On Pateti, Navroze and Khordad Saal, several members of our community will throng the theatres to watch a farcical Parsee naatak in which Indian cinema has its roots firmly entrenched. Filmmakers have never hesitated (in fact have gone to extra lengths) from caricaturing communities in films and us Parsees have been soft targets. A dagli or a dagla, a feta, and a thick, heavily accented ‘t’ and ‘d’ are laid on to convince the viewer of the subject’s ethnicity.
Here are 10 films on or about Parsees, in chronological order…
(The forthcoming ‘Rustom’ would have surely made it to the list, were it released before this article went to press. Likewise, ‘Such a Long Journey’ of 1998 would have made the cut, had it earned a commercial India
release.)
1. KHATTA MEETHA (1978)
For me, the quintessential film on Parsees –a classic by Basu Chatterjee. With names such as Homi (Ashok Kumar) and his sons Rusi, Jal and Fali; Nargis (Pearl Padamsee in one of her rare screen appearances) and her children Firoze (Rakesh Roshan) and Freny (Preeti Ganguli), there was little doubt in the viewers’ minds as to which community the film was based on. Homi Mistry, a widower with four sons, is introduced by a common friend Soli (David) to Nargis Sethna who has two sons and a daughter. Their intention to marry is the cue for their children to wage war against one another. Piloo Wadia was a consultant on the film, besides playing the mother of Dara (Deven Verma). The costume designing was in the capable hands of Mani Rabadi. Old-timer Sulochana Sr. (Ruby Meyers) played Soli’s wife Perin.
Based on the Hollywood film ‘Yours, Mine and Ours’ (1968), this was probably the first major film to portray Parsees where the community was not caricatured. They dress normally, speak normally… and no, they don’t own a ‘vintage’ car.
Basu Chatterjee specialised in domestic comedies – Baaton Baaton Mein, Priyatama, etc. – and with Khatta Meetha, the director is in familiar territory; he wrote the screenplay and dialogues
too.
2. PESTONJEE (1988)
This was probably the first of many films where Naseeruddin Shah plays a Parsee. Partly filmed at the Ripon Club and based on a short story by well-known author and journalist, B K Karanjia, this film was directed by theatre veteran Vijaya Mehta. Pestonjee had the unique combination of stalwarts Naseeruddin (Pirojshah Pithawalla), Anupam Kher (Pestonjee ‘Pesi’) and Shabana Azmi as Jeroo.
Piroj and Pesi are childhood buddies with a difference: Piroj is an introvert while the latter is the opposite. While Piroj vacillates over deciding whether to marry Jeroo (consults his horoscope, etc), Pesi takes the plunge and weds her. Piroj wishes the couple well and leaves Bombay for Bhusaval. He returns after a few years to find the marriage in shambles. Pesi has a mistress Soona (Kiran Kher) while Jeroo, having suffered a miscarriage, is neglected and has grown grouchy and cantankerous. Pesi even has a child by the mistress. After Pesi dies of a heart attack, Piroj’s relationship with Jeroo and Soona forms the crux of the film.
Shabana Azmi’s costumes were designed by Mani Rabadi (she won the National Film Award for Best Costume Design), while Roshan Kalapesi looked after the Art Direction. Seasoned theatre actor-director Cyrus Dastoor was the Production Assistant on the film, besides playing Shabana Azmi’s brother.
3. PERCY (1989)
A Gujarati language film, it was directed by Pervez Mehrwanji.
The film has the then 26-year-old Kurush Deboo playing the eponymous Percy, a 28-year-old unmarried Parsee boy (sounds familiar?). His father (Hosi Vasunia) had caused the mother (Ruby Patel) untold verbal and physical torment. The dominating mother (sounds familiar too?), now a widow, supports the family by selling Parsee delicacies and condiments door to door. Percy’s life turns over in its head when he discovers his office accounts fudged and complains about it. His mother’s death, too, doesn’t help. Percy happened to be the directorial debut of Pervez Mehrwanji, as well as the film debut for Kurush Deboo, who was nominated for Best Actor at the National Film Awards.
Theatre stalwarts Ruby Patel (mother of actress Shernaz Patel) and the late Hosi Vasunia make a rare appearances on the silver screen. Roshan Tirandaz and Zenobia Shroff too are seen in the film.
