Imran Khan's sister in Katti Batti.[10] The film did not do well

Meanwhile, Dhruv Sehgal, who met Palkar at Thespo (QTP's annual theatre festival), asked her to audition for Filter Copy's new satire show on YouTube called News Darshan. She not only succeeded in that audition but also went on to do her first web series called Girl in the City in 2016[11][12] for Bindass and a number of YouTube videos for Pocket Aces. One of these is a web series called Little Things[13] alongside Sehgal since 2017,[6][9] which has achieved a lot of popularity and was also published as a book by Penguin Random House.[14][15] Netflix purchased the franchise of Little Things in 2018 and its second season premiered on Netflix on 5 October 2018.[16] The third season of Little Things premiered on 9 November 2019.[17] The fourth and final season of Little Things premiered on 15 October 2021.[18]

 
Palkar with Dulquer Salmaan in 2017

In 2017, she appeared in two plays, Tunni Ki Kahani (a children's musical) and Aaj Rang Hai (a Hindustani musical) with the theatre group called Aarambh.[2] Later that year, Palkar made her debut in Marathi cinema with the film Muramba, alongside Amey Wagh.[19] 2018 saw Palkar playing her first lead role in a Hindi film called Karwaan, alongside Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan and Kriti Kharbanda. The film released on 3 August 2018.[20]

In 2019, she acted in Chopsticks, a Netflix original film, directed by Sachin Yardi. In the film, she played role of an under-confident girl named Nirma (after the washing powder brand) whose life changes when she meets a con man, played by Abhay Deol.[21] She later acted with Dhruv Sehgal in Taco Bell's digital campaign for their new product Quesalupa (a crossover between a chalupa and a quesadilla that is filled with cheese) titled #TheCheesyPull. Palkar's next project was the Netflix film Tribhanga, directed by Renuka Shahane,[22] featuring Tanvi Azmi and Kajol. The film began shooting in October 2019.[23]

Other work and media image

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Palkar in 2017

Palkar grew popular overnight in March 2016 with her version of the "cup song", inspired by Anna Kendrick's cup song from Pitch Perfect. The video featured her performing the popular Marathi song "Hi Chal Turu Turu" (sung originally by Jaywant Kulkarni) in the cup song style. Mithila's cup song went viral on YouTube with more than 6 million views.[8] She had previously attempted another version of the cup song, performing "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" and receiving more than 22,000 views.[1] She later sang a song called "Maharashtra Desha"[24] in association with Bharatiya Digital Party (BhaDiPa), which was released on 1 May 2016 on YouTube on the occasion of Maharashtra Day.[25]

Palkar has endorsed products such as Maggi,[26] Tata Tea[27] and Zomato.[10] Forbes India named Palkar in their Forbes 30 Under 30 list of young achievers in February 2018.[28][29][30]

Filmography

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Films

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Year Title Role Language Notes Ref.
2014 Majha Honeymoon Rujuta Marathi Short film
2015 Katti Batti Koyal Kabra Hindi
2017 Muramba Indu Marathi
2018 Karwaan Tanya Hindi [31]
2019 Chopsticks Nirma Sahastrabudhe
2020 A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting Babysitter from India English Cameo appearance; American film
2021 Tribhanga Masha Hindi [32]
2022 Ori Devuda Anu Paulraj Telugu [33]
2024 Happy Patel Khatarnaak Jasoos TBA Hindi Completed [34]

Television

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Year Title Role Network Notes Ref.
2016–2021 Girl in the City Meera Sehgal Bindass 3 seasons
Little Things Kavya Kulkarni Netflix 4 seasons [35]
2016 Official Chukyagiri Mili Arre
2020 Pretty Fit Herself YouTube
Masaba Masaba Herself Netflix Season 1; cameo appearance [36]

Theatre

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Year Title Group Ref.
2017 Tunni Ki Kahani Aarambh [2]
Aaj Rang Hai
2018–present Dekh Behen Akvarious Productions [37]
[38]

