The Queens of Bollywood
When Jewish women were the leading ladies of Indian cinema
Sulochana (Ruby Myers) and Zillo in Saubhagya Sundari
CREDIT: Courtesy Neepa Majumdar
Rose Ezra. Ruby Myers. Farhat Ezekiel Nadira. From the earliest years of Bollywood, these and other Jewish actresses garnered starring roles. And while they may have looked somewhat exotic to moviegoers, they came from Baghdadi Jewish families who had been living in India for decades. Reporter Eric Molinsky speaks to film scholars, as well as friends and relatives of these once-beloved but now mostly forgotten stars of Indian cinema, to find out how they became the “go-to girls” for leading female roles in the 1920s, ’30s, and beyond.
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Very very interesting exposition of a cultural fact that I have long wondered about, many thanks.
and then there were muslim women who ruled although they kept hindu names to blend in.
madhubal ( mumtaz jahan )
meenakumari
nimmi
begum para
swaran lata
suriya
noor jahan and yes nargis