Ultimately an usher

His life revolves around movies. An usher in movie theaters, Soli Aspi Wadia is enjoying his job at the age of 53. He start­ed as an usher at the Apsara theater when the popular film Sangam was being screened. After a couple of years he joined the Roopam theater which was showing Anita. When there was an opening at Sterling theater in 1969 which was then screening Doctor Dolittle he joined them on a starting salary of Rs 240 per month. After 33 years he now draws Rs 3,000 per month, mentions Wadia.

Although he had dreamt of joining the Navy, on completing his schooling from Bombay’s Sir J. J. School Wadia felt obligated to support his mother who had been widowed when he was only one year old. The first job offered to him was at Cadbury but following the ban on cocoa import he had to switch vocations and opted to become an usher. Despite his long working hours from 12.30 in the afternoon to 11.30 at night and commuting back and forth from Thana, a content Wadia maintains, "You have to be happy.”

"His passion for movies is as strong as ever and although he does prefer the old school of actors like Clint Eastwood, Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra he never misses any of the latest block­busters screened at the theater,” noted a write-up in The Times of India of April 12, 2002.

Wadia: passion for movies

Viewing Sterling as his "second home” he takes pride in re­porting that it was the first theater to introduce Dolby sound in Bombay and also the first to introduce fresh popcorn in theaters! In the course of his duty as usher at both the stalls and the balcony Wadia has had to help out kids who seemed to have lost their way as also to discipline unruly teenagers. "Parents don’t mind sending their daughters here because we have always main­tained a good crowd and reputation,” maintains Wadia. He recalls the time when the Sunday evening show would be referred to as the "Parsi show,” because of the large Parsi presence in the theater.

Over the years he has worked in almost all the departments at Sterling and has strong loyalties to his Tata employers. A veteran of English movies screened at Sterling, his favorites include Two for the Road and Herbie. He enjoys Hindi films too and thespians Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand are the heroes he fancies.