4. 1947: EARTH (1998)
Based on the 1988 novel by Lahore-based Bapsy Sidhwa ‘The Ice-candy Man’, this Deepa Mehta directed film has won several awards at Film Festivals, as well as a Filmfare Award for Rahul Khanna for Best Male Newcomer.
It depicts a Parsee family from Lahore attempting to stay neutral during the pre-Partition riots. The trauma of partition is evocatively seen through the eyes of 8-year-old Lenny Sethna (Maia Sethna). Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs turn against one another and Lenny is witness to all this and more – including love blossoming between her ayah Shanta (Nandita Das), a Hindu, and their masseur Hassan (Rahul Khanna), a Muslim.
The film, originally titled on the novel, was banned in Pakistan. The narration was by Shabana Azmi as an older Lenny, while Kitu Gidwani and Arif Zakaria played her parents Bunty and Rustom. In the last couple of scenes, author Bapsy Sidhwa appears as the grown-up Lenny Sidhwa. Incidentally, in 1991, the novel was retitled ‘Cracking India’.
5. MUNNABHAI MBBS (2003)
The odd one out. A film which logically should not be a part of this list. But then, I have good reasons for its inclusion. For one, it has probably the highest number of Parsee actors in a film not based on Parsees. Secondly, the casting coup – the astute Raju Hirani recognised the prodigious potential of Boman Irani to give him his major breakthrough.
Munna (Sanjay Dutt) is a local hoodlum with a sidekick Sarkeshwar ‘Circuit’ played by Arshad Warsi. Whenever Munna’s father (Sunil Dutt) visits him, the former turns his adda into a makeshift hospital. That is, till Dr. J C Asthana (Boman Irani in an author-backed role) – the dean of a hospital who also practises laughter therapy – calls his bluff.
There were more than a few scene-stealers in the film. Circuit as the sidekick, Boman Irani as Dr. Asthana who prevents his daughter Dr. Suman (Gracy Singh) from getting close to Munna, Dr. Rustom Pavri (Kurush Deboo) as the doctor forced to do Munnabhai’s bidding and who ultimately joins his band of admirers, and Swami (Khurshed Lawyer) as the distressed roommate wanting to change rooms.
But the one performance which has indelibly stuck in my mind is that of Dr.Pavri’s pappa (theatre veteran Bomi Dotiwalla). His expressions as he pockets the carrom coins (especially after arising from his sickbed) are a sheer delight to behold. Yes, the editing helped and the makeup man did his bit to transform the then 60-something into the bawaji of the late 80s. The next time you see the film, watch out for the papa who runs after the raani.
Besides these four, there were a few other Parsees too, who played minor roles.
6. PARZANIA (2005)
This was a dark, melancholic film directed by Rahul Dholakia. More in the nature of a documentary based on real-life incidents, it is the story of a Parsee family living in a Muslim-dominated area of Gujarat.
10-year-old Parzan Pithawala (played by Parzan Dastur) goes missing during the communal riots of 2002. His parents Cyrus (Naseeruddin Shah) and Shernaz (Sarika) make desperate efforts to trace their son, but in vain.
The film was based on a true story. Azhar, the 12-year-old son of Dara and Rupa Mody, went missing in the midst of the 2002 carnage which had brought disrepute to the nation.
Naseeruddin and Sarika (in her comeback film) give standout performances as the grief-stricken parents. It had won the National Award for Best Film in 2006. Though it had premiered in 2005, it was released commercially only in 2007. (The film was initially banned in Gujarat.) The predominantly English language helped it gain international release.
7. BEING CYRUS (2006)
A surprise visitor Cyrus Mistry (Saif Ali Khan) lands up unannounced at the Panchgani bungalow of DinshawSethna (Naseeruddin Shah yet again!) and his attractive wife Katy (Dimple Kapadia). Dinshaw, a sculptor with a dopey demeanour, is constantly at the receiving end of his wife’s nagging and sarcastic remarks. For her, the handsome guest has entered not just her home, but also her life.
Cyrus undertakes a trip to the Mumbai residence of Dinshaw’s brother Farokh (BomanIrani), who along with wife Tina (Simon Singh) ill-treat Farokh’s father Fardoonji (Honey Chhaya in a superlative performance). Cyrus tries to be the Good Samaritan. The co-screenwriter was Kersi Khambatta, who also plays the mechanic. Several other Parsees featured too, in minor roles. The English language film, which seemed well-scripted till the halfway stage, loses steam and the viewer is treated to a mish-mash of macabre emotions in the second half.
