FEARLESS NADIA- A CASE STUDY.

Born as Mary Ann Evans, Fearless Nadia is remembered as the masked, cloaked adventuress in Hunterwali (The Princess and the Hunter) released in 1935, which was one of the earliest female lead Indian Films. Nadia may be considered as the real stuntqueen of Indian films. Her counterparts like Miss Sulochana and Miss Eremeline were equally good but Nadia beat them when it came to popularity among the masses and directors of stunt films. Toofan Mailstarted the vogue of the action and thriller genres, followed by Homi Wadia and Nadia's Hunterwali (1935). 1935 saw the release of her breakthrough film, Hunterwali, or "Lady of the Whip", and this was when she was permanently nicknamed Hunterwali -- the role that defined her career, and made her synonymous with the genre of stunt film. Her role in the filmwhich had her dressed in tight, revealing clothes, tall boots, while wielding a whipbecame iconic in 1930s pre-independence India. The movie was an absolute hit and spawned an entire genre of daring stunt films, featuring the Robin Hood-like protagonist. Nadia performed her amazing action sequences herself, thereby endearing herself to the public. In this and later films, the actor Sayani (who always played the villain) and a horse named Punjab Ka Beta were staples. The character became a cult of sorts - whips, masks, shoes and belts with the Hunterwali logo were the rage. In 1936 came Miss Frontier Mail. This was the most famous train films with a spectacular fight scene atop a moving train with Nadia in the lead. According to J.B.H Wadia, Nadias female traits could be more easily exploited as compared to Miss Padma becayse Nadia was white, her buxom torso, her sparkly eyes and pearly teeth made it easier for him. However, one thing that kept coming in between with her perfect features was her wait. she was not your traditional petite actress, she had a plump appearance. Some say that her weight was the reason when the rope of her chandelier while performing a stunt in Hunterwali broke. Nadia was also considered more commercially viable than most of her counter parts. This not only included bathing in nude. In Hunterwali she was scantily dressed engaging in strenuous physical activities, wearing shorts that revealed large parts of her white and abundant flesh as she moved. In Hunterwali cameras were specially positioned in such a way to display her body in all its splendid fullness, partly naked bulk. Nadia could run, jump, ride a horse, shoot a gun, wield a sword, swing from a rope, throw punches and men, swim, lift weights and even drive a car apart from the regular singing and dancing clad in a sari. her best role, the most strongly written by J.B.H., was in Diamond Queen which is also perhaps the best made of all of Nadia's films, given J.B.H.'s passion for the themes of female emancipation and anti-colonialism, and a particularly strong

supporting cast that included the stalwart John Cavas (a stuntman and bodybuilder himself, with a strong screen presence); Sayani, the ubiquitous villain whose trademark mustache and mannerisms endeared him to audiences; Sardar Mansoor, who appeared in many Wadia Movietone offerings, sometimes as hero, sometimes as second lead, and who was a rather decent singer as well; and, of course, the "stunt car" Rolls-Royce ki Beti ("Daughter of Rolls-Royce") and Gunboat the Dog (who performed many a stunt and trick himself!). <br>