Some performances settle so deeply into Hindi-film memory that a single line of dialogue still carries them decades later. For Parzaan Dastur, that line was “Tussi jaa rahe ho? Tussi na jao,” delivered as a six-year-old to Kajol’s Anjali in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. The actor who played that little Sikh boy is now far from the screen’s centre, but his career has continued quietly through the industry’s backstage.
The child-actor years
Dastur was six when he appeared alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. In a 2021 conversation with Brut India, he remembered the shoot as “party time” and recalled walking and spending time with Kajol on set. After that film, he worked in titles including Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Mohabbatein, Zubeidaa and Hum Tum.
He also took on tougher material: in Rahul Dholakia’s Parzania (2007), he played a boy who goes missing during the 2002 Gujarat riots, and in Sikandar (2009), a young football aspirant whose life changes after he finds a gun. He remained familiar in advertising too, including the Dhara spot built around the word “jalebi”.
From Karan Johar sets to the AD chair
As the recognition faded, Dastur looked for different work. He studied business management and returned to Karan Johar’s orbit, this time behind the monitor as an assistant director on Student of the Year (2012), the launchpad for Varun Dhawan, Sidharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt. He also assisted on Gori Tere Pyaar Mein (2013) and Fitoor (2016).
He was last seen on screen in Pocket Mummy (2017), a project he also wrote. Speaking to Brut India, he reflected on the gap between childhood fame and an adult screen career: “I don’t know why I didn’t find success in mainstream cinema, I keep asking myself that question.”
A second act built on craft
After a stint at a digital marketing firm, where his interest in writing took shape, Dastur set up Ten Colour Productions. For nearly a decade he has produced, directed and written advertisements, music videos, branded content and fiction projects. Through the company’s filmmaking podcast, TCP Originals, he interviews writers and directors about screenwriting; guests have included Nikhil Mehrotra, Sharan Sharma and Raj Mehta.
- Age six: Plays the Sikh boy in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.
- 2012–2016: Works as an assistant director on Student of the Year, Gori Tere Pyaar Mein and Fitoor.
- 2017: Last screen appearance in Pocket Mummy, which he also wrote.
- Now: Runs Ten Colour Productions and hosts TCP Originals.
Dastur married his longtime girlfriend Delna Shroff in February 2021.
For an audience that still quotes his childhood scene, Dastur’s path is a reminder of how much of Hindi cinema is sustained by people who leave the frame. The recognition changed; the work did not disappear.
Source: Hindustan Times
Comments