Homi Wadia
(The Veteran Producer and Director)

Homi Wadia founded his new company Basant Pictures. Her first film in the new environment surprising was social film called Mauj (1942). In that picture Nadia's histrionics were stretched to include a highly dramatic scene in which she was made to cry. Her audience did not take kindly to this and demanded the scene be deleted. For a while it seemed that Nadia's career was over. Homi, who by this time was in love with Nadia proved otherwise and seized the opportunity to recreate the magic of 'Hunterwali' once again by producing a daring sequel called "The Daughter of Hunterwali" (1934). As if it were déjà vu the film smashed box-office receipts and breathed new life to the Stunt Genre. For the next ten years Nadia once again rode the celluloid wave thrilling new and younger audience with such memorable films as "Tigress", "Stunt Queen". "Comet", "Lady Robinhood", "Wild Cat" , "Jungle Goddess" and "The Magic of Baghdad".

In 1959, Nadia retired from the screen and took to living an active social from the screen and took to living an active social life as the wife of producer Homi Wadia. Her passion for horses kept her in the public eye as she took to breeding thoroughbreds for racing. Her colt Nijinsk became the greatest racehorse of the Indian turf by winning both the Indian Derby and the St. Ledger. In 1968, she returned to the screen for her final role in "Khilari" - a spoof on the popular James Bond Films.

Fearless Nadia's contribution to the Indian film movement is tremendous. At the height of her career, her films would often save the industry at the box-office. In the storm and stress of Independence Movement, hers was the most powerful voice that preached communal tolerance and secularism. She was the first true feminist of the Indian screen whose physical prowess and sheer dint of action proved to the male chauvinistic society that women are equal to men - if not more fearless.

She did all her stunts herself, something that no other artists of later years can boast of. Often relegated by eclectic critics of the cinema as an oddity and a one-off-star, Nadia's growing legend proves otherwise. Nadia raised the stunt form to an Art form and it is a tribute to her persona that almost sixty years since her first screen appearance, she remains as vibrant a personality today as she was when she first cracked a whip and yelled a loud "Hey" in her dramatic entrance as Hunterwali (The Lady with The Whip).