“Do make noise”

The 600-seater Albion Cinema in Toronto became the venue for a "Bawaji evening” on August 26, when Shirin Chaturvedi, Meher Panthaky and Arnavaz Dhabhar took the initiative to bring 410 members of the community together to enjoy the comedy Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi, starring Boman Irani and Farah Khan with a supporting cast of Daisy Irani, Shammi, Kurush Deboo and many other familiar names.

"It was so much fun to see the young and the young-at-heart excited to see the movie. After the movie ended the general comment was ‘Ai tau jaané Metro né Novelty maa movie jovaa gayaa hoi tévu laagu [It felt as if we had gone to see a movie in (Bombay’s) Metro and Novelty cinema houses],’” noted a write-up by Panthaky who used her extensive contacts to draw many Parsis to the evening. She also appreciated that Arnavaz and Jamshed Dhabhar used their influence with Albion Cinema to book the theater for community members and their non-Parsi friends who enjoy their company.

"The fun continued even after the movie” when over 100 of them availed of a discounted "Gujju (Gujarati) thali "with karaoke music at Govardhan Thali outside the Albion Cinema. Past midnight, the most common refrain was "Let’s have more of this kind of evening.”

Enthusiastic members of the Toronto community outside Albion Cinema Photos: Daraious Billimoria

On hearing of this enthusiasm Boman Irani posted a message for his overseas fans on a social networking site as reported in the Mid-Day of August 29: "Do enjoy your evening; do make noise, whistle and holler. I will feel it here in Mumbai. Wish I could be there with you all, and be the most badly behaved person in the hall. Cheers!”

When Parsiana had an opportunity to have a brief telephone chat with Irani on the evening of August 31, nearly a week after the release of the film in Bombay, he referred to the evening show special screening organized at Sterling cinema on August 25 when the cast and the director Bela Sehgal had personally gone to promote the movie. After interacting with the crowd, he left the theater for a brief while and returned later to "watch the wonderful responses with laughing and cheering and camaraderie among friends.”

He also referred to the "warmth and hospitality” shown to him when shooting for the film at Cusrow Baug. Known and unknown faces would "continuously bring him tea, sandwiches, snacks… Food kept coming in. It was almost like a canteen.”

Whilst the director was focusing on relating her story, with their Parsi background the cast were able to flavor it, "embroider and give it a texture.” His responsibility as the hero "was to keep the story and film together. My responsibility is to my character. My objective is to make sure I have essayed the character well.” Was Farah (being the daughter of a Parsi mother and non-Parsi father) as comfortable in her role? Describing his co-star as "a good actress,” Irani related, "There is something inherently Parsi/Irani about her.”

When asked to compare his role in this film with the earlier release Ferrari ki Sawaari where he essays the role of a Parsi grandfather, Irani commented, "Although I have enjoyed both films and am proud of both, Ferrari ki Sawaari was a much heavier role, more strenuous where I play the role of an old man; labored man... I look at every role as a challenge and work as hard.”

Parinaz M. Gandhi