The Baghdadi Jewish community owes a significant debt of gratitude to Indian cinema because its women were among the first to act in films, at great danger to their reputation, at a period when women’s participation in performing arts was frowned upon. The majority of India’s film stars during the silent era were Jewish. However, with the exception of a few, they were unable to continue their lucrative careers after talkies were launched, as they were unable to deliver dialogues in Hindi due to their Anglicized upbringing.
Kenneth X. Robbins draws our attention to the Jewish contributions to Indian cinema in this photo essay, which was first published on Café Dissensus in December 2014 under the title “Indian Jews in Cinema.” It has been reproduced in its entirety with the Editors’ permission at Café Dissensus.
Source: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/jewish-women-were-indian-cinemas-first-actresses-38334
