In Indian films during the 1920s and 1930s, Hindu and Muslim women were uncommon. Women showing their bodies to strangers on-screen was frowned upon and regarded as taboo. Male actors are more likely to play female roles than female...
Some people thought it was bad for Hindu and Muslim actresses to appear on film in the early days of the now-thriving Bollywood. This led them to hire big men with Indian moustaches to act like women and dance...
Much has been written about Hollywood's Jewish history. This, on the other hand, is a little more startling. In the early days of the similarly dynamic Indian film industry - Bollywood – Jews played a significant role. A number...
During his visit to India this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made his love for Bollywood clear. "The world loves Bollywood, Israel loves Bollywood, and I love Bollywood," he stated while extending an invitation to Mumbai's film industry...
Fans of early Bollywood will notice that Sulochana—born Ruby Myers—and Pramila have a lot in common in their lives and professions. Both became superstars in the Indian cinema industry during a time when Indian women were rarely seen outside...
Bollywood appears to be losing a legacy - its Indian Jewish patrons - at a time when it is reaching out to many countries.
Their contribution to the Hindi film industry, particularly during the silent era before independence, was significant,...
The Hindi film business, also known as Bollywood, is one of the world's largest worldwide film industries, with a population of over 1.3 billion people. It is also home to some of the world's most famous actresses. Priyanka Chopra...
When Danny Ben-Moshe read an obituary for acclaimed Hindi cinema actor Nadira in 2006, he noticed two things. Florence Ezekiel was one of her real names. The other was her "raunchy vamp" persona, as he put it.
Nadira was one...
The Jewish superstars who once ruled Bollywood
Danny Ben-Moshe, a Melbourne-based documentary filmmaker, received a newspaper clipping from his Indian research assistant in 2006. It was an obituary for a famous Indian actress...
When Jews ran… Bollywood?
Hollywood has long been connected with Jews, for better or worse, since the first Jewish-run studios made cinema what it is today. Bollywood? Not at all.