Whips, quips and swinging hips

She came she cartwheeled she conquered And signalled trends beyond flamboyant showwomanship to create sociocultural historyMary Ann Evans aka Nadia 19081996 ruled as Indiarsquos top celluloid action heroine from the 1930s Known as the whipcracking masked dogooder in the countryrsquos first ever potboiler to feature a woman vigilante she stood for a great deal moreGrandnephew Roy Wadia with the stainedglass window bearing the family crest incorporating the famed ship emblem from Lovji CastleldquoUsing subversive methods she fought for freedom and for womenrsquos rights in her filmshellip She was a shimmering mixture of action eroticism and progressive ideas this rare combination rendering her exemplary modern to this dayrdquo writes Dorothee Wenner in Fearless Nadia The true story of Bollywoodrsquos original stunt queenTranslated from the German by Rebecca Morrison the book pursues the actressrsquo personal and professional trajectory running parallel with the cityrsquos mid20th century zeitgeistMary and Homi Wadia at one of the legendary parties in their Juhu shackHow exactly did HunterwaliHurricane HansaHimmatwali wow Bombay Where did she live and work here A riveting story vaulting across continents contextualises thisPerthborn to a Scottish father and Greek mother she learnt the dances of his land and soulful songs of hers To those inherited talents she added athletic prowess matching daredevil attitude with lithe gracePosters of Diamond Queen and Bambaiwali iconic 1940s films starring Nadia born Mary Ann Evans Pics Copyright Wadia MovietoneRoy WadiaSent sailing to India in World War I army man Herbert Evansrsquo regiment was stationed on Elephanta Island when Mary was just four Stepping on to Bombayrsquos new Ballard Pier with the little girl her mother Margret hoped their destination proved its reputation of more broadmindedly welcoming foreigners than other towns Cooped in a Colaba flat Margret worked as a textile factory seamstress Herbertrsquos death in the 1915 offensive against German troops in Reims resulted in Mary being admitted to a boarding school on Bycullarsquos Claire RoadAbandoning her education to join relatives in Peshawar she and her mother boarded the Frontier Mail the legendary train partially titled her 1936 thriller Miss Frontier Mail There she adroitly picked up the adventurous skills of horseback riding rifle shooting fishing and acrobatics Circumstances forced them to return Mary now with a son Bobby to support Job stints as a law firm secretary and clothing department salesgirl in the Army amp Navy Store at Kala Ghoda excited her less than employment with Russian dancer Madame Astrovarsquos travelling troupe or training in gymnastics to be a Zarko Circus trapeze artistAn Armenian fortune teller suggested she assume another name for luck beginning with the letter N While she toured the country with revues replete with music mimicry slapstick and sporty feats she was spotted by a Lahore cinema owner He recommended an address of Bombay associates the film studio of the Wadia brothersJamshed lsquoJBHrsquo Wadia greatgrandson of master shipbuilder Lovji Nusserwanji Wadia founded Wadia Movietone in 1933 He was influenced by the Lumieres Douglas Fairbanks and serial stars Pearl White and Helen Holmes Nadia met JBH and his younger brother Homi at their company headquarters Lovji Castle in Parelmdashsubsequently converted to V Shantaramrsquos Rajkamal KalamandirThe Wadias admired the cool assurance with which the statuesque blueeyed blonde promised her willingness to attempt anything once on screen She exuded the potential for parts far distant from submissive feminine stereotypes abounding in the industryAfter minor roles in LaleYaman and Desh Deepak with focused tutoring in Hindustani diction in 1935 she delivered a huge hit as the Hunterwali lead Hunterwali fever raged wild and wide gripping panIndian fans Actresses like Padma had earlier essayed action parts but their appointed doubles ran risks in dangerous situations Desi audiences were stunned by a white woman who performed her own stunts tamed lions fought bandits and bad boys with equanimity and elanInstead of the usual coy damsels in distress she expertly wielded swords fell from roofs swung from chandeliers and jumped from speeding locomotives with practised insoucianceThe Wadia find grew to be the gold mine of their studio and exulted that JBH publicised her as the Indian Pearl White She said ldquoIn a Perils of Pauline sequence Pearl drives a race car fast to save the hero from spies In Bombay at that time there werenrsquot many cars and even fewer women driving them I was inspired to tryrdquoRolls Royce ki Beti the famous stunt car actually