A unique local community set out to make a film in a little village in Guntur, the country of chiles and tobacco. The original plan was to make a Telugu comedy film with local actors. The result was a story about the actors themselves along the way. They were all Jews, members of Andhra Pradesh’s small Bene Ephraim minority.
Many migrations have occurred throughout the history of the Jews in India. Some migrated to Goa during the Portuguese and Spanish inquisitions, while others came from Kerala centuries before. One community, though, claims to be descended from the eleven lost tribes of Israel. The Bnei Menashe of India’s northeastern provinces claims descends from a Hmar character known as Manmasi, whom they believe to be none other than Jacob’s son Manasseh.
