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 goodwill, that endured the test of time over many decades. Nari Hira did not hesitate to tell life stories as they played out raw, passionate, sensual, and complicated.
Both, in his films, as well as magazines. In fact, he reveled in the telling of these stories. Trashing hidebound convention, larger-than-life narratives, simmering with sensuality and sensationalism, adult content was churned out at the Hiba factory, way before our audiences were ready, or had seen anything so seductive.
They were hooked, and the films became popular hits. These steamy stories launched many a star- Aditya Pancholi, Marc Zuber, Jeet Upendra, Ardhendu Bose, the stunning Persis Khambatta, Zarina Wahab, Kanwaljeet Singh, Sahil Chadda, even Urmila Matondkar, in the first Hiba film video, titled Scandal, way back in 1985. Hiba Films produced about 15 video films, in less than a decade.
Two of the films, Shingora in 1986, and Khatarnak Irade in 1987, were stories written by Nari Hira, in collaboration with other writers. The films also starred actors like Om Puri, Archana Puran Singh, Supriya Pathak, Anju Mahendru, Neeta Puri, and Anil Dhawan. The Hiba film roster reads like this.
Scandal in 1985. 1986 saw three releases, namely, Shingora, Sone Ka Pinjara, and Kalank Ka Tika. 1987 saw the release of Abhishek, Kharatarnak Irade, Naqli Chehra, and Shahadat.
Shaamat was released In 1989. In the early millennium years, Nari Hira established Magna Films, and produced Bhram in 2008 ( Dino Morea, Milind Soman, Simone Singh, Chetan Hansraj), Apartment (Tanushree Dutta, Rohit Roy, Anupam Kher, etc), and Accident on Hill Road (starring Celina Jaitley, Farooque Shaikh, and Abhimanyu Singh). A man way ahead of his times, restlessly energetic, in thought and attitude- delightfully irreverent, quick of wit, and warm of heart, the extraordinary Nari Hira lived an unconventional life completely on his terms.
He was an unspoken feminist, not given to flaunting his thoughts so much in words as in action. Magna Publishing has only very rarely seen male editors. The building was populated by bevies of women leading the roosts, secure in the complete autonomy entrusted to them by this man whose faith in them never wavered.
He was accessible to all who worked with and for him, yet an enigma. He broke every rule that could be broken, not to prove any point. That was just him as different and unique a persona as one could ever encounter.
He loved and lived the good times, and shared them with all those that came into his ambit. He inspired so much loyalty. Shrugging off anything remotely soppy, he was still a soft-hearted soul.
Much loved, and truly a man who has left a legacy for posterity. Raise a toast, to a life well lived! Pop the champagne and send the clouds and thunder scurrying. He’s not the kind to rest in peace.
Not Mr H! Here’s to you Mr Hira, and all the words you continue to inspire! Suguna Sundaram has been a film journalist since the eighties, and did two stints at Stardust, the second one as editor of the iconic trailblazer, working closely with Nari Hira, on the magazine content, as well as the epic Stardust Awards functions that made as much news as the stars it celebrated..
