Parsi Wada, Tarapore - Present Day
Originally from Iran, Parsis came to India to flee Islamisation. India was one of the few countries at the time that accepted them, but they could only stay if they didn't try to convert others to their Zoroastrian faith. These days, Parsis are dying out. As they continue to obey the strict rule that children must be born to Parsi parents to become part of the community, their numbers are decreasing every day. deals with the extinction of the Parsi community in the former Parsi village of Tarapur near Mumbai, a city where most Parsis in India reside today. Parsi director Kaevan Umrigar wonders if Mumbai will meet the same fate. Umrigar points out that he grew up on stories about the grandeur of the Parsis, "how we were the pioneers of practically everything in India. The not-so-great aspects of the community were something I was left to discover myself. This blinkered vision of the community, refusing to see what it considers inconvenient or embarrassing, has always disturbed me." With very few words and nostalgic images, Umrigar succeeds in creating an atmosphere of nostalgia and overwhelming memories.
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