Fearless Nadia

"This is a fascinating book. It doesn’t have any footnotes or references but it’s a scholarly book. Wenner explains how she became fascinated by Nadia – I believe she had some association with her family. There were all sorts of rumours about Nadia’s ancestry, such as whether her mother was Greek or Anglo-Indian. I believe a consensus emerged that she was Anglo-Indian. For a time Nadia lived in England, and she had a varied career before becoming the most improbable film star. She was enormously popular. There is also a half-hour film made by one of her nephews called Hunter Wallah. Nadia was significant and interesting as an actress but also in her mediating role as the wife of an influential Parsi film-maker. At the turn of the 20th century or even before, and most certainly through to the 1940s, the Parsis were one of the most important groups in Bombay, both financially and culturally. They were the first industrialists and bankers and they also became lawyers and film-makers. But they were always perceived to be cosmopolitan and they made cosmopolitan, social films. However Nadia was not cut out for social issues because she preferred adventure. They made a series of adventure films in which she played a starring role."