Pervin Dastur

QAMYAB – THE FORGOTTEN GEMS OF BOLLYWOOD

Qamyab is our humble tribute to all those lesser-known actors, one hit wonders and junior artists who we see umpteen times but don’t know about; beyond their faces. These actors have been an integral part of Bollywood but didn’t get their due. This series is our sincere attempt to put a name to these faces, familiarize them to our readers and celebrate their achievements in life – however big or small. We believe that every artist contributes in his/her own way to the cinema’s success. Qamyab will explore the unknown lives of such actors and artists as we believe even these forgotten gems of Bollywood deserve their due recognition today.

The year was 1989. Rajshri Productions, one of the oldest film production and distribution company, decided to give their heir Sooraj Barjatya a chance to direct his first film. It was a musical love story of a girl and boy set against backdrop of parental opposition. Sooraj wanted a fresh cast and crew for his debut and chose relative newcomers for the project.

Maine Pyar Kiya (MPK in short) released in the last week of December 1989 and became one of the biggest blockbusters of all time. It brought name and fame to all its cast and crew including Salman Khan, Bhagyashree, Reema, Alok Nath and Mohnish Bahl.

One more actor who came in to limelight by the film’s sudden success was Pervin Dastur who played the role of a vamp. In a significant departure from Rajshri’s earlier vamps which were jealous middle class or village belle types, Pervin’s character was a high society lady who drinks, smokes and tries to seduce the hero.

Interestingly, Pervin’s casting in MPK happened by chance. Once, Sooraj Barjatya went to an English play and came across a young girl whom he decided to cast in his film. She was Pervin Dastur, the beautiful Parsi girl, who had created a mark in theatre by then. In fact, she had even played a main lead in a play opposite veteran Naseeruddin Shah.

Actually, Pervin never had movies in her mind but she didn’t refuse Sooraj even though it was a small role. She was doing a lot of English theatre since 1984 and decided to try out a film as well. The plus point of Pervin Dastur was that being from South Bombay, she was fluent in English and that’s what Sooraj Barjatya needed for his character in MPK. Moreover, he was impressed by her westernized looks and talent.

Pervin’s negative character in MPK was appreciated by the audience particularly her scenes with Laxmikant Berde got claps and whistles when Berde says “Seema aunty baj gayi ghanti” and the way she angrily asks him to shut up. “Bade old fashioned ho Prem” was her another memorable line in the movie. With MPK’s success, Pervin Dastur became a household name just like the lead pair Salman and Bhagyashree. People would often refer to her by her screen name Seema and it seemed Bollywood had discovered its new vamp but that wasn’t to be.

Quite naturally, Pervin Dastur was flooded with offers post MPK, mostly vamp roles, but she was comfortable working with selected people only and refused all the vamp roles to avoid getting typecast. Most of these offers weren’t even backed by a proper story and required skin show which she wasn’t willing to do.

After MPK, Pervin was seen in Titan Watches commercial which was popular on Doordarshan in the ’90s. It is generally felt she never did a film after MPK but that is not true. Pervin did appear in two more films. One was Ahmaq (aka Idiot) (1991) with then newcomer Shahrukh Khan but this film got released as a four-part mini-series on Doordarshan. Her second film was Dil Ke Jharoke Main (1997) starring Manisha Koirala and Vikas Bhalla which was a delayed release and flopped badly. She also did a few TV serials one of them being Aarohan with Pallavi Joshi and Shefali Shah.

In between MPK and Dil Ke Jharoke Main, Pervin had got a plum offer in 1990 for Tahir Hussain’s Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke (1993). But at the same time, she got a call from Air India for her training as air hostess. Nikhat Khan, producer Tahir Hussain’s daughter and actor Aamir Khan’s sister, was flying with her those days and she told her father about Pervin’s dilemma. Tahir Hussain advised her to take her own decision and also recommend someone else for the movie. It is then she suggested the name of Navneet Nishan who got the role. If Pervin had done Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke, she would have become the first actress to work with all three Khans. Lost opportunity indeed!!

While working with Air India, Pervin Dastur completed Dil Ke Jharoke Main and the company was quite supportive in accommodating her leaves during the shoot.

MPK completed twenty-five years in 2014 and fans were busy sharing their memories on social media. The one recurring question was where is Pervin Dastur now but hardly anyone knew about her. Few years later, a source claimed that Pervin is very much in Mumbai and living a happy family life with her husband and kids. One of my Parsi friend also clarified the same but to get more details was difficult as Pervin was away from limelight since almost three decades.

It was only two years back in an interview, Pervin finally spoke about her career before and post MPK and also disclosed some personal details. Apparently, Pervin married Shahrukh Sirus Irani and together they have two daughters Genevive and Kyra. Presently, she works as a hairstylist and is doing well in her life. In 2018, she along with her husband, made a rare guest appearance in the Parsi play Aavo Mari Saathe.

In this digital era, her friend Mahabanoo Mody -Kotwal recommended her name to director Kapil Kaustubh Sharma for his web series Margaon: The Closed File in which she will be acting with veteran beauty Zeenat Aman alongside Pallavi Joshi, Kitu Gidwani, Suchitra Krishnamoorthy and Lilliput. Her husband Shahrukh Irani and one of their daughters will also be part of this series.

Pervin Dastur is considered a one film wonder but her character of Seema still remains fresh in everyone’s mind.