Guinness Pakru – The shortest actor to play lead character in a full-length film

Guinness Pakru, earlier known as Unda Pakru/ Pakru is the screen name of Malayalam film actor and mimicry artist Ajay Kumar, who owns the Guinness record of shortest actor to play lead character in a full-length film. With a height of 2 ft 6 or 76 cm, he played lead role of the dwarf hero in 2005 Malayalam fantasy film directed by Vinayan, Athbhutha Dweepu. Apart from this lead role, he mostly plays character roles on big screen, mostly belonging to comedy genre. In 2013, he made his directorial debut with the film Kutteem Kolum, where he played the main lead. It also bagged him the Guinness record of shortest film director to direct a full-length movie.

He started his career as a mimicry artist

Guinness Pakru was born as Ajay Kumar in 1976 in Kollam, Kerala. He was born into a family with financial constraints. His father was an auto driver and mother was an L.I.C agent. He has two younger sisters. His family shifted to Kottayam soon after his birth and finally settled at Pandavam. Apart from being an LIC agent, his mother also worked as a contract employee at a telephone service agency, and it was because of her transferrable job, the family shifted to different places.

Body shamming became a part of his life, wherever he went. Though he always humiliation and isolation because of his height, he accepted it as challenge and he completed his studies. He graduated in economics and also completed a diploma in computer science. He was active in politics within college campus, without any fixed affiliations. He used to change his party affiliation frequently and even formed his own party. When he reached final graduation he forgot his limitations. During his academic years, his artistic talents were supported by a bunch of friends and his teachers. He started his career as a mimicry artist, which gave him break to films.

He has appeared as a child artist in Malayalam movies in the 1980s

He appeared in Ambili Ammavan, a child movie released in 1984. He was a child artist in this film, and it was for the first time he faced a camera. He was later seen in brief roles in Ithaa Samayamaayi and Antharjanam. After a break, he returned to Malayalam films in year 2000, with the movie Joker, where he played a dwarf of a circus troupe. Since then he is regular in Malayalam films and has appeared in around 50 films, mostly playing character roles. He presented many comedy skits on television and also appeared in a few serials.

Post the success of Joker, he was seen in Kunjikoonan and Meesha Madhavan. Dileep played lead hero in these three films. He was featured in ‘Vaaleduthal / Meesakkaaran Madhavanu’ song of Meesamadhavan, aside the lead pair, which was noticed for its dance steps and choreography. Gradually his presence got noticed in films. Later he worked in Dileep films like Bodyguard, Twenty: 20, Mulla, Ringmaster etc. He also regularly worked with Mammootty, Jayasurya etc.

Athbhutha Dweepu was a landmark movie of his career

In 2005 he played lead role in hit fantasy film, Athbhutha Dweepu. He played the dwarf prince of an isolated island which also starred Prithviraj as a stranded traveller. He performed stunts and even seen riding a horse in the movie, which featured around 300 real-life dwarfs as inhabitants of an island. Following its success the movie was dubbed to Tamil too, and he received Kerala State Film Award – Special Mention. Same year he got his first break to Tamil films. For his debut Tamil flick Dishyum he received Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize in 2005.

In 2008 edition of Guinness World Records, he became the world record holder of the shortest hero for a full-length film. After that he added ‘Guinness’ tag to his name. Till then he was known as Pakru and Undapakru in entertainment industry. He later shared screen space with Prithviraj in Puthiya Mukham, which was a commercial hit.

His career post Athbhutha Dweepu

He shot to instant fame after the success of Athbhutha Dweepu, and got offers from Tamil cinema too. Kaavalan, Dishyum, 7aum Arivu etc are some of his noted appearances in Tamil. In 2020, he bagged a full-length role in a movie starring Prabhudeva, and the movie is titled Bageera. In 2019 he turned a film producer with the movie, Fancy Dress and he played the lead role.

He played full-length role of Jayaram’s father in My Big Father (2010). Loudspeaker, Ee Pattanathil Bhootham, Mulla, Punyalan Private Limited, Immanuel, Ring Master, Venicile Vyapari etc are other noted works. Over the past two decades, Guinness Pakru created a niche of his own, with his talent and won everyone’s hearts. Now people love him only because of his talents more than anything else, and his challenging height is already a forgotten chapter.

About his personal life

Initially he was reluctant to start a family life, because of his height issues. In a film set veteran actor Bahadur advised him to get married. He was initially doubtful if he would get kids. But Bahadur encouraged and gave him positive words. One day while his mother was travelling in a bus, she told her bysitter that she is in search for a bride for her son. She told this matter to a relative. A girl with normal height named Gayathri heard those words and expressed her willingness to marry Ajay. Initially everybody thought that she is joking. But later it became serious, and they got married in 2006. A daughter was born to them who died two weeks after death. Later a daughter was born to them in 2009.

His support to Australian boy Quaden Bayles garnered him praises

In 2020 a video surfaced online where an Australian boy named Quaden Bayles was seen breaking down and wanted to end his life because he is being bullied by his friends because of dwarfism. While many people came forward with support, Pakru’s Facebook post in Malayalam to cheer up the boy, ‘I cried like you cried’ went viral. He told about similar circumstances which he went through, during his childhood. His post also reached the boy in Australia and comforted him. Pakru also promised a film role for him.

Guinness Pakru – Some interesting and less-known facts

1. During his childhood days, he faced body shamming and also kids of his age group isolated him from playing games. He was not allowed to play cricket, and he became umpire instead.

2. When her mother took him to a school for 4^th standard admission, principal scolded her saying that this school belongs to students with good height, and if someone knocks him down no one will be responsible. It hurt Ajay Kumar a lot, and he cried alone.

3. He feels that height would have benefited him to aboard a bus. He wants to drive bike. Though he owns three cars he can’t drive.

4. When you went for a foreign tour for a program in 1996 at the age of 20, because of his childish looks, a policewoman took him in the waist. She assumed that he is a small kid. Later artists like Tiny Tony had to snatch him back.

5. He became a TV star while doing Savari Giri Giri, and he used to receive love letters at TV channel office. Though there were spelling mistakes in many of such letters, he used to feel happy.

6. He was involved with politics during his college days, and years later in the campus film, Bodyguard he played a young college leader. Though he was offered to reprise the role in Hindi version by its director Siddique, he couldn’t became a part of this project as he couldn’t adjust the dates.