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This publicity was to cost me dear! Already my appearance at the Greens (Hotel) had created some agitation amongst the more orthodox section of my community. Many had begun to regard me as a black sheep trying to bring disgrace upon them! And now, they thought things were getting out of hand by this bold announcement in the newspapers.
Immediately a mammoth meeting of the community was summoned under the auspices of a society called Dharma Raksha Mandali (meaning organization for protecting religion) at the Sir Cowasji Jehangir Public Hall! Whenever the integrity of the community was threatened, they immediately organized such meetings.
After much denunciation and even abuse hurled at me, the members decided to send three "eminent” and "respectable” gentlemen to meet me personally to dissuade me from performing the disgraceful "nautch” of the Hindus and from following a "low”profession meant only for cheap women of other communities! Also, they were told to extract a promise from me not to teach any Parsi woman this "low” art. It was further decided that they should also meet J. B. H. Wadia (founder of Wadia Movietone Studio) personally and reprimand him for trying to engage a Parsi girl in his film!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I read reports about this in the local vernacular newspaper patronized by the Parsis, I was more perturbed than amused. I recalled some past unpleasant incidents when two sisters, who were taking part in a film Javani-ki-Hawa produced by Bombay Tallkies, became victims of religious fanaticism. Great scenes of rowdyism were witnessed near the theater where the film was scheduled to be premiered. The entrance was smeared with tar and the furniture smashed to pieces! I believe, even the show was forcibly cancelled! Both the sisters had to be in hiding for quite some time, away from possible trouble and molestation.
To get back to that Dharma Raksha Mandali meeting: The three "eminent” gentlemen did come to see me at my residence. But as previously planned, under the advice of some friends, I refused to meet them or exchange a single word with them. Unsuccessful and crestfallen, they then left to see Wadia who received them cordially in his film studio at Parel. He argued with them sympathetically, but refused to give in or pamper their fads! "If a person chooses to be immoral, she or he has not necessarily to choose dance or film as a career…” he explained.
As they did not succeed even with Wadia, they desperately tried to give him a long lecture about the past glories of the Parsis and the once high moral standards of the descendants of the Aryans! And finally they lamented the behavior of certain undesirable "moderns” in the community.
For a few days after this incident, the vernacular Parsi Press tried to play upon the more orthodox element of the community by giving them exaggerated reports about the outcome of this tussle. They even drew many funny cartoons, featuring us all, and me in particular.
When I drew the attention of D. C. Shah to this ugly incident, he again splashed in his column: "Shirin not on the screen.” And underneath he inserted in italics: "The headline "Parsi girl dancer breaks into movies” in these columns last Sunday has given a wrong impression in some quarters that Shirin Vajifdar has joined the films as an actress. To a careful reader of the article, it must have been clear that she has joined the film line only as a dance-director, as I had specifically pointed out. There was nothing in the article to suggest that she would appear on the screen.”
After the appearance of this short notice, the so-called reformers took it as their own personal and moral victory! They even went on boasting as to how they had succeeded in stopping me from taking part in that film and how Wadia had apologized to them!
However, my work of directing the group dance in the film Krishna Bhakta Bodana went on smoothly with the assistance of the Wadias.