Theatre veteran Burjor Patel, father of Shernaz Patel, passed away on January 4, at the age of 91.
Burjor and Ruby Patel (who passed away in 2020), dominated the English and Parsi theatre scene in Mumbai for years, till he took up a position with Khaleej Times in Dubai. The stage was waiting for them, however, and when they returned to Mumbai after over two decades, they reconnected.
Patel, who was also well known in the advertising. media and marketing fields, started his acting career with the legendary Adi Marzban. That's where he met his future wife Ruby and married her in 1959. They launched the Parsi wing of the Indian National Theatre (INT) and for the next decade did a spate of comedies, thrillers and courtroom dramas, like GHER GHUNGRO NE GHOTALO, TIRANGI TEHMUL and HELLO INSPECTOR.
In the 1980s he established his own company, Burjor Patel Productions, under which he staged English and Gujarati plays.
Later, he teamed up with Hosi Vasunia and Bharat Dabholkar and launched the hugely successful BOTTOMS UP series under his banner.
On his return to Mumbai, he helped put together the revue, LAUGHTER IN THE HOUSE, which reunited all of Parsi Gujarati theatre's iconic stars, and also started a talent hunt for Parsi theatre aspirants.
Burjor Patel's passing is truly the end of an era.
MTG conveys sincere condolences to the Patel family.