Persis Khambatta First Indian and Parsi At the Oscars
Persis Khambatta First Indian and Parsi At the Oscars
Ahead of the Oscars Award 2023, recently there has been exhilaration about Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone being one of the first presenters at the Oscars Award Ceremony.
However it is worth noting that over 35 years ago, if was Persis Khambata being a Parsi was the first Indian to present the most prestigious Oscars.
The pathbreaking actor presented the award with William Shatner.
Even Priyanka Chopra’s name figured having presented the Oscars. But, it is bewildering that Deepika Padukone never bothered to clarify that she isn’t the first Indian to do so even as the news went viral in social media that she is the first Indian to present the Oscars.
For those unversed, Persis Khambatta was a model-turned-actor whose journey from being a model to a famous Hollywood actor has been inspirational and motivating. She was offered an advertisement for Rexona soap brand. In fact, modelling happened to her unexpectedly. Her photos clicked by a professional photographer sealed her fate in modelling. She soon bagged the coveted Femina Miss India title and represented her country at the Miss Universe pageant. Khambatta’s modelling paved way to a career in acting. Her big breakthrough came with her bald look in ‘Star Trek’ film. It helped her gain global prominence and distinction. She is an author of a book ‘Pride of Nation’, which dealt about former Miss India’s and other beauty pageants.
Her foray into acting wasn’t a well thought of or a planned move. In 1967, she made her Bollywood debut in the avant-garde film ‘Bambai Raat Ki Bahon Mein’ or ‘Bombay By Night’ directed by K.A. Abbas. In it, she played a cabaret singer Lily
In 1975, Khambatta bagged her first international film ‘The Wilby Conspiracy’ starring Michael Caine and Sidney Poitier. She
In 1980, Khambatta became the first Indian citizen to present an Academy Award. Same year, she was nominated for Saturn Award for Best Actress for her role in ‘Star Trek’.
Persis Khambatta married Hollywood actor, Cliff Taylor, in June 1981. The two had met just weeks before their marriage. However, the marriage did not work for long and ended two months later as they filed for divorce. She then married Sandy Naren. They lived in Des Moines.
In the early 1980s, she was seriously injured in a car crash in Germany and had a heart bypass surgery.
On August 18 1998, Persis Khambatta died of a massive heart attack..She was only 49 then.
News Input K.V.Raman
