Author: Spenta Jassawala
Author Affiliation: Grapes Digital, New Delhi
Abstract: From names like Ardeshir Irani to names like Boman Irani and Homi Adajania, Indian cinema is no stranger to the Parsi community. In fact, Raja Harishchandra (1913), India’s first full length silent feature) was a filmed version of a Parsi Natak by the same name. There also is a long history of the presence of Parsi’s in Hindi
cinema. It will be interesting to study how that presence has engaged with the representation of Parsi’s in Indian cinema. This paper aims to study the portrayal of the Parsi community in two Hindi fiction films – Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi (2012) and Ferrari Ki Sawaari (2013). An in-depth textual analysis has been done on the basis of plot, metaphors, music analysis, character analysis etc. It traces the patterns of similarity and difference between these films. It also mentions the similarities/differences in the portrayal of Parsi’s from the representation of other majority/minority communities within these films itself.
Keywords: Parsi, Hindi cinema, Minority, Representation