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 around as if they were women, too. Since these female Jewish Indian dancers were allowed on stage by their families, one theater producer came up with the idea to use them as Hindu heroines. Since then, Indian Jewish actresses have played a big role in Bollywood’s golden age. You can read about it in this story.
Source: https://www.theindiaexpert.com/showcasing-jewish-stars-of-indian-cinema-3/
