Shoot-out at Rustom Baug

Though the cash strapped Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) is unable to expend money for the upkeep of the various housing colonies, attempts by baug associations to raise money are caught in the crossfire between the warring BPP trustees. Thus when the Rustom Baug (RB) residents wanted to raise a portion of the seven lakh rupees (US $ 11,000) required to repair their badminton courts by permitting a one-day film shoot, they found their efforts thwarted by four trustees.
In a letter dated July 1, 2015 to Homiar Shroff, president of the Sir Ness Wadia Memorial Pavilion (SNWMP), BPP trustee Yazdi Desai, also a RB resident, noted the BPP "has decided by a majority (Arnavaz Mistry, Jimmy Mistry, Khojeste Mistree and Desai) not to allow any …shooting of advertisement/films in any of our baugs and colonies. (Two trustees, chairman Dinshaw Mehta and Armaity Tirandaz, favor the shoots)…I fully understand that such advertisement/film shooting would generate much needed funds. However I am of the firm view that there are other ways of generating income… like tying up the May Queen pageant with a social cause.”

May Queen Ball contestants (above); The Sir Ness Wadia Pavilion at Rustom Baug

Desai stated that "advertising/film shootings disrupt the peace in the colonies … parking becomes an issue, security of our colonies where a majority of our residents are senior citizens is another major concern.” He noted "the proposed Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) Development Plan has shown the RB ground and Pavilion as an open space for general public use. The Wadia Trust has lodged a protest stating that the Pavilion and the grounds are only for the private recreational use of the residents of RB and members of the Parsi community. But if the BMC becomes aware that we are commercially exploiting the property it would greatly compromise our stand, and strengthen the BMC’s case. Not one amongst us, I am sure, would want the ground and Pavilion to be opened up for general public use.”
Desai’s letter was in response to a letter by Shroff appended with signatures of around 120 RB residents sent on May 29 to the BPP board of trustees. The colonyites had noted infrastructure repairs "involve huge financial outlays. Besides the collection of membership fees, which has been maintained at a reasonable level for encouraging all the tenants to make a positive use of the facilities offered by the Pavilion, funds are generated through giving out the grounds for Parsi weddings/navjotes. However, the income generated is not substantial and is not commensurate with the inconvenience caused to the tenants in the form of huge crowds attending the ceremonies, which also creates parking problems, lack of cleanliness and hygiene on account of the catering and mostly a high security risk both in terms of the guests as well as residents of the Colony.
"An innovative, cost effective and largely risk free approach of raising the much needed revenue is by providing the Club House and the adjoining grounds for shooting for commercial advertisements. Various Wadia and BPP colonies and properties have successfully raised significant funds by this route for the BPP, their colonies and for the greater good of the community as a whole,” state Shroff and the residents.
The letter made reference to "an attractive offer for shooting an advertisement in the badminton court at the Sir Ness Wadia Memorial Pavilion” that would have generated an income of Rs 60,000 for the Baug and an equal amount for the impoverished BPP. National badminton champion Saina Nehwal was to participate in the one-day shoot and could have met the colony’s youngsters inculcating an interest in the sport, lamented SNWMP honorary secretary and Rustom Baug Association (RBA) treasurer Xerxes Dastur.
The colonyites’ views were further reinforced by the RBA president Burzis Taraporevala who in a letter dated July 5 addressed to Desai acknowledged that the use of the compound for weddings and navjotes was "very welcome as (other venues) are both costly and difficult to get” and earned income for RB and the BPP. But on the downside he pointed out "the catering is done at a makeshift kitchen,” on an open fire covered on all four sides as well as the top with a cloth. This is a veritable fire trap. Waste food is left in open bins or sometimes in a corner of the makeshift kitchen, resulting in health hazards. Guests tend to park within the periphery of the colony resulting in lack of parking for the tenants. The grounds are cleared in most cases after midnight, causing a nuisance to residents.”
Regarding the proposed BMC Development Plan, Taraporevala said the "plan has been sent back to the drawing board and with the opposition that it has received I would not be surprised if it is shelved and a new one is drawn up, which will definitely take quite a few years.” As for the May Queen Ball, Taraporevala noted, "revenues have gone up; however the costs for hosting the Ball have also increased and the profits generated are not adequate for meeting the overall expenses…
"In comparison to what has been stated above, shoots for movies/commercials are done in an extremely professional manner; the vehicles are far less than those when the grounds are let out for weddings/navjotes and hence there is no parking problem; the crowds employed for such shoots are far less and well managed; and most importantly the revenues generated are far in excess of those from weddings/navjotes, which once again are shared with the BPP. Further, when such shoots are finally screened, very few in the outside world realize that the same was shot at Rustom Baug.”
As regards the inconvenience caused to residents, Taraporevala noted, "The tenants both young and old should also appreciate the facilities, at subsidized costs, made available to them in this heaven on earth…
"Finally, the infighting among the trustees of the BPP rendering the trust virtually ineffective and totally dysfunctional has resulted in an absolute disservice to the very people who elected them. To add insult to injury the stepmotherly treatment meted to RB by denying the badminton shoot, has left most of the tenants frustrated, angered and let down by the very people whom they trusted.”
The controversy has been raging for quite some time and even featured in the general media. Mumbai Mirror (MM) of April 26, 2015 made reference to an earlier film shoot in RB on April 23 and 24 when Desai’s wife Anahita is quoted as alleging, the film "crew members keep loitering all over the place till as late as 2 a.m. We have senior citizens and young women and security is definitely a concern.”
The two-day shoot, however, garnered Rs 8,00,000 (US$ 12,675) which was split 50-50 between the BPP and RB. "It’s a win-win situation for the BPP as well as the residents who have plenty of expenses anyway,” MM quoted BPP chairman Dinshaw Mehta as stating. "Shootings are the best source of revenue and there is no reason why we should not allow it.”
The daily also quotes film director and actress Farah Khan as stating shooting in the baugs gives the real feeling when one has a Parsi character in the movie. "If I have a Parsi character in the film, I would want to shoot in a Parsi area and the baugs are the best choice.” But, she added mournfully, "It is difficult to shoot anywhere in Bombay.”