''On Wings of Fire'' (originally titled ''A Quest for Zarathustra'') is a 1986 English-language Indian film directed by Cyrus Bharucha and starring

Zubin Mehta Zubin Mehta (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and conductor emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mehta's father was the foun ...

Paul Shelley Paul Shelley (born Paul Matthews; 15 May 1942) is an English actor. Shelley was born in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, and trained at RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art). Since then he has mainly worked in the theatre as a classical actor. ...

Saeed Jaffrey Saeed Jaffrey (8 January 1929 – 15 November 2015) was a British-Indian actor. His career covered film, radio, stage and television roles over six decades and more than 150 British, American, and Indian movies. During the 1980s and 1990s he wa ...

Amrish Puri Amrish Puri (22 June 1932 – 12 January 2005) was an Indian actor, who was one of the most notable and important figures in Indian cinema and Theatre. He acted in more than 450 films, established himself as one of the most popular actors ...

, with

Nigel Terry Peter Nigel Terry (15 August 1945 – 30 April 2015) was an English stage, film, and television actor, typically in historical and period roles. He played Prince John in Anthony Harvey's film '' The Lion in Winter'' (1968) and King Arthur in ...

Zarathustra Zoroaster,; fa, زرتشت, Zartosht, label=Modern Persian; ku, زەردەشت, Zerdeşt also known as Zarathustra,, . Also known as Zarathushtra Spitama, or Ashu Zarathushtra is regarded as the spiritual founder of Zoroastrianism. He is s ...

and

Derek Jacobi Sir Derek George Jacobi (; born 22 October 1938) is an English actor. He has appeared in various stage productions of William Shakespeare such as ''Hamlet'', ''Much Ado About Nothing'', ''Macbeth'', ''Twelfth Night'', ''The Tempest'', ''King ...

as the narrator. It is the first and only film to cover the philosophy and history of

Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religions, Iranian religion and one of the world's History of religion, oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian peoples, Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a Dualism in cosmology, du ...

in a scholarly and dramatic way. The film was premiered at

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

's Sterling Cinema in June 1986, and was released in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 2001.

Summary

The film recounts the history of

and prophet

Zarathushtra Zoroaster,; fa, زرتشت, Zartosht, label=Modern Persian; ku, زەردەشت, Zerdeşt also known as Zarathustra,, . Also known as Zarathushtra Spitama, or Ashu Zarathushtra is regarded as the spiritual founder of Zoroastrianism. He is s ...

, covering a period of 3500 years of the Zoroastrians and the

Parsees Parsis () or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of Iran (part of the early Muslim co ...

of India. The story begins with the conductor

, the film's pivotal figure, a westernised Parsi who visits his homeland to discover his roots, and in the process learns about the history of his people.

Cast

as himself *

as narrator *

as Prophet

as King

Vishtaspa Vishtaspa ( ae, 𐬬𐬌𐬱𐬙𐬁𐬯𐬞𐬀 ; peo, 𐎻𐏁𐎫𐎠𐎿𐎱 ; fa, گشتاسپ ; grc, Ὑστάσπης ) is the Avestan-language name of a figure of Zoroastrian scripture and tradition, portrayed as an early followe ...

Tom Alter Thomas Beach Alter (22 June 1950 – 29 September 2017) was an Indian actor. He was best known for his works in Hindi cinema, and Indian theatre. In 2008, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India. Early life Born in Mussoorie i ...

as the Priest *

Erick Avari Erick Avari (born Nariman Nariman Erach Avari; 13 April 1952) is an Indian-American actor whose roles in science-fiction and action productions include ''Stargate'' (1994), '' Independence Day'' (1996), and ''The Mummy'' (1999). Early life E ...

as the Professor *

Lewis Fiander Lewis Ernest Fiander (12 January 1938 – 24 May 2016) was an Australian film, stage, and television actor. Biography Fiander was born in Melbourne to Mona Jane (née King) and Walter Lewis Fiander, and educated at Trinity Grammar School, Ke ...

as Tansar *

as Jadhav Rana, the Hindu king * Nicholas Jones as King Gushnasp *

Oengus MacNamara In Irish mythology, Aengus or Óengus is one of the Tuatha Dé Danann and probably originally a god associated with youth, love,Ó hÓgáin, Dáithí. ''Myth, Legend & Romance: An encyclopedia of the Irish folk tradition''. Prentice-Hall Press, ...

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

Nihavand Nahavand ( fa, نهاوند, translit=Nahāvand / Nehāvend) is a city in Hamadan Province, Iran. It is the capital of Nahavand County. At the time of the 2006 census, its population was 72,218, in 19,419 families. It is located south of the ...

ruler, the

Amir Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cerem ...

Soni Razdan Soni Razdan (born 25 October 1956) is a British actress and film director who works in Hindi films. She is married to film director Mahesh Bhatt and is the mother of Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt. Early life Razdan was born in Small Heath Birmi ...

as Thais * Khojeste Mistree as the

Dastur A dastūr, sometimes spelt dustoor, is a term for a Zoroastrian high priest who has authority in religious matters and ranks higher than a mobad or herbad. In this specific sense, the term is used mostly among the Parsis of India. The term has also ...

ji *

Leybourne Callaghan Leybourne is a small village and civil parish in Kent, England situated off Junction 4 of the M20 motorway, M20 Motorway. Leybourne is adjacent to New Hythe, East Malling and Larkfield, Larkfield and West Malling. As of 2020 Leybourne Parish had a ...

as John Wilson *Crew of HMS Ambuscade as extras

Reception

The film has generated controversy within the

Parsi Parsis () or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of Iran (part of the early Muslim conq ...

community in India. Zoroastrians today hold different opinions concerning the person of Zarathustra: some view him as an enlightened philosopher and scholar, but a mortal being; others embrace a more mystical concept that he is an incarnation of the immortal

Amesha Spenta In Zoroastrianism, the Amesha Spenta ( ae, , Aməša Spəṇta—literally "Immortal (which is) holy/bounteous/furthering") are a class of seven divine entities emanating from Ahura Mazda, the highest divinity of the religion. Later Middle Persian ...

possessing supernatural abilities. In the film, Zarathustra is portrayed as a philosopher, rather than as a divine being endowed with divine wisdom; and one scene shows Zarathustra arguing in the court of King Vistasp that death is evil, which indicates the concept of

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is a ...

, a principle rejected by Zarathustra which expresses belief in

resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, which ...

instead. These conflicting perceptions have generated heat in the reactions to the film: " ��the 90-minute presentation replete with misrepresentations and gross distortions, it was a dastardly attempt to convey an unhallowed portrayal of the religion and its prophet, the rarely militant conservatives fumed." Three high priests—Hormazdyar Mirza, Kaikhushroo Jamapasa and Feroz Kotwal—stated in the journal ''

Parsiana ''Parsiana'', is a semi-monthly magazine written in English and published in Bombay for the Zoroastrian community. As of 2019, it was in its 55th year of publication. History 1960s and 1970s ''Parsiana'' was founded in Bombay in November 19 ...

'': "The film, if produced in the form and manner reported in the press, will be construed as a deliberate and malicious act intended to outrage religious beliefs by insulting the religion and beliefs of the Parsi community."

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, Film, India 1986 films English-language Indian films Films about Zoroastrianism 1980s English-language films

Summary

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links