Phiroze’s fame

The late film producer and director of yesteryears, J. B. H. Wadia who created box office hits like Mela was a great admirer of mushairas and qawalias At film functions which used to take place in different parts of the city mushairas used to start late in the evening and continue till the early hours of the next mor­n­ing in the 1920s and 1930s.

In 1932 at Dubash Building near Grant Road where Baijanji Dastoor resided on the second floor there was a unique mushaira program of classical singers which Wadia attended. Baijanji was at that time running a billiard saloon in his house. Till the program started Baijanji told his nine-year-old son Phiroze to sing a few lines to entertain the guests. When the little boy sang Nahak Lai Gavanva from Kirana gharana in Bhairavi raag, J. B. H. was pleased. His voice appeared in a number of Wadia Movie­tone productions and he also played a small role in Sharbati Ank­hen.

Dastoor: memorable music

When Lale Yaman was released in Super Talkies in 1933 it was a box office hit. It was the first talkie to run to full houses for 14 weeks. After that release Phiroze Dastoor became so famous that it became difficult for him to move around Grant Road and elsewhere as fans wanted his autograph or wished to speak to him.

Phiroze became well versed in Urdu also after performing a memorable role in Vaman Avtar. Phiroze worked successively at Eastern Arts and Minerva Movietone for many years and in 1945 he retired from the movies. He had worked in 15 films. He became a pupil of Swami Gangharva. Dastoor gave performances in a program called Sangeet Jalsa in 1949 at Karachi. This program was organized by the All India Music Conference. During his memorable train journey to Karachi he was accompanied by famous singers Gangubai Hungal, Ustad Esnaad Khan, Kumar Gangharva, etc. He sang on All India Radio regularly. He was also appointed to teach music to college students by the Bombay University.

DINSHAW NATERWALLA