Prince Pondicherry is a minor character in Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He is a wealthy and eccentric prince who lives in India and commissions Willy Wonka to build him a palace made entirely of chocolate.
Background[]
Prince Pondicherry is the ruler of New Delhi, a city in India. He is married to Princess Pondicherry, who shares his love for chocolate. He is fascinated by Willy Wonka's chocolate-making skills and invites him to India to create a chocolate palace for him. He is very proud of his palace and refuses to listen to Wonka's advice to eat it before it melts in the hot weather. He is also very stubborn and arrogant, believing that his palace is the best in the world and that he can live in it forever.
Personality[]
Prince Pondicherry is a proper, illogical, absent-minded, elegant, spoiled, perfectionist, and arrogant man. He is very fond of chocolate and wants to have a palace made of it. He is also very demanding and expects Wonka to fulfill his every whim. He is not very wise or practical, as he ignores Wonka's warning that his palace will not last long in the sun. He is also very vain and pompous, calling himself "Your Majesty" and boasting about his palace to his wife and guests. He is not very grateful or respectful to Wonka, as he does not thank him for his work or listen to his suggestions. He is also very stubborn and foolish, as he refuses to eat his palace even when it starts to melt and collapse.
Physical Appearance[]
Prince Pondicherry is a dark-skinned man with a black mustache and beard. He has brown eyes and a round nose. He wears a white turban with a red jewel on his forehead, a red robe with gold embroidery, and a gold necklace with a large pendant. He also wears a ring on his right hand and a bracelet on his left wrist.
Appearances[]
Live-action productions[]
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory[]
Prince Pondicherry appears in a flashback scene in the 2005 film adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, directed by Tim Burton. He is portrayed by Nitin Ganatra. In the film, he is shown to be a friend of Willy Wonka, who travels to India to build him a chocolate palace. He is very impressed by Wonka's work and invites him to stay for a feast. He also shows off his palace to his wife and guests, who are amazed by its beauty and detail. However, he does not heed Wonka's warning that his palace will melt in the sun and insists that he will live in it. The next day, he wakes up to find his palace melted and ruined. He calls Wonka to ask for another palace, but Wonka refuses, saying that he is busy with other problems.
Relationships[]
- Princess Pondicherry - His wife and fellow chocolate lover. They are shown to be affectionate and admiring of each other. They also share the same pride and foolishness, as they both refuse to eat their palace and watch it melt.
- Willy Wonka - His friend and chocolate maker. He is fascinated by Wonka's skills and invites him to India to build him a palace. He is also very demanding and expects Wonka to do everything he wants. He does not appreciate Wonka's work or advice and ignores his warning. He also tries to get another palace from Wonka but is rejected.
Quotes[]
- "Your Majesty, I present to you, your palace." - Willy Wonka
- "It's perfect. It's beautiful. It's the best palace in the world." - Prince Pondicherry
- "You must eat it quickly, Your Majesty, before it melts." - Willy Wonka
- "Nonsense! I shall not eat my palace! I'm going to live in it!" - Prince Pondicherry
- "Look at it, my darling. Isn't it wonderful?" - Prince Pondicherry to Princess Pondicherry
- "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." - Princess Pondicherry
- "Wonka, I need another palace." - Prince Pondicherry
- "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but I'm a little busy right now. I have other problems to deal with." - Willy Wonka
Trivia[]
- Prince Pondicherry is based on a character from the original novel by Roald Dahl, where he is mentioned in the third chapter by Grandpa Joe.
- His name is derived from the city of Pondicherry (now Puducherry) in India, which was a former French colony.
- His palace is inspired by the Taj Mahal, a famous mausoleum and UNESCO World Heritage Site in India.
- His actor, Nitin Ganatra, is a British actor of Indian descent, who is best known for his role as Masood Ahmed in the soap opera EastEnders.
