The long history of the Parsi community in the city has another interesting page added to its chapters. The Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) recently recovered a lost 1951 film, Pastailo Pappo, from scrap dealers. “The film dates back to 1951, and was a Basant Pictures production,” said Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, founder, FHF.
A moment from the reels of Pastailo Pappo. Pics Courtesy/FilmHeritageFoundation
But its discovery has only added to the mystery of the story. As rare as a film of that vintage can be, its Parsi cast and production adds to its exclusive status, Dungarpur said. “Not many Parsi films of the era have survived. We have no documentation or information about the film so far,” he admitted. The team has already posted on social media, requesting if people can come forward to help in identifying the cast or crew. “One person reached out to suggest that one of the actors in the pictures could be Pheroz. But we would appreciate it if others could help,” Dungarpur said. Readers can write to us at mailbag@mid-day.com or DM @filmheritagefoundation on Instagram with details.