Born in India, raised in London, then moved to Canada, where he studied theater arts at the University of Winnipeg. After completing an acting internship in Canada, Parm spent ten years working on stage and as a stand-up comedian across North America before landing his first feature film role in 2002.

He then landed a recurring role as Detective Nadim Parmir in two acclaimed CBC crime dramas — Da Vinci's Inquest and Da Vinci's City Hall.

His extensive filmography and television work include the Emmy-nominated miniseries Traffic, the Genie-nominated film The Divide, the Gemini Award-winning miniseries Human Cargo, the Writers Guild-nominated feature Afghan Luke, and big-budget Hollywood blockbusters including Watchmen and 2012.

Parm traveled to Valencia, Spain, to film the Disney feature Tomorrowland, starring George Clooney.