Benifer Irani Sets Navroz Spirit Soaring In Kiwiland With ‘Tirangi Tehmul’!
Auckland’s Zoroastrian Community is all set to embrace Jamshedi Navroz with some good old Bawa humor, with the Parsi natak – ‘Tirangi Tehmul’, all thanks to the efforts of Benifer Porus Irani. An active community worker, Benifer connected with Rashna Mehta, the daughter of the play’s writer – late Dorab Mehta, to get the script all the way from Mumbai to New Zealand. ‘Tirangi Tehmul’ has been adapted by Benifer Irani, Freddy Dastur and Kiyan Dastur, and will be performed at the Playhouse Theatre in Auckland on March 23, 2019. Importantly, the play is a fundraiser for the Foroud Shahlori Dar-be-Mehr (apru Dadgah) in Auckland.
Also having produced and co-directed the play with Jayesh Bateriwala, Benifer describes ‘Tirangi Tehmul’ as a “total dhamal and mastiwalo comedy play,” which revolves around playboy Tehmul, who has not one, but three girlfriends – all of them living in same house as him! Tehmul is played by Auckland’s Nivzer Dadabhoy and his girlfriends – Binaifer, Rita and Mini are played by Delshad Kalantary, Bhumika Khanna and Aliza Biviji, respectively; Tehmul’s servant Aflatoon is played by local Mobed, Freddy Dastur. The play turns into a roller-coaster of confusion and laughter when Tehmul’s friend, ‘Dadi’ played by Pakuranga’s Kaizad Karkaria, arrives from Germany and stays with Tehmul, and tries to cosy up with all of Tehmul’s lasses!
Late Dorab Mehta’s plays have been performed earlier in New Zealand – with the rom-com, ‘Jha Jov Tha Baira’ performed on Parsi New Year as a fundraiser for the 5th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress in Auckland.
