Nari Hira, 'King of Indian Magazines,' Dies at 86

Nari Hira, founder of Stardust and a trailblazer in Indian media, dies at 86, leaving a lasting impact on cinema journalism and publishing.

on Jan 21, 2025

Nari Hira, 'King of Indian Magazines,' Dies at 86

Nari Hira, the legendary founder of Stardust magazine, passed away on August 23 at the age of 86. His family expressed their deep sorrow in a statement, calling him "a pioneer in print media, a family man, and a father beyond compare."

Born in 1938 in Karachi, now in Pakistan, Hira moved to Mumbai with his family after the Partition in 1947. He began his career as a journalist in the 1960s, later becoming a publisher with the title "King of Indian Magazines."

Hira transformed the Indian publishing line with popular magazines such as Stardust, Savvy, Showtime, Society, and Health while making Magna Publishing a media major. His different approach to cinema journalism, again particularly in Stardust, broke boundaries and set up new standards in film journalism.

Apart from magazine publishing, he was also contributing to film making. He, in the late 1980s, started off Hiba Films, producing video films in more than 15 numbers, before he started up Magna Films in 2007.

A private person, Hira left behind a legacy continued by his son, Rahuul Hira, who is the current Managing Director of Magna Publishing. The great and the good, such as novelist Shobhaa De and journalist Vir Sanghvi, paid their tributes.

"RIP Nari Hira, the genius of Indian publishing," Sanghvi wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "The magazine revolution began with Stardust. He broke every convention of film coverage and created a magazine empire based on those principles."

Hira’s contributions earned him several accolades, cementing his place as a trailblazer in Indian media.