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2017 4th Filmfare Awards Marathi Best Female Debut Muramba Won [39]
2018 Zee Chitra Gaurav Puraskar Zee Chitra Gaurav Puraskar for Best Playback Singer – Female Muramba Nominated
2019 IReel Awards Best Actress - Comedy Little Things Won [40]
Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Actress in Comedy / Romance Won [41]
2020 1st Filmfare OTT Awards Best Actress - Comedy Series Won [42]
2021 2nd Filmfare OTT Awards Best Supporting Actress - Web Originals Tribhanga Nominated [43]
2022 3rd Filmfare OTT Awards Best Actress - Comedy Series Little Things Nominated [44]
Best Actress Critics - Comedy Series Won
2023 Bollywood Hungama Style Icons Most Stylish Digital Entertainer (Female) Nominated [45]
2023 11th South Indian International Movie Awards Best Female Debut – Telugu Ori Devuda Nominated [46]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Lad, Deven (17 March 2016). "Mithila's cup-beat Marathi song 'Hichi Chal Turu Turu' goes viral. Here's what inspired the Dadar-based girl". DNA India. Archived from the original on 11 November 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d Sawant, Nikita (26 October 2017). "Mithila Palkar: 'I tried to run away from acting'". Femina. Archived from the original on 24 August 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  3. ^ "Mithila Palkar: Photos of actress that prove she is a social media star". DNA. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  4. ^ Mestry, Pratiksha (13 January 2020). "From The Girl In The City to Little Things, here's why Mithila Palkar is millennials' favourite". Mid-Day. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  5. ^ "The story of Mithila Palkar's 'silent' relationship with her grandparents will leave you teary-eyed". The Indian Express. 18 July 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  6. ^ a b Panicker, Anahita (8 September 2017). "Mithila Palkar, the girl from Dadar". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  7. ^ Sharma, Deeksha (27 May 2019). "Offline With an Internet Star: Mithila Palkar on Films, Life, Chai". The Quint. Archived from the original on 7 June 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  8. ^ a b c Shah, Manali (7 April 2016). "Viral hit: Meet the girl who sang the Cups song, in Marathi". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  9. ^ a b Dutta Choudhury, Sonya (26 February 2018). "What it takes to be an online star". Live Mint. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  10. ^ a b Chatterjee, Suprateek (18 April 2016). "The Girl From That Viral Marathi 'Cups' Video Speaks About Her Upcoming Web Series". HuffPost India. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  11. ^ "Mithila Palkar talks about her web-series 'Girl in the City'". The Indian Express. 21 April 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  12. ^ "Mithila Palkar starrer 'Girl in the City's finale to bring big surprises". The Times of India. 21 July 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  13. ^ Borah, Prabalika M. (9 January 2017). "The little things of life". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  14. ^ "Little Things, a web series, to be made into book". The Times of India. 2 August 2017.
  15. ^ "Penguin Random House India to publish Little Things, A Book Based on the Popular Web Series By Pocket Aces". Penguin Random House. Archived from the original on 8 July 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  16. ^ "Watch: Netflix releases trailer of Little Things 2; series premieres on October 5". India Today. 5 September 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  17. ^ "Streaming Now: Dhruv and Kavya's Love Story Takes New Turns on Netflix's Little Things 3". News18. 9 November 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  18. ^ "Little Things season 4 review: Farewell to our Dhruv, Kavya and best show on modern love". Hindustan Times. 15 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  19. ^ "America gets a taste of Muramba". The Times of India. 11 June 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  20. ^ "Irrfan Khan and Dulquer Salmaan starrer Karwan to release on June 1". Bollywood Hungama. 23 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  21. ^ Sinha Jha, Priyanka (31 May 2019). "Chopsticks Review: A Coming-of-age Story Set in Dharavi Makes for Quirky Adventure". News18. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  22. ^ "Mithila Palkar: Rising star". The New Indian Express. 3 June 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  23. ^ "Kajol starts shooting for her first Netflix film Tribhanga". India Today. 14 October 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  24. ^ Bharatiya Digital Party (30 April 2016), Maharashtra Desha | Maharashtra Day Song | Mithila Palkar | Gandhaar, retrieved 21 April 2017
  25. ^ Parande, Shweta (2 May 2016). "Maharashtra Day Song 'Maharashtra Desha' by Mithila Palkar and Gandhaar highlights drought situation in the beautiful Indian state (Video)". India.com. Archived from the original on 16 June 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  26. ^ "New MAGGI Ad 2015". 2 February 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2021 – via YouTube.
  27. ^ "Tata Tea's 'Choti Patti Badi Patti' ad". 12 August 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2021 – via YouTube.
  28. ^ "Bhumi Pednekar, Vicky Kaushal and Mithila Palkar make it to Forbes 30 Under 30 list". Bollywood Hungama. 6 February 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  29. ^ Panchal, Salil; Gangal, Neeraj (5 February 2018). "Forbes India 30 Under 30: Young and fearless". Forbes India. Archived from the original on 24 August 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  30. ^ Gangal, Neeraj (6 February 2018). "Mithila Palkar: Viral sensation". Forbes India. Archived from the original on 2 September 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  31. ^ "I learnt how to be present in a scene from Irrfan sir - Mithila Palkar". Hindustan Times. 24 March 2018. Archived from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  32. ^ "'Tribhanga' Teaser: Kajol shares the first look of new Netflix film". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  33. ^ "Exclusive - Oh My Kadavule Telugu remake titled Ori Devuda". Cinema Express. 9 November 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  34. ^ "Mona Singh-starrer Happy Patel Khatarnaak Jasoos, produced by Aamir Khan, expected to release during Diwali". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  35. ^ Sundar, Priyanka (20 September 2018). "Dhruv and Kavya's love matures in the second season of Netflix's Little Things. Watch trailer". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  36. ^ Jain, Arushi (14 August 2020). "Masaba Masaba trailer: Neena Gupta and Masaba Gupta promise a whole lot of fun". The Indian Express. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  37. ^ Singh, Deepali (30 January 2018). "Dekh Behen: Sisterhood of the wedding party pants!". DNA India. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  38. ^ Phukan, Vikram (4 September 2018). "Out of the extraordinary". The Hindu.
  39. ^ "Filmfare Awards Marathi 2018 winners list: Sonali Kulkarni wins Best Actress, Mithila Palkar bags Best Debut Female". The Indian Express. 29 September 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  40. ^ "iReel Awards 2019: Mithila Palkar Named Best Actress (Comedy) for Little Things 2". News18.com. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  41. ^ "Made in Heaven, The Family Man and others win big at Critics Choice Awards". The Quint. 11 December 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
  42. ^ "Winners of the Flyx Filmfare OTT Awards 2020". filmfare.com. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  43. ^ "My Glamm Filmfare OTT Awards 2021 - Nominations". FilmFare. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  44. ^ "Filmfare OTT Awards 2022 Winners List". FilmFare. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  45. ^ "Check out the complete list of winners of the Bollywood Hungama Style Icon Awards". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  46. ^ "SIIMA Awards 2023: RRR, 777 Charlie win big; Jr NTR, Yash named Best Actors; Sreeleela and Srinidhi Shetty are Best Actresses". The Indian Express. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
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