10 Bollywood Films That Were Based On The Parsi Community
Posted On: 25 Jul 2022 | Last Updated : 19 Oct 2022 | Views : 5.8k
Followers of Zoroastrianism, Parsis have lived on the Indian subcontinent for many years, but they flowered mainly under British rule when they made fortune with the opium trade. Despite their luxurious lifestyle and spacious community, Parsis are famous for endowing and other philanthropic works. In recent times, the Parsi community has gained popularity and some credit for this goes to Bollywood. Bollywood filmmakers often experiment with a wide range of topics, including talking about different small communities residing in our secular nation, one of which is the Parsi community. The descendants of the Persians, Parsis have a colorful culture, and despite being small in number, they have managed to influence many with their traditions and beliefs, be it the Bollywood filmmakers. So here, we present to you the top 10 Bollywood Movies based on the Parsi Community. For more such interesting Bollywood-related updates, articles, topics, and trivia on movies and celebrities, stay tuned.
1. Khatta Meetha (1978)
Basu Chatterjee’s family drama Khatta Meetha is one of the best Hindi movies based on Parsi Community. The movie follows the story of a Parsi widower, who lives in a small house with his four sons. He realizes that he needs some emotional support, and it is then he is introduced to a Parsi widow named Nargis (Pearl Padamsee), who lives with her daughter and two sons. The two fall in love with each other and decide to get married, but the news of their alliance could create a lot of problems for both the families. How the two lovers adapt to the changes and resolve the problems together forms the plot of the movie.
2. Pestonjee (1987)
Anupam Kher, Kirron Kher, Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah starrer Pestonjee, directed by Vijaya Mehta, is based on a story by film journalist B. K. Karanjia. This Hindi film is based on the Parsi Community, and is said to be an intimate look into the life and manners of the Parsi Community, especially those living in Bombay city in the 1950s and 60s. The two best friends, Phiroj Shah (Naseeruddin Shah) and Pestonjee (Anupam Kher) are very close to each other, but things get complicated when both the friends fall in love with the same girl, Jeroo (Shabana Azmi).
3. Such a Long Journey (1998)
Directed by Sturla Gunnarsson, the 1998 Indo-Canadian film Such a Long Journey is based on Rohinton Mistry’s novel of the same name. Set in the early 1970s, the movie follows the story of a Parsi bank clerk Gustad Noble (Roshan Seth), who lives with his family in Mumbai. Gustad, who earlier seemed to be a self-centered man, had to deal with a lot of family problems over the course of time. How he deals with everything and makes things right for everyone forms the rest of the plot.
4. 1947: Earth (1999)
The period romantic drama 1947: Earth is directed by Deepa Mehta. Set in the period during the partition of India in 1947 at the Indian Independence. The movie follows the story of a young girl with polio, Lenny (Maia Sethna), who belongs to a wealthy Parsi family, who remains neutral to the rising tensions between Hindus and Sikhs. She is very close to her caretaker, Shanta (Nandita Das), the ice-candy man Dil (Aamir Khan) and the masseur Hassan (Rahul Khanna). The four have their own small group and spend time together, but things take a turn when they are forced to separate due to the partition.
5. Being Cyrus (2005)
The thriller drama, Being Cyrus, directed by Homi Adajania, the movie follows the story of a man named Cyrus (Saif Ali Khan). Dinshaw (Naseeruddin Shah), a retired Parsi sculptor, lives with his wife Katy (Dimple Kapadia) in Panchgani. Dinshaw’s brother Farrokh (Boman Irani), his wife, Tina, and his father, Fardoonjee, all reside in Mumbai. Cyrus, who is a fan of Dinshaw’s work, enters their life. Katy is tired of slow life in Panchgani, and it is then she tries to convince Cyrus to murder Tina and her father-in-law to embark her affair with Farrokh in Mumbai and leave Dinshaw. The movie is a close peek into the life of Parsi community people.
6. Parzania (2007)
Co-written and directed by Rahul Dholakia and David N. Donihue, Parzania features Naseeruddin Shah and Sarika in the titular role. The movie is inspired by true events, in which a ten-year-old Parsi boy named Azhar disappears following the communal riots in Gujarat in 2002. The film follows the story of the boy's parents who desperately try to locate their missing son, while battling the aftereffects of the riots.
7. Little Zizou (2008)
Directed by Sooni Taraporevala, Little Zizou, the 2008 comedy drama, won the ‘Rajat Kamal’ of National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare. The movie follows the family feud of two Parsi families, the Pressvalas and the Khodaijis, who are at constant loggerheads. However, after the series of constant complicated fights and arguments between the families, they finally agree to come to terms with each other.
8. Ferrari Ki Sawaari (2012)
The sports comedy drama Ferrari Ki Sawaari, directed by Rajesh Mapuskar, stars Sharman Joshi, Boman Irani and Ritvik Sahore in titular roles. The movie revolves around a Parsi family, consisting of an eleven-year-old boy, Kayo, his father, Rusy, and his grandfather, Behram Deboo. Kayo is passionate about cricket, and idolizes the legendary cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar. To fulfill his son’s dream of playing at Lord’s Cricket Ground, he steals the red Ferrari, which belongs to Sachin Tendulkar, for a day. How this one day of breathless and bumpy ride in Ferrari changes the life of the Deboo family forms the plot of the movie.
9. Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi (2012)
Farah Khan and Boman Irani starrer Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi is directed by Bela Bhansali Sehgal. It is said to be the modern adaptation of the Persian romantic poem ‘Farhad and Shirin’ by Nizami Ganjavi. The movie follows the story of a 45-year-old Parsi bachelor, who works as a salesman in a women's undergarment shop and lives with his mother and grandmother. He meets the woman of his dreams, Shirin (Farah Khan), a Parsi girl. However, the question remains how he would introduce her to his mother and grandmother.
10. Rustom (2016)
Tinu Suresh Desai’s crime thriller drama Rustom is loosely based on the K. M. Nanavati vs. State of Maharashtra court case. The movie revolves around the Parsi naval officer Commander Rustom Pavri (Akshay Kumar), whose character is based on naval officer K. M. Nanavati. Officer Rustom is happily married to Cynthia Pavri (Ileana D'cruz), but their marriage faces a crisis, when he discovers that Cynthia is having an extra-marital affair with his close friend, Vikram (Arjan Bajwa). Things further get complicated when Vikram is killed and Rustom is accused for his murder.
