Photo: Unknown photographer name, commissioned by Suresh Joshi / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Born on November 8, 1919 in Mumbai, Bombay State, India, Purushottam Laxman Deshpande was a writer, actor and composer. Purushottam Laxman Deshpande died on June 12, 2000 at the age of 80. Education on record includes Savitribai Phule Pune University. Recorded honors include Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1967), Sahitya Akademi Award (1965), Padma Bhushan (1990) and 5 more.
My Take
Purushottam Laxman Deshpande, beloved as Pu La, is exactly the sort of cultural figure I treasure. A Mumbai-born Marathi writer, humorist, actor, composer, poet and screenwriter, he gathered honors from the Sahitya Akademi Award to the Padma Bhushan. What moves me most is not the trophy case but the affection behind his nickname, "Maharashtra's beloved personality." Making people laugh while elevating their literature is one of the hardest balancing acts in the arts, and he managed it for decades. Any region lucky enough to cherish a humorist this completely has something precious, and I envy it a little.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Purushottam Laxman Deshpande
- Name (Japanese)
- プルショッタム・ラクスマン・デシュパンデ
- Reading
- ぷるしょったむ・らくすまん・でしゅぱんで
- Born
- November 8, 1919 – June 12, 2000
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Scorpio / Goat
- Origin
- Mumbai, Bombay State, India
- Occupation
- writer / actor / composer / poet / screenwriter
2. Background
- University
- Savitribai Phule Pune University
Awards & achievements
- 1967 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
- 1965 Sahitya Akademi Award
- 1990 Padma Bhushan
- 1966 Padma Shri in literature and education
- 1993 Punyabhushan
- 1996 Maharashtra Bhushan Award
- 1987 Kalidas Samman
- Fellow of the Sangeet Natak Akademi
3. Links
- Official sitehttps://puladeshpande.net
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purushottam%20Laxman%20Deshpande
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3595161
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-21
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Purushottam Laxman Deshpande born?
Born November 8, 1919.
When did Purushottam Laxman Deshpande die?
Died June 12, 2000, aged 80.
Where was Purushottam Laxman Deshpande from?
Purushottam Laxman Deshpande was from Mumbai, Bombay State, India.
What did Purushottam Laxman Deshpande do?
Purushottam Laxman Deshpande worked as writer, actor, composer, poet, screenwriter.
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