Theater Articles

The Colonial Public and the Parsi Stage : Book Review

This book explores how theatre enabled Parsis to negotiate the growing challenges of colonialismIn ‘The Colonial Public and the Parsi Stage’, Rashna Darius Nicholson is particularly interested in exploring how theatre impacted the life of Parsi...
Reviving Parsi Drama

Reviving Parsi Drama

Apart from saving the Parsi community from extinction, theatrewallahs must take the onus of saving their rich cultural heritage as well! We're talking about the revival of Parsi-Hindi rangmanch....

Paradise Cinema: 100 years of marquee magic

Paradise Cinema: 100 years of marquee magic

The Dubash family behind Paradise, Mahim's iconic single screen, celebrates a century in cinema. Imagine enjoying a Mahim traffic jam. That's how it was for me sometimes before the Sea Link rose. By...

Danesh Irani: The Last Parsi

Danesh Irani: The Last Parsi

Why this Parsi stand-up comedian doesn't want to be seen in a pair of shorts! Danesh Irani in conversation with Glynda Alves | The Economic Times   Describe yourself in 140 characters. 140...

That’s the Parsi way

That’s the Parsi way

There is something to be said about Parsis their sense of humour is unique. Maybe they tend to make fun of themselves before others do, as a defence mechanism, considering their minuscule...

The Buckingham Secret: Review

The Buckingham Secret: Review

Writer-director Meherzad Patel's latest stage offering, The Buckingham Secret, couldn't have made its debut at a better time. After all, the British Royal Family is once again in the news, with...

Raise the curtains: The Buckingham Secret

Raise the curtains: The Buckingham Secret

This new play is a comedy on the secrets of Buckingham Palace Secrets will be revealed at the premiere of NCPA’s fifth production. The Buckingham Secret, set against the backdrop of Buckingham...

Parsi Natak, Jivto Reh

Parsi Natak, Jivto Reh

After a long lull, Parsi-Gujarati theatre gets a shot in the arm with young talent from the community dishing out fresh stories, Bawa-flavoured. Article by Reema Gehi, Mumbai Mirror Last Saturday on...

All that Mawa drama

All that Mawa drama

An age-old Parsi eatery announces that it’s going to shut down. Soon, media houses start speculating about the reasons and publish reams of stories glorifying the outlet and its rich history. In no...

Akuri with thespians: The Kotwals

Akuri with thespians: The Kotwals

What could be better than to start Monday morning with Akuri (just one more of the great contributions that the Parsis have bequeathed to India) with friends and noted theatre veterans — Mahabanoo...

How Sohrab Modi won over Prithviraj Kapoor

How Sohrab Modi won over Prithviraj Kapoor

In this special series, we re-visit great Hindi film classics. Today, we look back at Prithviraj Kapoor and Sohrab Modi's 1941 film Sikander. By Sukanya Verma | Rediff Sikander ne Porous se ki thi...

Revisit The Parsi Natak

Revisit The Parsi Natak

The city’s Gujarati speakers of an older vintage will fondly recall the plays of Adi Marzban, the playwright and director who was synonymous with Parsi nataks from the 1940s to the 1980s. by Pronoti...

Burjor Patel: Back in Service at 82

Burjor Patel: Back in Service at 82

Actor Burjor Patel, Adi Marzban’s collaborator on modern Gujarati theatre, gets back to Mumbai, and acting after 20 years Ayaz Memon | TNN Burjor Patel resurfaced in viewer consciousness when an...

Reliving the Parsiana andaaz

Reliving the Parsiana andaaz

Laughter In The House: A Tribute To Adi Marzban is back on popular demand after it premiered two months ago as a homage to the veteran Parsi director Journalist Meher Marfatia still recalls how, as...

Hasva Chalo Ji!

Hasva Chalo Ji!

On the occasion of Parsi theatre stalwart Adi Marban's 98th birth anniversary, which falls on April 17, get your fix of his best works, gags, sketches and music that promise to bring alive poignant...

Astad Deboo: The Dancing Vagabond

There sits a man, all of 64 years, in his white splendour. At about five feet seven inches tall, despite his age, he holds himself with the same vitality he’s always had since the dawn of his career...

A chronicle of Parsi theatre’s heyday

For Parsis growing up between the 1950s and 1980s, social life was defined by weekly visits to the theatre, to watch, re-watch and enjoy Parsi plays. Directors like Adi Marzban and Pheroze Antia...

Stories from the Persian crypt

An art of Persian storytelling that saw stories of magic, warfare and adventures. An art that was immensely popular in India in the 16th century, but witnesses a slow death. But thanks to people...

Delna Mody: When Art Meets Life

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,...

Parsi Theater Revival

Parsi Theater Revival

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,...

The Influence of Early Parsi Theater

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...

Playwright Meher Pestonji: Feeding Crows

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...

Sohrab Wadia: Jihad The Musical

Sohrab Wadia: Jihad The Musical

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...

Gustadji Ghode Chadhya

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...

Gieve Patel: Mister Behram

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...

A regrettable concession to fanaticism

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...

And Then They Came To India: Dance Theatre

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...

Bollywood’s Best Bawas

Perhaps one of the most tolerant and accommodating communities in India, Parsis have often been at the receiving end of humour. And if there’s someone who has cashed in maximum moolah by adding a...

Of Parsi and modern Hindi theatre

PATNA: When it comes to setting standards in theatre, every Bihari Hindi theatre artist or director invokes the lessons learnt at the National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi. Ironically,...

“Memoirs of Zarir” in Tehran

Iranian director and actor Qotbeddin Sadeqi plans to stage "The Memoirs of Zarir" at the Chaharsu Hall of Tehran's City Theater Complex in the near future. His troupe, consisting of Mikaiil...

Parsi theatre academy to come up in Surat

To breathe a new life into Parsi theatre in the state, the first ever Parsi theatre academy in the country will start functioning soon in Surat. The academy is expected to play a crucial role in...

Kayhan Irani: Artivist with a cause

Kayhan Irani: Artivist with a cause

Kayhan Irani's play, 'We've Come Undone,' has been playing to audiences around the nation since 2003. From Harlem to the streets of Baghdad, all the world's a stage for actress, playwright and...

Lily Don’t be Silly

For Parsis, the New Year play is an annual family tradition...and there's one enthusiast who's giving out 500 free tickets! August 18: Philandering husband Savak finds it tough to manage with wife...

Indian Cowboy

Throughout Indian Cowboy, performer and playwright Zaraawar Mistry asks us to "connect the dots" of his narrator's life. Yet the dots don't necessarily add up in this premiere production at Mixed...