an Austin featured in several films Boasting neatly multiple usesmdashthe camera was sometimes perched on itmdashthe vehicle leapt to life at Nadiarsquos precisely aimed kick to its body and not the switchon ignition Moving driverless posed no problem and in Lutaru Lalna Nadia had it jolt up dramatically to slice the air The emotional angle was trickier Yet Nadia pulled off a challenge bigger than the saintwhore tightrope that her 1940s colleagues tiptoed on With her ample figure limitedly clad to facilitate the trademark muscle flexions producers decided to downplay overt sexuality with a casting foil Actor John Cawas portrayed her assistant in combat only mildly attracted to her Asked why this pair were not wed in the end reel Homi replied ldquoIt simply wasnrsquot necessaryrdquo Her reallife hero was of course Homi Their romance remained clandestine because of vehement opposition from his mother Dhunmai and sisters one of them being Shiamak Davarrsquos grandmother The conservative ladies dreaded murmurs about the affair in elite circles On the sets Nadiarsquos black humour and bravery deeply impressed Homi ldquoMadame Astrova taught me never to give in to a fight but face it and break itrdquo she declared Fight she had to in a different way for her love They did not marry till 1961 after Dhunmai passed away ldquoThey were the most romantic pair way into their ninetiesrdquo says Haidar Ali actor son of Nadiarsquos close friend modelactress Pramila Excelling as a Westernised vamp Pramila was Esther Abraham the first Miss India in 1947 ldquoIn their bamboo shack under the Juhu beach palms Homi Uncle and Aunty Mary hosted fantastic Xmas Eve parties He dressed as Santa with the best false nose and most reallooking beard Remember the Wadias were kings of special effectsrdquo As a kid their grandnephew Wadia Movietone principal director Roy Wadia his father Vinci was JBHrsquos son was fascinated by the Father Christmas guises Homi donned ldquoThey could refer to contemporary events During the 197273 oil crisis he arrived as Claus on a camel On other occasions we gathered at the cottage for lunch or Housie with drinks and dancingrdquo His mother Nargis recollects ldquoA kind uncle and aunt Homi and Mary took care to organise games in the sand for the children like eggandspoon or potato sack racesrdquoWeeklong the couple shuttled between three residences with their major domo John Monday to Wednesday they stayed in Munira Lodge on Convent Street in Colaba Thursday till Friday evening was at the Chembur bungalow It skirted Basant Studios which Homi established in 1942 launching the Basant Pictures banner Despite creative differences seeing the brothers go separate ways from then both continued weighing in on each otherrsquos projects Saturday and Sunday were reserved for relaxing and socialising in JuhuSome afternoons were spent at their regular adda the home of Ruby Myers popular as Sulochana the Silent Erarsquos first female superstar They indulged in spirited rounds of rummy over high tea with cardplayer buddies Pramila and the veteran villain KN SinghThe Wadias frequently dined out with friends like Edna and Brij Nayar at Bombay Gymkhana Gaylord Sea Lounge and Ambassador Hotel for steak or ordered meals from Frederickrsquos behind the RegalThey were also fixtures at the Mahalaxmi racecourse At 60 Nadia staged her comeback as a sassy secret agent in the James Bondinspired Khiladi premiering at Super on Grant Road the cinema the family considered auspicious for their success Its memorabilia are among the posters lobby cards and song booklets at Prinseps auctions The artefacts belong to the estate of Riyad Wadia Royrsquos late brother who made the 1993 documentary Fearless The Hunterwali StoryThat flick catapulting Nadia to fame was by no means her favourite Diamond Queen was JBH agreed The 1940 productionrsquos storylinemdashreflecting the revolutionary thought of MN Roy whose activist philosophy he was drawn tomdashresulted in a quite complete piece of filmmaking Nadiarsquos foreignness allowed her to acceptably mouth pronouncements advocating independence from colonialism and chauvinism alike The tagline of Bambaiwali declared ldquoHush Nadia is coming The woman who makes men blushrdquo All her movies roused mounting anticipation as they neared release dates Girish Karnad recalled his schoolmates sense the charged atmosphere when any stunt film was announced ldquoWe prayed that it would be a lsquoNadiarsquo or a lsquoWadiarsquo film The words were deliciously interchangeable for usrdquoAuthorpublisher Meher Marfatia writes fortnightly on everything that makes her love Mumbai and adore Bombay You can reach her at mehermarfatiamiddaycomwwwmeher marfatiacom