The Parsi Theatre : Its Origins and Development/Somnath Gupt. Posted on 19 February, 2008 by zoroastriansnet Leave a comment “From its inception in 1853, Parsi theatre rapidly developed into a mobile, company-based entertainment that reached across colonial and princely India and extended overseas into Southeast Asia. Like its counterparts in modern Bengali and Marathi, it employed the prevailing local languages (Gujarati, Urdu and Hindi), used the European-style proscenium with richly painted backdrop curtains and trick stage effects, and depended on spectacle and melodrama to create audience appeal. Share this:PrintEmailTwitterFacebookMoreRedditLike this:Like Loading... Arts & Culture Books