The film caricatured Parsees as eccentric, and that is an understatement. Boman Irani, as the self-centred and unrestrained son, is in a class of his own. Overall, director Homi Adajania (whose wife Anaita did the costume designing for the film) missed out on a glorious opportunity of making an impactful debut feature film.
8. LITTLE ZIZOU (2008)
If ever there was a quaint film on Parsees, this is it. Helmed by acclaimed scriptwriter and photo-journalist Sooni Taraporevala, the film is about two feuding clans – the Pressvalas and the Khodaijis.
In her first directorial venture, Taraporevala has her son Jahan playing Xerxes, a motherless child. Little Zizou– named so due to his obsession with the football great Zinedine Zidane (Xerxes wants Zidane to visit Mumbai) – is usually to be found at the residence of Boman Pressvala (Boman Irani), a fair-minded and good-natured publisher of the community newspaper Rustom-e-Sohrab.
His pompous counterpart Khodaiji (Sohrab Ardeshir) with his PLO (Parsi Liberation Organisation) projects himself as the saviour of the Zoroastrian religion. How the two families– with Art Khodaiji (Imaad Shah) falling for Zenobia Pressvala (Dilshad Patel) – make peace, is brought out in this delightful
film.
Having scripted award-winning crossover films such as Salaam Bombay, Mississippi Masala, The Namesake – Sooni Taraporevala wrote and directed Little Zizou, starring her son and daughter Iyanah (playing the younger daughter Liana Pressvala). The English language film which was exhibited in several Film Festivals worldwide, has comedy, religion and quirkiness – all in equal measure.
9. FERRARI KI SAWAARI (2012)
With the Munnabhai films and 3 Idiots under their belt, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Rajkumar Hirani wrote a film on Parsees. Directed by Rajesh Mapuskar, it was one of the last of the delightful and innocent comedies on the community which takes one back 34 years ago to Khatta Meetha.
With both Chopra and Hirani collaborating on the screenplay, old faithful Boman Irani had to be in the film. Boman plays a stellar role as Deboo, a retired first-class cricketer who, due to his tragic experiences in the game’s politics, discourages his grandson Kayo (Ritwik Sahore) from taking up the sport. The single parent, Rusi (Sharman Joshi), has other ideas though. An upright and popular officer in the traffic department, he goes to various lengths – including failed attempts at obtaining bank loans and tinkering with Sachin Tendulkar’s famed Ferrari. (By the time the film went on the floors, the car was owned by Jayesh Desai of Surat.)
Brilliant performances by young lad Ritwik, Sharman Joshi, Satyadeep Mishra as Kayo’s coach, Paresh Rawal as the MCA official Dilip Dharmadhikari, Seema Pahwa as Babbu Didi, and sidekicks Nilesh Diwekar (Pakya) and Deepak Shirke (Mama) rounded off some excellent casting.
The film is notable for the face-off between the two most talented and versatile character actors in Hindi cinema – Paresh Rawal and Boman Irani. In the confrontational scenes between the two, the latter held his own and even had the edge.
10. SHIRIN FARHAD KI TOH NIKAL PADI (2012)
Boman Irani seemed the obvious choice to play the 45-year-old Farhad Pastakia – a mamma’s boy who resides with his mother Nargis (Daisy Irani) and grandmother (Shammi). He has a mundane job as a lingerie salesman. (Now would that really be a mundane job??) All efforts to get him married fall flat… Till one day, Miss Shirin Fughawala (seems the surname was well chosen!), played by Farah Khan, walks into the store – and into his life. It’s a match ordained in heaven, or so it seems. When Nargis discovers that Shirin works for the Trust which owns their building and which had tormented her late husband, the mother is unrelenting. However, the two ultimately manage to walk their way towards the
altar.
Touted as a comedy, the film went overboard with the jabs at the community; especially at the ludicrous society’s General Body meeting. Watching our beloved veterans Nargis Rabadi (Shammi) and Daisy Irani was a revelation. Also in the cast are Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal as Shirin’s aunt, Dinyar Contractor, Kurush Deboo, Sohrab Ardeshir, Cyrus Pooniwala and Nauheed Cyrusi.
The publicity posters of the film were inspired by those of Hum Aapke Hain Kaun.The costumes were designed by Dilnaz Karbhary. Fortunately, after this film, Farah Khan has stayed behind the camera.
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