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added to his zeal for social and cultural change—including the emancipation of women, the casting aside of superstition and harmful practices such as the caste system, and the need to educate each and every person if India was truly to be free and sustainable as an independent nation. His films, including the few stunt films he would make before abandoning that genre altogether, included these themes - such as Raj
Nartaki, Vishwas, Balam, Madhosh, Mela, Ankh ki Sharam, Manthan and Amar Raj. The Fearless Nadia starrer Diamond Queen captures all these themes perfectly - blending bold calls for revolution and the eradication of corruption with breathtaking stunts performed by the amazing Mary Ann Evans (aka Fearless Nadia) and John Cavas. Indeed, it was Wadia's ability to entertain while educating and empowering that is perhaps his strongest and greatest contribution to Indian cinema at a particularly pivotal and crucial time in Indian history.
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JBH Wadia encouraged them to defy the family, including their orthodox mother
Dhunmai, Homi could not bring himself to marry Mary until his mother died. By the time they got married in 1961, they were too old to have their own children, although Homi and Mary eventually formally adopted Bobby Jones, who was either Mary's much younger brother (the story that was always pushed forward) or perhaps her real son from a prior relationship.
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degrees, as well as proficiency in
Persian, Gujarati and Urdu (languages he wrote poetry in as well). Although he tried to carve out a career in finance and law, his true passion was the cinema, which he encountered via the initial offerings of the Lumiere Brothers and other films that made their way
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It was a very conservative family, with JBH Wadia perhaps the only genuine rebel among them. His discovery of Mary Ann Evans who he immortalized as
Fearless Nadia, the stunt queen par excellence, led to Homi falling in love with Mary – much against the rest of the family's wishes. Indeed, although
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In the late 1930s, Wadia got involved in the Indian freedom struggle, initially inspired by the Indian
Congress Party and then by M.N. Roy, the former Communist who turned away from Communism after a falling-out with Stalin and started his own party, Radical Humanism. The friendship with M.N. Roy
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movie Lal-E-Yaman, inspired by the
Orientalist fantasy world espoused by the Arabian Nights and related themes. This movie's success helped establish Wadia Movietone as a studio to contend with, in partnership with his brother Homi, their distributor Manchesa B Billimoria and the Tata brothers
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Vinci and Nargis had two children: Roy (named after M.N. Roy), who became a journalist at CNN) and eventually joined the United
Nations, and Riyad, who resurrected the Wadia Movietone banner and the Fearless Nadia legend during his brief life with an award-winning documentary on Nadia, titled
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Some of the notable movies made by
Movietone studio were Swadesh, Black Rose, Fauladi Mukka, Return of Toofan Mail, Jai Bharat, Kahan Hai Manzil Teri and movies starring Fearless Nadia namely Hunterwali - Miss Frontier Mail, Hurricane Hansa, Lootaru Lalna, Diamond Queen, Bambaiwali and Jungle
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of shipbuilders whose vessels had served the East Indian
Company, including the opium trade with China. His own branch of the family had, however, fallen on hard times in the late 19th and early 20th century, and finances were tight. Wadia himself was well educated with and
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to
British India. When JBH turned to film-making, his family were initially not at all supportive - and were even more dismayed when his younger brother Homi decided to join him. However, with the success of their movies, the rest of the family eventually came around.
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Vinci married Nargis Khambata, who eventually became the first woman in Asia to start her own advertising agency, Interpublicity, or Interpub. Haidee married a German, Gerhard Meier, and moved to Boblingen, Germany.
191:, featuring legendary artistes such as Feroz Dastur, Bal Gandharva, Malika Pukhraj and Pandit Tirthankar. Wadia Movietone was also the first to create an Indian film without songs,
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Under the Wadia Movietone Studio banner Wadia introduced a variety of new concepts to Indian cinema starting with a stunt actress playing a leading role to a documentary newsreel,
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as well as under Deware Laboratories. These movies were modest successes and were mostly remakes of populist Hollywood classics. In the year 1933 he founded Wadia
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stands for master shipbuilders. In a family of entrepreneurs Wadia is credited with creation of movies involving populist stunt roles including those by
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Wadia began his film making career with silent movies. Being an intellectual and avid writer he wrote scripts for his movies while his younger brother
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JBH Wadia died in 1986 due to cancer, triggered by a fall endured when crossing the road near his home and being struck by a car.
