Nari Hira, the unforgettable publishing icon, and suave media legend left suddenly on Friday night, 23rd August 2024. He always hated long drawn-out farewells. Stardust magazine was an entity that was spoken of in hushed whispers, since its inception in 1971 by the flamboyant and maverick publisher Nari Hira.
Published under the umbrella of Magna Publishing Company, which also encompassed the extremely popular glossies Society, Savvy, Society Interiors, Health & Nutrition (the only one of its kind) Citadel, Showtime, and later on Mandate, Starweek, and more. In the eighties, the film world was simmering with a new generation of handsome and beautiful Adonises and Venuses, waiting to be discovered. Nari Hira was the pioneer of video films, created under his banner Hiba Films, established in the early eighties.
Bold and unabashedly blatant, Hiba Films’ productions were the launching pad for so many of those swashbuckling dreamers, with stars in their eyes, fire in their veins, and flaunting searing hot bods, male and female. Nari Hira had an unerring eye for beauty and talent. And he was generous to a fault.
There were a number of newcomers, some who made it, and some who didn’t, but there were always second and third chances. If there is one thing that this legend will be remembered for, it would be his willingness to take chances with new talent, nurture and encourage them with work, put his money where his mouth was, and build and sustain warm relationships, built on goo.