Parsi Khabar

The following is a write-up submitted by Dr. Arnavaz Havewala  Silloo Aunty, as she was  affectionately, was a well-known actor.She has  acted in several English Movies – ‘TRYING TO GROW’ Produced by BBC and a Documentary Movie “THE LAST DANCE” Directed by Mr. Akshay Roy(which was shown on NDTV 24 X 7 for three consecutive [...]

For Farah Ghadialy (27), Parsi New Year has always been about tradition. The day begins with prayer at the fire temple and ends with a family celebration in the one way that Parsis love — watching a play. The Parsi-Gujarati genre, known for its popular comedies, usually draws packed audiences during the community’s New Year [...]

In her debut play under the banner of her new theatre production house Orange Dinghy, Delna Mody, who is collaborating with one of Parsi theatre’s biggest directors Sam Kerawala for her project, straightaway clarifies that her impression of theatre is to make the audience think and not just indulge in a “bedroom farce” on the [...]

This is a hilarious video clip of famous Pakistani actor Moin Akhtar playing a Parsi bawaji.

A dearth of new scripts may have theatre veteran Sam Kerawalla worried about the decline of Parsi theatre, but on the eve of Parsi New Year, he’s decided to leave Mumbai laughing with a 1970s play, Shapurji Na Tapela Saaf Originally written in 1970 by late writer-director Adi Marzban, Shapurji Na Tapela Saaf "has a [...]

The early influences of Parsi Theater on the film scene today… The dominance of Urdu has a lot to do with the origins of the film industry in Bombay. There were roughly two major influences — the first influence was from Bengal. Movies made under The New Theatre seemed more like Bengali movies with Hindi [...]

The small Parsi community has often presented a universal picture, albeit with the help of Parsi writers. The latest voice to join this force belongs to Meher Pestonji. This Mumbai-based writer’s play Feeding Crows has emerged as the runner-up of BBC’s International Radio Playwriting Competition and the winner for the South Asia segment. “I came [...]

Indian Newslink from NZ reports A play around migration and its conflicts is at the heart of an ambitious new project of the Auckland based theatre group Prayas. Following the success of its earlier productions including Charan Das Chor by Habib Tanvir, and The Terrace by Madhu Rye, the group decided to write and stage [...]

Sorab Wadia sings the part of Hussein Al Mansour in the Edinburgh Fringe Production of JIHAD THE MUSICAL.    Costumes by Deb O.  Choreography by Bethany Samuelson.  See www.jihad-the-musical.com for more information about the production.

Surprise is the spice of drama. “Don’t think Gustadji is going to ride a horse in the play as a groom,” director of Gustadji Ghode Chadhya’ Yazdi Karanjia tells the audience, “one rides different kinds of horses. The one Gustadji rides is his jidd’ (stubbornness).” The two and a half hour long play gave a [...]

As customs agent Layla Hourani on “The Border” — which airs Mondays on CBC Television — Nazneen Contractor is almost a genre of one. Hourani defies both the Western stereotype of the submissive Muslim woman and the Muslim stereotype of the fast, loose Western female. “Layla is someone who is assimilated and entrenched but still [...]

Mister Behram and Other Plays puts the spotlight on Gieve Patel, the dramatist Decades have passed since the talented cast and crew of Princes, Savaksa and Mister Behram took a bow. Their stage run might come to a halt, but their life on the shelf has just begun. The three plays, written by Gieve Patel, [...]

Avesthagen Limited, India’s leading Life Sciences Company brings to you, in association with Mallika Sarabhai and Darpana, an original dance theatre performance celebrating the historic journey of the Parsis titled “And They Came To India”. Of the many different people who have migrated to India over the centuries, one group that stands out for its [...]

In light of the recent furore in Bombay over the Jaya Bacchan remarks, here is a nice piece on Adi Marzban and the parsi nataks of yore. Of what utility is the fundamental right of free speech if in reality there is no freedom after speech? The same disturbing trend is discernible in the furious [...]

Histories and memories always had the best stories to tell. Stories that were inspirations and eye-openers, stories made of realities and half-truths. And stories that could unfurl in movements and melodies. Such a story, it is, of the Parsi community in India and danseuse Mallika Sarabhai lost no time in unearthing the potential for a [...]