Parvin Dabas has been steadily recovering from a concussion sustained in a car accident on September 21 and is gradually easing back into work. In an exclusive conversation with ETimes, Parvin reflected on his most memorable projects, including Khosla Ka Ghosla, Monsoon Wedding, and My Name Is Khan. He also shared the story of his serendipitous meeting with his wife, Preeti Jhangiani, and expressed pride in their journey as parents to two children.
How are you feeling now? Are you back in action?
I’m better now and just starting to go out slowly. I’m not fully back in action, but let’s say I’m slowly getting back to work.
Khosla Ka Ghosla is re-releasing. What are your memories of the film?
Yes, Khosla Ka Ghosla is re-releasing. Today, I’m just going there for a bit for the promotions. I owe a lot to the film and the producer, so it’s only right that I show up. I have good memories of the film; people gave a lot of love to it, and they still love it to this day. They watch it whenever it comes on TV, so the memories are very well-etched in my mind.
Do you remember how you got the role?
Dibakar Banerjee (the director) didn’t want to cast me. His assistant, Jatin Ravasia, was someone I knew. He called me and told me that a new director was making this film and that he’d set up a meeting with him. Then he disappeared for three months. When he called me again to fix a meeting, I met Dibakar. He told me, “I don’t think you’re right for this role, but Jatin is insisting that I meet you, so I’m meeting you. I want you to audition for the role.” I said, “Okay.” Then he asked, “Shall we audition now?” I replied, “Do you want a good audition, or do you want a quick audition?” He said, “Of course, I want a good audition.” I said, “Okay, then I will come tomorrow.”
He had given me some scenes and everything. I worked on those, thought about the character, and came back the next day. When I returned, he wanted to improvise the scene, so he put the scenes aside and just wanted to improvise. I think he wanted to test me like that. After the improv, he said, “Up until now, this is not how I saw the character, but now this is how I see the character, and I want you to do the film.”
I said, “I will think about it and let you know,” because at that time, I was also getting a foreign film, which was being shot in Israel. But I chose to do this film instead. I worked out the dates and decided to go with this film, and I’m glad I did.
Parvin Dabas Admitted to ICU Following Car Accident; Preeti Jhangiani Stays Close
Monsoon Wedding was the film that changed your life as an actor. Tell me about that film too.
Monsoon Wedding will always be very special. The way I got that role, and my journey as an actor, was a very collaborative effort with Mira Nair. She was always very open, and the writer, Sabrina, made it an amazing experience to work with someone like Mira, who is a master of the craft and delves deeply into the characters. It did change my life, of course, because it was a huge international hit. Just mentioning that I was in Monsoon Wedding meant a lot.
I remember I was at the gym when the casting director, Uma Da Cunha, called me and said that Mira was making this small film at that time. She said it was going to be shot like a wedding film on video cameras. I was supposed to travel to Baroda for a shoot, so I said I didn’t have enough time to come down. But then I realized this was Mira Nair’s film, and whether it was a short film or not, I had to at least try. So, I called Uma back and said, “I’ll come directly from the gym.”
I still remember racing down in my car, literally in my tank top and gym shorts. I auditioned, raced back, and caught my flight. I was one of the people Mira selected for the second round. When we met her for the second round of auditions, she immediately recognized me and said, “Are you the guy who was in the shorts and vest?” I replied, “Yes, I’m sorry. I had to rush down directly from the gym.” She said, “No problem.” After a couple of months, I got a call from Uma saying that I had been selected for the role, which was an amazing experience.
It’s one of the best experiences of my life because it felt like such a community and family experience. The rehearsals were wonderful; you felt close to everyone. Naseerji (Naseeruddin Shah) even conducted a workshop for the cast. Everybody was very involved in that film, so I hold it very dear to my heart.
My Name is Khan—tell me about working with Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar, especially when Shah Rukh was detained.
My Name Is Khan was very special for me, as it was the first time I worked with Shah Rukh bhai and Karan Johar. It was a big film to be a part of, with a very special and emotional role. Shah Rukh bhai was actually from my college, and I knew Gauri from school. He had even choreographed us in a college fashion show. There was a connection that made it very special for me. I’ve always admired him for how he carries himself and his acting skills. He’s such a generous person, so working with him was an amazing experience.
Karan knows Indian cinema and what the audience wants inside out. It was a very emotional film, and Shah Rukh bhai gave an incredible performance. I felt fortunate to be part of that film.
How do you view your journey as an actor? Did it go the way you wanted it to?
My journey as an actor has been very special and exciting. I’ve done all kinds of films, and you can’t pre-decide too many things; you go with what is available. Life is all about choices, and you do your best with what you have. I consider myself lucky to have been part of quite a few special films and now OTT shows. A large part of my career is still ahead of me, so I’m always grateful for what I have. I focus on what I can control and leave the rest to destiny and the Almighty.
Today, you are involved in other things beyond cinema. Can you shed some light on that?
Yes, I’m involved in things beyond cinema. We’ve run the Pro Panja League, which we started in 2020 with tournaments, and it did very well. Last year, we had our first proper season on Sony Sports, and we did very well, attracting 32 million unique viewers. It has put arm wrestling or Panja on the map and has become the biggest production in the world.
It’s something special that keeps us busy. I’ve always been a sportsman at heart, so being involved in arm wrestling and supporting a whole community of sportspeople is very exciting. We view it as sports entertainment. I think both Preeti’s and my experiences in the entertainment world help us with marketing the sport, growing it, and making it bigger. It’s something we look forward to expanding in the future, but of course, our first true love remains cinema.
How did you and Preeti meet? Today, you are proud parents of two kids.
Preeti and I met for the first time at Daboo and Manisha Ratnani’s wedding. I was sitting down, having come alone, when she passed by and waved to me. I didn’t know her at that time and thought she was waving to someone else, so I didn’t look at her or wave back. I thought if I waved back and there was someone behind me she was waving to, I’d feel embarrassed.
After she left, I looked behind to see who she was waving at and realized there was a wall behind me. I then went to find her and said, “I’m really sorry. I thought you were waving to someone else.” She replied, “No problem, no problem.” I told her it was nice to meet her, and that was our first meeting.
