Tackling a complicated subject like Religious or Social differences and the resulting public outburst in the form of riots and violence, is always a difficult thing and more so because the ramifications originating due to it is always at the back of the mind of the filmmaker. The subject is really sensitive and has to be dealt with utmost sincerity and care. Mani Ratnam exemplified this in his controversial but hard-hitting film BOMBAY that was based on the communal riots, which broke out in Mumbai in 1992-1993. Even recently Govind Nihalani’s DEV also had the theme of Gujarat riots as the crux of the story. Aparna Sen’s National Award winning film MR AND MRS IYER probably depicted the issue in a subtle manner with an elegant storyline that received tremendous appreciation. Rahul Dholakia’s upcoming film PARZANIA also deals with the controversial issue of communal violence. The film marks the comeback of the talented Sarika who is playing a pivotal role in the film. The luminous Naseeruddin Shah will be again seen essaying the role of a Parsi in the film (after Ajay Phansekar’s ENCOUNTER: THE KILLING). The film also stars the Emmy Award winner American actor Corin Nemec for the first time in an Indian film. PARZANIA is inspired by a true story.

Parzania is the breathtaking untold story of an event that changed the country and the world forever.

Cynical. Intelligent. Hilarious. Drunk. An American man by the name of Allan Webbings arrives in Ahmedabad city. For the longest time, Allan has been searching for answers, praying to find both internal peace and understanding of the horrors that religious differences can create. Allan has chosen India as his playground, and Gandhi as his subject. It's here that he meets Cyrus, the local projectionist who brings the young and troubled intellectual into his beautiful family. Cyrus is a Parsi, a follower of a rarely practiced religion that is both small in numbers and neutral to religious politics. He has a beautiful wife named Shernaz, a practical woman who after eleven years still can't resist his charisma and charm; two children- Parzan an imaginative ten year old that has developed his own world, the world of Parzania, where the buildings are made of chocolate and the mountains of ice cream. Parzan, in his mind, has created the perfect world, a world that only his eight year old little sister Dilshad truly understands.

Through Cyrus's family, Allan finds his peace, right before the rest of the country loses its sanity. One morning, the beauty and peace that India is so famous for, is rocked beyond measure, as a bomb explodes in a train killing Hindus. Within 24 hours, thousands of Muslims are slaughtered, making that day one of the largest acts of communal violence the country has ever seen. And in the midst of the terror and violence, Parzan comes up missing.

While Cyrus fights for his own sanity and searches for his child, Alan battles to uncover the truth behind the riots.

The film has been written by David Donihue and Rahul Dholakia and produced by KB Sareen, Rahul Dholakia and Kamal Patel. The music for the film is provided by the Tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Husain with assistance from his renowned percussionist brother Taufique Qureshi.