Abstract
The early Indian film industry was dominated by Parsis (followers of the Zoroastrian faith), as has been widely noted by scholars, for instance by Rajadhyaksha and Willemen [(1999)2008: 171] and Dwyer [Citation2006]. The most notable founding fathers of the Indian film industry were Ardesh Irani, Sohrab Modi and the Wadia brothers. Among noted Parsi actors were David in the past, and Boman Irani in current Hindi films. Similarly the popular singer Alisha Chenai and the choreographer Shiamak Davar are also of this community. However, despite their acknowledged roles “behind-the-screen,” their portrayal “on-the-screen” is rarely discussed. To fill this gap, I am surveying in this article films in which Parsis take leading or supporting roles.