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who joined him in the business a few years later was usually tasked with directing them. He produced his first movie
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Wadia was married to Hilla Patel, to whom he was distantly related. They had two children, a son named
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491:"Fearless: The Hunterwali Story." Riyad also produced India's first gay-themed film, a short titled
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in 1928, along with 11 other silent movies at the Kohinoor Studios in
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whose ancestral business was ship building. Their family name of
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109:(13 September 1901 – 4 January 1986), commonly referred to as
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and bringing concept of stunt actresses in Indian cinema.
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movie director, screenwriter, producer and founder of
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521:"A Brief history of Movietone and Wadia Brothers"
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203:, and the very first Indian television series,
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635:M.N. Roy, the man: an incomplete Royana
495:. Riyad died in 2003 at the age of 36.
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608:. Mid-Day. 22 May 2001. Archived from
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454:Wadia was born to a prominent Parsi
275:Wadia Movietone's Variety Programme
189:Wadia Movietone's Variety Programme
180:, to a feature-length documentary,
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562:"Chotisi Duniya: Hunterwali Nadia"
211:Movies from Wadia Movietone Studio
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733:20th-century Indian screenwriters
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121:Studio. He was born in prominent
743:20th-century Indian male writers
293:(first Indian television series)
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693:Hindi-language film directors
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483:and a daughter named Haidee.
728:Indian silent film directors
723:Indian silent film producers
534:Gledhill, Christine (1991).
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537:Stardom: industry of desire
168:company and made his first
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718:20th-century Indian people
678:Film producers from Mumbai
673:Film directors from Mumbai
713:Indian male screenwriters
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698:Parsi people from Mumbai
450:Family and personal life
107:Jamshed Boman Homi Wadia
35:Jamshed Boman Homi Wadia
16:Bollywood movie director
173:Burjore and Nadirshaw.
230:
606:"Happy Birthday Homi"
393:Return of Toofan Mail
356:Kahan Hai Manzil Teri
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708:Hindi film producers
639:. Popular Prakashan.
594:on 22 February 2012.
540:. Psychology Press.
229:was Wadia's big hit.
631:Wadia, JBH (1983).
445:Husn Ka Chor (1953)
331:Miss Frontier Mail
262:The Indian Gazette
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178:The Indian Gazette
128:which hailed from
113:, was a prominent
703:People from Surat
250:(1928) (producer)
225:(1935) featuring
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70:Years active
45:13 September 1901
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590:. Archived from
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378:The Court Dancer
197:The Court Dancer
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401:Jungle Princess
344:Hurricane Hansa
291:Hotel Taj Mahal
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205:Hotel Taj Mahal
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119:Wadia Movietone
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654:J. B. H. Wadia
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738:Wadia family
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99:Wadia family
55:(1986-01-04)
18:
688:1986 deaths
683:1901 births
572:25 December
385:Raj Nartaki
255:Lal-E-Yaman
242:Filmography
148:Film career
81:Hilla Patel
667:Categories
616:28 January
502:References
371:Bambaiwali
323:Hunterwali
307:Jai Bharat
302:Black Rose
234:Princess.
222:Hunterwali
219:Poster of
154:Homi Wadia
62:Occupation
41:1901-09-13
281:Nav Jawan
193:Nav Jawan
166:Movietone
115:Bollywood
94:Relatives
73:1928–1985
415:Amar Raj
277:(series)
270:Congress
268:Haripura
185:Congress
183:Haripura
86:Children
65:Director
439:Madhosh
317:Manthan
312:Vishwas
297:Swadesh
134:Gujarat
544:
493:BOMgAY
462:L.L.B.
456:family
442:(1951)
434:(1949)
426:(1948)
418:(1946)
410:(1943)
404:(1942)
396:(1942)
388:(1941)
380:(1941)
374:(1941)
366:(1940)
358:(1939)
352:(1938)
346:(1937)
340:(1936)
334:(1936)
326:(1935)
258:(1933)
170:Talkie
126:family
78:Spouse
481:Vinci
431:Balam
162:Dadar
138:Wadia
130:Surat
123:Parsi
658:IMDb
618:2019
574:2011
542:ISBN
468:M.A.
465:and
423:Mela
286:Ekta
201:Ekta
97:See
50:Died
31:Born
656:at
669::
510:^
207:.
132:,
620:.
576:.
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523:.
89:2
43:)
39:(
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