Career
In a career spanning five decades his directed over 40 films, including,, and fantasy film. Homi Wadia was married to actress and stunt woman Fearless Nadia. Homi was younger brother of JBH Wadia, who was himself a movie director
Wadia was from an Parsi family, and his ancestors came from shipbuilding family, Wadia family (Wadia Group) originally from Surat in Gujarat state of western India, which also built British-wartime ship HMS Trincomalee (1817).
His ancestors moved to Bombay in the 18th century. The company even had its logo as a ship, honouring their family legacy.
The last film made by the company was Raj Nartaki (1941) under the direction of Madhu Bose, thereafter V. Shantaram bought the studio in 1942 and established Rajkamal Kalamandir in the premises. Homi Wadia, who worked as a director the company, went on to established Basant Pictures in the same year, though initially as film production house.
Subsequently, he established a film studio under the same banner in 1947, which functioned till 1981.
Eventually he progressed as an movie director, producer and also a drama actor and founded Basant Pictures (Basant Studios) Homi is particularly famous for his movies along with Nadia namely Hunterwali, Mission Frontier Mail and Hatim Tai. In 1981, he got into a labour dispute with union leader Datta Samant, unable to take on the dispute, he decided to quit filmmaking and closed down Basant Studios. He continued to live in Mumbai after his retirement.
He died at the age of 93, in Mumbai in 2004.