Parzania

Parzania
Directed byRahul Dholakia
Written byDavid N. Donihue
Rahul Dholakia
Produced byRahul Dholakia
Kamal Patel
StarringNaseeruddin Shah
Sarika
Corin Nemec
Raj Zutshi
Parzan Dastur
CinematographyRobert D. Eras
Edited byAarif Sheikh
Music byZakir Hussain
Taufiq Qureshi
Distributed byPVR Pictures
Release dates
  • 26 November 2005 (2005-11-26) (film festival)
  • 26 January 2007 (2007-01-26) (theatrical)
Running time
122 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageEnglish
BudgetUS$700,000

Parzania (translation: Heaven and hell on earth) is a 2007 Indian drama film co-written and directed by Rahul Dholakia; David N. Donihue is the other co-writer. The film featured Naseeruddin Shah and Sarika in the lead roles, while Corin Nemec and Raj Zutshi played supporting roles. Made on a budget of US$700,000, the film was shot in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.

The film is inspired by the true story of Rupa Mody, a Parsi woman whose ten-year-old son, Azhar Mody (represented in the film as the character Parzaan Pithawala) disappeared after the 28 February 2002 Gulbarg Society massacre during which 69 people were killed and which was one of the violent episodes of the communal riots in Gujarat. The film traces the journey of the Pithawala family while trying to locate their missing son.

The film was premiered at 36th India International Film Festival in Goa on 26 November 2005, before being released nationwide on 26 January 2007.